What can be said that hasn’t been said a million times before? An album that really benefits from high-quality gear. I listen to this about once a year (since I was in high school), and I make a point of listening when I upgrade sound gear. Amazing early use of analog synths in a natural way with the guitars and voices. After all this time, still love the stirring vocal on Great Gig and the sax on Money.

I got into Genesis in the early 80s after listening to Gabriel’s 1st 4 solo albums, so I always liked the PG vocal sound on SEBTP but never cared much for the lyric content. The treat here is the sound of the drums and the keys. Super active bass parts are a mixed bag but it all deserves to be blasted at high volume. I’m a sucker for epic and (yes) melodramatic guitar solo on FOF.

snooze. always wondered why bittersweet symphony was so popular. emotionless vocals over drums and strings. wow.

Great voice and great songwriting but sounds like a demo album esp some of the percussion.

No waste no filler. Great band and bowie’s singing with so much feeling on every track. Golden Years has so much going on but holds it together rhythmically.

traditionally not a huge fan of electronica but this one had me engaged and entranced.

I was going to rate this a 2 but the quality of the backing band and a few of the lyrics (too few!) bumped it to a 3.

good power pop sound good songs and what’s with the jazzy breakdown on breaking down?

2/5 I didn't enjoy this and I love many FS performances on other records. Why bother with TGFI when the Getz/Jobim version is out there?

4/5

1/5 didn’t hear anything interesting or new here. chirpy/clipped sounds were more annoying than anything else.

5/5 for tina’s vocals throughout. good songs mostly especially the singles. I recalled just how good What’s love got to do with it is. great sound on that track. Private dancer also great song.

5/5 I know EC's albums through King of America but missed this one the first time around. I was surprised by how gritty and aggressive it was - a lot like This Years Model but with even better vocals. Great songwriting as always.

4/5 the loose feel fits some of the songs perfectly but gets tiring after a while. great vocals performances emerge on several tracks but lyrics are largely throwaway. tamalpais high is gorgeous - love that Phil bass!

4/5 the heavy stuff is amazing. like others i went back and listened to supernaut a few times. such a great tune! only rated this a 4 because of the lame and boring “lighter” numbers which are self-indulgent waste.

I really enjoyed this and i’m a little shocked by how much. Definitely an evocation of a time and place.

Fantastic record.

5/5 fantastic from start to finish

The best. I remember how quirky and strange this sounded when it came out, especially Satisfaction. Now it just sounds like a cool cover version.

2/5 some great riffs but they don’t sustain my interest. definitely a harbinger of what hard rock and metal would become.

5/5 exciting and amazing

amazing and inventive

interesting guitar work

2/5 surprisingly boring. probably enjoyable as a live bar band with a few beers in me. what became… is a good closer but not enough.

5/5

Did not enjoy this at all. Derivative and boring.

A lot of fun but very dated

Listened to this for the first time in a long time. I was ready for it to sound dated but it didn't. Nice simple production and great songs. A little preachy (maybe a lot) but the vocal delivery is spooky yet powerful.

I can't listen to this album casually. It's like when I stumble on the Godfather while channel surfing. I have to watch it, and I get totally involved in it all over again. Amazing.

Lots of great ideas and sounds. Consistently original while still calling back to traditional R&B, prog rock, Stevie Wonder, and more. Breathy vocal style gets tiring after a while. Some editing could easily have made this a 5.

5/5 i really appreciate the packed soundscape. strings come in then vanish. keyboards drive a song then yield to percussion. some really weird production choices baffle me to this day (eg the chorus on kid about it). the excellent songs demonstrate the depth of ec’s writing talent, shown again and again before and after this album.

5/5 like a greatest hits album. party from start to finish. guitars horns soaring vocals. what’s not to love?

2/5 although black rose is a great tune

YA and Fame great. the rest is just experimenting with the sound. bowie’s voice is rough but sort of interesting with the slick production.

3/5

originally thought this was going to be a buzzcocks/jam/beatles tribute experience but lots of originality in the songwriting and great twists and turns make this a great listen due for repeat visits.

3/5 smooth production. pleasant as background music. not much variation in tone/color and the melisma is really too much.

5/5 I'd give this 5/5 just for CTY and WOJB. Two of the most perfect songs ever recorded.

5/5 As a live performance and not a collection of original material, I was going to give this a max of 4, but her astonishing delivery makes every song an original. Corny but true.

3/5 i remember liking this album a lot more way back when. found myself skipping through songs. SJBE and WS are still great.

4/5 original sounds, influential and challenging

4/5 amazing that they recorded this in one 12-hour session

3/5

5/5

inventive

some good songs but needs editing

surprised by how interesting this album is. i was prepared to dislike it for its showtune aesthetic but the lyrics are great and the music sets the scene so perfectly. definitely heard some proto-springsteen and early elton john (bernie taupin produced). will definitely listen to the whole album again.

Some great moments but a little bloodless after so much exposure over the years. Still a very well-constructed album. Thank goodness they brought Joe Walsh on board.

Interesting but not my cup of tea

Hugely influential - even among other bands that themselves were influential (Modern Lovers among others). Yes - hard to get through sometimes but worth it.

Any questions?

Some good songs and he's got a great voice but not my style.

3/5 I’m not a metal fan but I found this entertaining - Even the clownish lyrics!

crap

Interesting psychedelia. They were definitely stoned while doing this one. I enjoyed listening to this, but it is dated.

2/5 a couple of ok tunes but boring overall

not for me

One of the best of all time

album doesn’t live up to the promise of the first track 2/5

monotonous 1/5

4/5 I like her vocal timbre and how emotive she is. Enjoyable listen.

just great. these two have unlimited ideas. they play characters and sing songs that seem like they’ve been around forever. probably cliche to say but the variety is like the white album.