And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their penUntil the shephard leads his flock awayThe sands of time were eroded byThe river of constant change
1970s progressive rock took a lot of well deserved abuse for becoming bloated and pretentious, but Firth Of Fifth, from Selling England By The Pound, the 1973 album by Genesis, is prog rock at its pinnacle, a gorgeous journey, musically and lyrically.
Firth starts with the beautiful solo piano of Tony Banks, before the verses kick in with Peter Gabriel singing. We have a flute solo by Gabriel and then a lush extended guitar piece by Steve Hackett. Close your eyes while gliding along with the guitar. And all underpinned by Mike Rutherford's intricate bass and Phil Collins' drumming. Collins' later success as a singer and solo artist has tended to detract from his brilliance as one of the finest prog rock drummers,
Genesis remain my favorite prog rock band with this album and 1971's Nursery Cryme as their finest efforts. With Gabriel leaving in 1975, Phil Collins taking over vocals, and Steve Hackett leaving after the first post-Gabriel album Trick of the Tail, Genesis became a completely different type of act.
