Genesis – Nursery Cryme

It seems inconceivable today that a Genesis album has ever failed to enter the British charts immediately upon release. But as their audience grew very gradually in the early days, this was the case with both "Trespass" in 1970 and "Nursery Cryme" the following year.

Both appeared in the listings after the band had established themselves, although Trespass has only spent one week in the charts to date, at number 98, a full 14 years after its release in 1984. Nursery Cryme also only made a belated and brief appearance, but it is one of the most revered albums in the Genesis canon by their die-hard fans. The top-three success of "Selling England By The Pound", which charted in the fall of 1973 and again for three months the following spring, sparked renewed interest in the Genesis catalog. At the same time, the band also made their first appearance in the singles charts with "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", which was released from the album as a 45 and reached number 21 in the UK.

On May 11, 1974, Cryme entered the charts at number 39 for exactly seven days. At the same time, Selling England remained strong in the Top 20, rising 18-17 in the 16th week. Ten years later, in 1984, Cryme reappeared at No. 68 for one week.

The boldly inventive "Nursery Cryme" is home to highly distinctive tracks from Genesis' early progressive years, such as "The Musical Box" and "The Return Of The Giant Hogweed". The LP marked the arrival of Phil Collins on drums (and for his first lead vocal on "For Absent Friends") and guitarist Steve Hackett, establishing the classic band line-up of the early and mid-1970s.

Building on the more pastoral 'Trespass', the album included key epics such as 'The Musical Box' and 'The Return Of The Giant Hogweed' as well as exquisite folk-influenced miniatures such as 'For Absent Friends' and 'Harlequin'.