This is an album of two sides. The first side is worn paper thin and the second side is almost brand new.
'Mama', 'That's All' and 'Home by the Sea' - side one - is really where it begins and ends for me.
Have you listened to Grandmaster Flash's song 'The Message'? Do you recognise the laugh? Hugh Padgham, the Genesis engineer played it for the band and Phil Collins copied it during one of the sessions for 'Mama'. The band wanted to use it in the final recording, so there it is.
'Mama' is about a teenager who has a mother fixation with a prostitute. Sing along everyone !!
'That's All' was the band's unofficial homage to The Beatles. They all said that The Beatles influenced them in writing the song and Phil Collins said it was an attempt by him at a 'Ringo Starr drum part'.
'Home by the Sea' on some listings is combined with the next track 'Second Home by the Sea' to make an 11 minute stretch, but 'Second ... ' is based on an improvisation of the first and both can stand alone.
How often do you hear a song, sing along, know it inside out, but never really LISTEN to it and understand it's story?
'Home by the Sea' is one of those songs for me. It wasn't until I read a copy of the lyrics and a write-up of the track that I discovered the meaning. It's about a burglar who breaks into a house. Turns out the house is haunted. He gets captured by the ghosts, has to listen to all their stories and in turn becomes one of them.
Ghosts and prostitutes, and that's just side one ! Someday I'll turn the record over and see what side two holds.
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