When I tell people that my favorite Genesis song of all time is Duchess from the Duke album they always think I'm nuts. I wonder what you other Genesis fans here at DLBN think about this? Just curious.
It's pretty tough to actually be able to pick a single favorite song from Genesis they have so many incredible tunes. If thats your fave Shawn ...cool!!! I heard Tony Banks in an interview some years ago say that was his favorite tune also. Duchess IS a great song with lots of feeling. I like how it begins slowly and builds........'times were good, she never thought about the future, she just did what she would'.......
But seriously, what you like is what you like. Great for you if you like Duchess best. To me, it's about the fifth best song on a great album, behind Heathaze, Duke's Travels/End, Cul-de-Sac, Behind the Lines and Please Don't Ask. That's what's so great about this kind of music. It's so diverse.
I'd have to say my favorite Genesis song ever is The Cinema Show and my favorite from the Phil era is either Home by the Sea/Second Home or One for the Vine.
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IMO, you really can't talk about Duchess by itself. To me, it's a part of an inseparable trilogy that includes Behind The Lines and Guide Vocal, one of the greatest "f@%k you" songs of all time!
Ahhh but the the three sides live version of Duchess is so powerful and passionate! It just gets ya right there! (points to the heart) Last night I just had a "Holy Crap!" moment with regards to Duchess... The section of the song that contains the lyrics "And all the people cried, "You're the one we've waited for", immediately after that line, the chord progression is the same (with one very minor change) as the final chord progression of Apocalypse in 9/8ths! If you listen to the progression right after "He's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune", other than the time signature difference, and an A minor chord rather than an A Major chord, the progression is identical to the one in Duchess. So weird how I've been listening to those tunes for over 10 years and only picked up on this last night. Yet another reason why I LOVE Genesis so much.
A minor...A major...progression of chords...yeah yeah yeah...all that stuff...
The reason I love Genesis is because the music is rich, deep and resonates with my soul.
I like your technical perspective Shawn...but I adore the simplicity/complexity of the music. The songwriting and playing makes complex structures and difficult music sounds so simple and direct.
I'm one of those people who never cared for that song. I just don't see the power you guys all talk about. It's too simplistic musically for me I think. But to each his own.
Yep this is a reaction I commonly hear about this song. I suppose different tunes affect everyone in a different way. I know people that swear that Afterglow is the best Genesis tune of all time. While I can see how they hear it, to me the song is pretty bland. It's nice and all, but nothing intense. Re Duchess and Supper's Ready, I love reoccuring themes. That's the collest part of this awesome genre of music.
Always loved this song - I think this song is an autobiography of Genesis during this period ( may not be an original thought though - thought I heard Tony say this once ).
Mike
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"We all know success when we all find our own dreams. And our love is enough to knock down any walls. And the future's been seen as men try to realize. The simple secret of the note in us all..."
I think this song is an autobiography of Genesis during this period ( may not be an original thought though - thought I heard Tony say this once ).
He mentions it in the Songbook DVD, when he talks about closing the curtain on Genesis. He compares the "failure" of Calling All Stations to the 3rd verse of Duchess (there was a time when she performed, when nobody cried for more...).
I love Duchess, and Duke (of course) is my favorite album, but I think Afterglow still does a little more for me than just Duchess!
Heathaze and Cul-de-Sac! Now there's some great underrated music!!
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