 Foxtrot (1972) [ larger cover art ] |
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Watcher of the skies watcher of all
His is a world alone no world is his own,
He whom life can no longer surprise,
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown.
Creatures shaped this planets soil,
Now their reign has come to an end,
Has life again destroyed life,
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
More than their childhood games?
Maybe the lizards shed its tail,
This is the end of mans long union with earth.
Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead?
For now, the lizards shed its tail
This is the end of mans long union with earth.
From life alone to life as one,
Think not now your journeys done
For though your ship be sturdy, no
Mercy has the sea,
Will you survive on the ocean of being?
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way.
Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go.
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own.
His is a world alone no world is his own,
He whom life can no longer surprise,
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown.
Creatures shaped this planets soil,
Now their reign has come to an end,
Has life again destroyed life,
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
More than their childhood games?
Maybe the lizards shed its tail,
This is the end of mans long union with earth.
Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead?
For now, the lizards shed its tail
This is the end of mans long union with earth.
From life alone to life as one,
Think not now your journeys done
For though your ship be sturdy, no
Mercy has the sea,
Will you survive on the ocean of being?
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way.
Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go.
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own.
| krysthal (43.70654 -79.39837 Toronto, Canada) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 13:22 The live version from the first Genesis Live album is fantastic as well. Would have been awesome to have caught live Genesis show back in the 70s. Anyone have stories from when they saw them with Gabriel? |
| ski19570 (Northern Sierras, California) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 10:29 The birthplace of the progressive rock movement. Not only this band but the time frame. Defiantly on the front end of it. I love this older stuff. Not only shows what kind of talent was to be had back then but shows us how we have progressed.  |
| nagsheadlocal (North Carolina, the new New Jersey) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 10:25 You know, I was never much of a fan of Genesis, but I have to echo the sentiments of others here: Sometimes it's really nice to hear "the old stuff," deep tracks from albums that no longer receive much play. Takes me back to the days of dorm parties, college radio, and wondering what albums my GF was going to bring back from California after the Christmas break. |
| Decoy (Milliway's, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 10:24 sounds like it was once good, but time has not been kind to this one. |
| ottojschlosser (Beaverton OR (no, really, that's its name)) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 10:22 One of my favorite Genesis tracks ever. Delighted to hear it here. |
| johnjconn (chicago land) | Posted: Dec 03, 2012 - 10:21 good stuff |
| Normhotte (Ottawa Canada) | Posted: Nov 02, 2012 - 08:50 nice to hear "the old stuff" on the radio. |
| hightail | Posted: Nov 02, 2012 - 02:15 Have to appreciate the fact that we can listen to "unusual" track like this, but this is a bit of a nutter. :) |
| vanmas (Leiden, Netherlands) | Posted: Nov 02, 2012 - 02:14 Not my cup of tea... Chaos music... |
| merkin_muffley (Down the rabbit hole.....) | Posted: Aug 31, 2012 - 03:20 Woah never heard this on any type of 'radio' before, well done for playing. |
| Tippster (Washington, DC) | Posted: Jul 30, 2012 - 17:20 bachbeet wrote: Definitely not one of their good ones. Can't see giving it more than a 4. Depends what you define as their "good ones." I love Gabriel-fronted Genesis. 8 for me. |
| bachbeet | Posted: Jul 30, 2012 - 17:17 Definitely not one of their good ones. Can't see giving it more than a 4. |
| LeifTerry (Atlanta, GA) | Posted: Jun 29, 2012 - 09:23 Maybe this sounds good on a big stereo cranked up. I have my little PC speakers turned down low so I could work and it sounded like they were malfunctioning. Worst song I've heard in a long time. |
| fortheloveofpete | Posted: Jun 29, 2012 - 06:50 Great way to start my vacation, thanks Bill! |
| bebop1704 (Greensboro, NC) | Posted: May 28, 2012 - 09:40 Powerful song! Made me stop everything I was doing to give it a strong 1 (one). |
| hbs47 (SE England) | Posted: May 28, 2012 - 09:40 One of the great numbers from Genesis early period, before they became a predictable pop band. "Too proggy" ????????? No such thing. I'm an old fart but the older I get the more I'm disappointed with the efforts of most of the newer bands. |
| Sbed | Posted: May 28, 2012 - 09:36 Wow, just made my day, now let's wait for super's ready Bill! |
| Limpopoking (The Parish of St. Alfonzo) | Posted: May 28, 2012 - 09:33 Only on RP  |
| number7 (Napanee, Ontario, Canada) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 16:18 This was the very first song I ever heard from Genesis. No warm up act, lights out.......... then wham!.... spotlight on Peter with his painted eyes & they just took us away for a tour I will never forget. It was sitting on the floor of a gymnasium at Queens University. (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) They just blew me away. Amazing! What an amazing night. |
| Bobert_ParkCity (Park City Utah) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 16:06 look ma! we can play all these instruments! it's a mashup! and ain't we witty? (tho they did get more coherent, later) |
| Antigone (A house, in a Virginian Valley) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 16:05 Oh, this really brings back some memories. A good friend of my brother's (after my brother was killed in the auto accident) introduced me to Genesis and this was the first album of theirs I bought. Freshman year at college. Seems like just yesterday. |
| tutakea | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:16 one can´t deny that not everything of the old genesis material ages too well, and this one is amongst those titles. a little bit too pretentious, this watchers :-) brings still back some bittersweet memories when being a genesis-fan meant almost everything to me. i am convinced i will know all the lyrics by heart even when i´m retired and demented and forget how to eat and dress :-) |
| rolo (New Orleans) | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:16 Orodrigues wrote: Oh, man, now you made my day! Nothing less than GODLIKE!!  .....  ....  |
| Bozo (Steeler Penguin Pirate land) | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:14 shutter wrote: IMO, it's timeless. These Genesis albums broke so much new musical ground and they pretty much set the standard for the genre. I can't agree more: I was fortunate to see the "Selling England By the Pound" tour at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh: life-changing!! These are MUSICIANS!!! "Supper's Ready" anyone? |
| rolo (New Orleans) | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:14 sirdroseph wrote: Just a little to prog rocky for my taste. Yea .... too many notes .... Mozart used to get that one too ... |
| emelred (NC) | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:13 I rarely use the Mute button when listening to RP. |
| gigikent | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:11 Terrible, just terrible :( |
| Orodrigues (Resende (RJ), Brazil) | Posted: Feb 23, 2012 - 06:11 Oh, man, now you made my day! Nothing less than GODLIKE!! |
| robh (up t'north UK) | Posted: Jan 22, 2012 - 13:13 4 Acceptable but only just! self indulgent tosh |
| mikec09 (Saugerties, NY) | Posted: Jan 22, 2012 - 13:13 I categorize songs from my past in 2 categories . . . ones that stand up to the test of time and ones like this (and a good number of Genesis, Cream, etc.) that don't. Sorry Genesis fans. I find songs like this one remind me of Rush . . . a band I REALLY can't stand to listen to much, anymore. |
| DetailBoi | Posted: Jan 22, 2012 - 13:10 Brings back lots of memories from my early teens in the early 80's, when my brother introduced me to classic Genesis. |
| beezoo (Venice, CA) | Posted: Dec 21, 2011 - 20:00 Classic. If I remember correctly this song was inspired by Gabriel's reading the Arthur C. Clarke novel Childhood's End. I have often wondered if Pink Floyd's song, on their way too often overlooked Obscured by Clouds album, with the same name as the novel was influenced by Clarke's work as well. Either way thanks Bill for playing some classic Genesis from the early seventies. Genesis was the band in my early youth, back in those days, that grabbed my ears and then my mind and started me listening to music that was not necessarily being designed for the masses. It has been a wild ride ever since and today RP continues to be a part of that journey. |
| wolfkiss | Posted: Dec 21, 2011 - 19:28 I can really get some work done with this old school Genesis. Helps me focus. Thanks, Bill. |
| StoneyG (Just east of The Rockies; north of the 49th) | Posted: Dec 21, 2011 - 19:27 etc., etc., etc. It's not baaaaaaad. Just... whatever. |
| Stropatus (London, UK) | Posted: Nov 20, 2011 - 01:41 dougmbrown wrote: Brings back great memories of the opening number from early Genesis concerts (circa 1972/3), with Gabriel glaring out at the audience in full costume - see Live album for nice shot of that typical over-the-top getup that Garbiel favored at the time. Lots of old Genesis to upload, much of which is grades above this nice though not overly impressive song. After all, early Genesis (after the awful "From Genesis to Revelation" premier) had lots of fun stuff, from Trespass, Foxtrot, Live and Selling England by the Pound. Have a craving to hear 'Muscial Box' now, so have to go find it in my archves. BTW - the Charisma pressings (UK) of the early vinyl were great (no warpage issues). Thanks for bringing back fond memories. I recall being involved in booking the early and original Genesis twice for college gigs, both were some of the best I have attended. I Now to dig out those old albums for some more memories. |
| brane (Ljubljana, Slovenia) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:43 What a surprise! Beautifull song brings back beautifull memories. Peter Gabriel's voice is one of the most dramatic rock vocals ever... |
| ddog (Midwest USA) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:36 mpatnode wrote: My question is how do you get from this to "Billy don't lose my number"? Or Sussudio? Michael Jackson may have been the self proclaimed king of pop, but Phil was the real pop king! |
| krysthal (Toronto, Canada) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:36 Love the old Genesis. Back then it was Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hacket and Anthony Phillips. An interesting YouTube video: Gabriel Collins and Banks comment on the FoxTrot album |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:33 Just a little to prog rocky for my taste. |
| ddog (Midwest USA) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:33 I have always like all of the early Genesis stuff, it was way different than all of the other music in 1972. |
| anotherlistener (outside Bawlmer) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:32 Always viewed Genesis as the musical equivalent of Monty Python: you had to listen closely or you missed the punchline. Not their best effort but still an 8. |
| mpatnode | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:32 My question is how do you get from this to "Billy don't lose my number"? |
| gb72797 (Saint Paul) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:31 Love it! |
| seven7 (Glass City Ohio) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 11:28 please |
| mikerobinson | Posted: Sep 17, 2011 - 20:29 mikerobinson wrote: Make it stop!!! Agreed. |
| justlistening (So. California) | Posted: Aug 17, 2011 - 11:19 MM_Prague wrote: Some early Genesis is great, but this just illustrates why punk rock was so necessary...  - yes |
| MM_Prague (Prague, Czech Republic) | Posted: Aug 17, 2011 - 11:18 Some early Genesis is great, but this just illustrates why punk rock was so necessary... |
| justlistening (So. California) | Posted: Aug 17, 2011 - 11:18 Someone used the word "bloviation" in the song comments for the Yes song And You and I - which I didn't agree with. But if anything makes me think of that word - it's this. I like Genesis - but this sounds dated - and sad to say - a bit comical to me now. |
| fredriley (Nottingham, UK) | Posted: Aug 17, 2011 - 11:18 I was getting nice images of the Abominable Dr Phibes in the organ intro, then it reverted to standard Genesis pretentious bollox though at least Phil Collins wasn't warbling away. Ah well, at least I can say that I partly enjoyed a Genesis number. Here's the good doctor himself:  |
| mikerobinson | Posted: Aug 17, 2011 - 11:17 Make it stop!!! |