Genesis - Return Of The Giant Hogweed

[cos dem]

For tonight's selection, we have this from Genesis' 3rd album, Nursery Cryme. It is the first album with Steve Hackett.

Side topic: Phil Collins didn't ruin Genesis, pushing Steve Hackett out did (discuss...)
(my personal take: neither action "ruined" Genesis. They just changed the type of music they wanted to produce. You either liked it or you didn't, get over it. I have a soft spot for the Collins era, since it was my gateway into their back catalog.)

Anyway, returning to our regularly scheduled program.

This song is, to me, the epitome of progressive rock. Simultaneously an amazing performance, coupled with some of the nerdiest lyrics in prog, which puts it in the top 10 nerdiest all time. The song is about a toxic invasive species, the giant hogweed, which apparently makes poison ivy look like laurel leaves. It is the Vladimir Putin of plants.

It's a great sing-along. The closing lyrics are:

Mighty Hogweed is avenged!
Human bodies soon will know our anger
Kill them with your Hogweed hairs!
Heracleum Mantegazziani

And must be sung at full volume.

Does your favorite song have a Latin taxonomy reference?

Here is the original from Nursery Cryme

And here is the Steve Hackett version from his Genesis Revisited work. You get to see the tapping technique for which he is justly famous for. You can see why his addition to the band was critical to their incredible output from Nursery Cryme to Wind and Wuthering.

&list=RDa50k-M3ofKg&start_radio=1

[BootinUp]

1. Oh Oh. and I just partaketh

of some herb.

[OilemFirchen]

2. I demur.

Phil Collins absolutely destroyed Genesis. Other prog rock bands made it through the disco era unadulterated. To wit: Yes and the odious Rush. More so, Steve Hackett is the lasting legacy of Genesis, far outshining the overhyped Peter Gabriel.

Side note: Robbie Robertson is a total dick. Levon Helm clearly wrote most of The Band's best original songs.