On The Road Again: Genesis "Invisible Touch"

jueves, 21 de diciembre de 2017

Genesis "Invisible Touch"

Invisible Touch is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and 9 June 1986 by Charisma and Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in group activity for each member to continue with their solo projects in 1984, the band reconvened in October 1985 to write and record Invisible Touch with engineer and producer Hugh Padgham. As with their previous album, it was written entirely through group improvisations: no material developed prior to recording was used.

Invisible Touch was a worldwide success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard 200. It remains the band's highest selling album after it was certified multi-platinum for over 1.2 million copies sold in the UK and 6 million sold in the US. Genesis became the first band and foreign act to have five top five singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, with "Invisible Touch" being their first and only song to reach No. 1 on the charts. The album received mixed reviews upon its release and retrospectively, with several reviews, both positive and negative, observing its similarity to Collins's solo records and their commercial pop-oriented sound. In 2007, the album was reissued with a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mix.

After wrapping up the Mama Tour in February 1984 to support their previous album Genesis, the band took a break in activity to allow each member to continue with their respective solo careers. Mike Rutherford formed his group Mike + The Mechanics, Tony Banks worked on his second album of soundtrack material titled Soundtracks, and Phil Collins released his third solo album No Jacket Required which achieved worldwide success and increased his popularity as a result. In a June 1985 interview, Collins spoke of the band's intention to start work on the next Genesis album that October. This put an end to a false announcement that aired on BBC Radio 1 suggesting the three had split. To Rutherford, the break in group activity had an effect on Genesis's musical style: "We had done so much work outside the band, it seemed we had gone through a lot more musical changes, although the development is largely unconscious".

The album was written, recorded, and mixed at The Farm, the band's recording studio in Chiddingfold, Surrey. They were joined by audio engineer and co-producer Hugh Padgham, who had worked with the band on their previous two albums. Banks recalled they entered the studio with a sense of confidence. As with their previous album Genesis (1983), the band approached the writing process with no previously written material, leaving them to write each track through group improvisation. Collins compared such a songwriting process as "close to jazz". Banks reasoned such an approach for the album as he thought the group's best songs had been developed collectively. Collins spoke about the writing method: "You never quite know what's going to happen. It's just the three of us chopping away, fine-tuning and honing down all these ideas." When a section had been developed that felt particularly strong to the group, a discussion would take place to decide how it would be developed into a song, its length, and whether it should be an instrumental or have lyrics added to it. During the writing and recording process, Collins realised the band were coming up with material that Genesis had not done before "which is not easy after 15 albums", and thought the songs were stronger than those on Genesis. Banks agreed, thinking the short tracks on Invisible Touch were stronger than their last album. Recording was complete in February 1986.

Invisible Touch was first released on 6 June 1986 in the US by Atlantic Records; its release in the United Kingdom followed on 9 June 1986 by Charisma and Virgin Records. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks from 21 June 1986 during a 96-week stay on the chart, and peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 during an 85-week stay.

Genesis released five singles from Invisible Touch from 1986 to 1987—"Invisible Touch", "Throwing It All Away", "Land of Confusion", "In Too Deep", and "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight". Each one reached the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Genesis the first group and foreign act to achieve this feat, equalling the five singles record set by Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Madonna.

In 1987, Genesis received an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group. At the Brit Awards in 1987 co-producer Hugh Padgham was nominated for British Producer, while Phil Collins was nominated for British Male Artist for his contribution to the album. In 1988, the band received one of the only two Grammy Awards issued for the short-lived Best Concept Music Video category for "Land of Confusion". It was also nominated for MTV's Video of the Year Award, but lost to their former lead vocalist Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". "The Brazilian" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

In 2007, the album was reissued with a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mix.

Genesis supported Invisible Touch with a 112-date world tour that ran from September 1986 to July 1987 with their usual touring musicians, drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist Daryl Stuermer. The tour concluded with a record four sold-out shows at London's Wembley Stadium. The live concert video Live at Wembley Stadium released on VHS in 1988 and on DVD in 2003.

Ultimate Classic Rock ranked Invisible Touch as the 13th best album by Genesis, stating "On the dark day in Genesis history when this record was released, the band fully transitioned from art-rock glory to radio-ready piffle, replete with all the worst that '80s overproduction had to offer. The fact that just the tiniest bit of the 'old' Genesis is discernible in a couple of tracks is the only thing that edges this album a notch ahead of We Can't Dance."

Track listing

All tracks written and arranged by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford.

Side one