Duke
	Produced by David Hentschel and Genesis
	Released on March 31, 1980
	UK CHART POSITION #1 . . . US CHART POSITION #11 . . . GOLD RECORD (7/21/80), PLATINUM (2/11/88)
	Find it at GEMM
82692-2 cover [high resolution scan]

O nce known solely as the authors of sublime album sides, Genesis was steadily earning a reputation as a reliable singles act. “Misunderstanding” was as succinct a pop song as the band had yet managed; coupled with the relative success of “Turn It On Again” and “Duchess,” it appeared that Genesis had found a way to package their appeal into smaller packets. No doubt some fans resented the band’s newfound appeal (implying a sell out) while others delighted in hearing their idols on regular radio rotation (citing that the singles from Duke were still scads better than most of the Top 20 fare). On close examination, however, Duke is no less ambitious than their last album, the difference being a clarity of attack that better suits a trio running on all engines. In fact you could make the argument that Duke helped set the stage for the neo-progressive movement; a song like “Heathaze” would have felt equally at home on Marillion’s albums. Whether Duke represents a different chapter is a matter of taste; some listeners draw the line at Lamb, Wuthering, their last album or this one. Some of us don’t even draw the line at all. If Duke isn’t an improvement over the old band, it’s still the ideal setting to hear the songs of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. “Cul-de-Sac,” which would have been rendered by some ill-suited singer in Banks’ band du jour instead becomes a great song in the hands of Genesis. And would you want to hear Mike Rutherford warble “Man of Our Times” or “Alone Tonight?” Or have Phil wilt over the piano for the entirety of “Please Don’t Ask?” No, you wouldn’t. And that’s where Duke succeeds, by providing the best vehicle for three very talented musicians/songwriters. Duke is a feat of musical engineering: a smaller plane built from the ruin of a larger one, boasting better maneuverability and remarkable gas mileage. Note that the album might function on a conceptual level; plenty of mind-candy moments and a clearly defined beginning and ending to the album would suggest the presence of some unifying theme, but I’ll leave that to the individual listener.

SD 16014 front cover	SD 16014 inner gatefold	SD 16014 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. BEHIND THE LINES    (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)    5:33
2. DUCHESS    (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)    6:25
3. GUIDE VOCAL    (Tony Banks)    1:34
4. MAN OF OUR TIMES    (Mike Rutherford)    5:33
5. MISUNDERSTANDING    (Phil Collins)    3:14
6. HEATHAZE    (Tony Banks)    5:01
7. TURN IT ON AGAIN    (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)    3:51
8. ALONE TONIGHT    (Mike Rutherford)    3:57
9. CUL-DE-SAC    (Tony Banks)    5:06
10. PLEASE DON'T ASK    (Phil Collins)    4:01
11. DUKE'S TRAVELS    (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)    8:41
12. DUKE'S END    (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)    2:07

CREDITS

TONY BANKS -- keyboards, backing vocals, 12 string guitar, duck
PHIL COLLINS -- drums, vocals, drum machine, duck
MIKE RUTHERFORD -- basses, guitars, backing vocals
David Hentschel -- backing vocals, engineer
Dave Bascombe -- assistant producer
Lionel Koechlin -- cover

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