Foxtrot - Beginning of Success

The fourth studio album of Genesis, Foxtrot, was released 48 years ago today: on the 7th of October 1972. By some, Foxtrot is not as highly regarded as the other albums of the band, such as Selling England by the Pound, but it’s still the album that got Genesis the audience’s attention while also including one of their most prominent, and longest, songs: Supper’s Ready. The band started recording the album in August 1972, but they had a hard time settling with a producer. After several unproductive recording sessions, they put a momentary pause to the work and undertook an Italian tour, and the inspiration to some of their songs were found here, such as the inspiration for Watcher of Skies. Later on, after they had settled with Dave Hitchcock as a producer, who continued to work with the band in their next three albums, the band became satisfied with their work. Tony Banks was especially pleased as he thought that the album "contained no weak tracks." The songs "and words often had more to them than met the eye. They weren't regular rock and roll lyrics,” as Collins remarked, and thus the meanings could be conveyed through the combination of music, lyrics, and visuals. When this was the case, Gabriel took up the challenge of wearing a red dress and a fox's head onto the stage to promote their album in an original and suitable way. Interest grew towards the band after this performance, and dressing up for shows became a signature. The album turned out to be a big hit and became the first Genesis album to chart in the UK, being No. 12. Much later in 2015, it ranked No. 14 in the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time." Even though Foxtrot is not the debut album of the band, it still has its special place in the band's discography, marking the true beginning of their success.