Genesis – We Can't Dance

Great album right through, big bright sounding pressing quite typical for 1991 and the good quality mastering going on at this stage, which was the dying days of the classic vinyl era.

I love this EU 1st pressing! these are the same guys that cut the first Nevermind EU pressing and the German pressing of Loveless (1991 must have been a great year for music, I can't how many great albums came out in that year).

I'd like to listen to also the EMI UK cut which looks like some people prefer that one, but I remain totally satisfied with this pressing.

Phil Collins it's one of my many guilty pleasures and this album to me it's a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. How can you say this is shit when Fading Lights exists?!
Obviously you have to listen to it without thinking of what kind of band Genesis was in the 70's.

We Can't Dance became the final Genesis album to feature Phil Collins after 20 years. Its predecessor 'Invisible Touch' had been a commercial smash, and since then Collins scored another solo blockbuster with 'But Seriously' while Mike Rutherford's Mechanics had a huge hit single with 'The Living Years’.

While it does feature similar pop-rock, this album is not a continuation of ‘Invisible Touch’, featuring their older styles more heavily than they had for a while. The first single ‘No Son Of Mine’ is very ominous and heavy for a pop single, and its dark nature continues across many songs on the album. After the brilliant epic ‘Domino’ on the previous album, the band exploit the longer run time available to deliver two powerful 10 minute pieces, ‘Driving The Last Spike’ and ‘Fading Lights’, the latter featuring a great instrumental section. The intense 'Dreaming While You Sleep' is yet another example of the storytelling songs Genesis do so well.

The singles 'I Can’t Dance' and 'Jesus He Knows Me' are catchy pop-rock songs which serve the same purpose as the title track on ‘Invisible Touch’. One underrated track is ‘Hold On My Heart’, which, while it does sound more like a Collins solo ballad, is about as touching as the group ever got. The rest of the album is pleasing overall, although 'Since I Lost You' and 'Living Forever' are a bit musically mediocre, and edits may have helped in places. Sound and musicianship are strong as ever, and after the synth-heavy ‘Invisible Touch’ it is good to hear Rutherford’s guitar a bit more.

So, it wasn’t Genesis’ finest hour, but certainly a recommendable album overall and a pretty good way for Phil Collins to say farewell.

my copy with very small differences in matrix last numbers...