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''Duke'' is a studio Album by British band Genesis and was released in 1980 . It became the trio's first UK # 1 album, while broadening their US audience even further, reaching #11 there and going platinum. ''Duke'' came on the heels of solo albums by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford . Phil Collins had departed to Vancouver with his first wife to try to salvage their failing marriage. With the group's future uncertain, Rutherford recorded '' Smallcreep's Day '' while Banks issued '' A Curious Feeling ''. When Collins' marriage finally ended, he rejoined the group, bringing a batch of introspective new songs. Most of these made up his solo '' Face Value '' album when released in early 1981 , but two of them - "Misunderstanding" and "Please Don't Ask" - were donated for ''Duke''. Interestingly, there is a suite of songs hidden in this album - "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End" - which were reportedly to appear on a single side of the album until fear of comparisons to '' Foxtrot '''s epic " Supper's Ready " made the group decide to split them up. ''Duke'' is considered to be a turning point in Genesis' career. While continuing to move away from Progressive Rock , a medium that often found Collins, Banks and Rutherford working in tandem to create some of their most acclaimed themes, the trio found that the group-written compositions on ''Duke'' were what lit the fire under the album. While ''Duke'' had its share of successful solo songs, it marked the point where the group would conspire to increasingly compose songs together. Once released, "Turn It On Again" became the band's second UK Top 10 hit, while "Misunderstanding" made considerable strides in the US, reaching the Top 20, and providing growing songwriter Phil Collins with his first self-written hit. ''Duke'' is often cited by aficionados as a key Genesis album. While clearly different than the somewhat disjointed album which preceded it, 'Duke' employs repetitions of key themes throughout the album as a way of unifying songs which could be listened to either as separate entities or as parts of a larger whole, and many fades and segues between songs add to this sense that the album is an elaboration on a unified musical idea. As a song cycle, 'Duke' starts and ends with the exact same musical strains, and closes, like many classic Genesis albums, with an extended instrumental ("Duke's Travels/Duke's End"). While dealing more with personal issues and less with existential, philosophical, or mythical themes, this shift in direction seemed to fill the creative void which many felt had dominated the previous album. While many have claimed that the turn towards relationship oriented themes presaged Collins' later pop influence on the band, the musical complexity remains, even while the overall palette of instruments changed to fit the albums more introspective mood. Collins' interest in the new sonic possibilities offered by drum machines, Banks' use of the highly expressive Yamaha CP-80 Electric Grand Piano , Rutherford's use of non-distorted guitar parts, and an overall more 'open,' less reverb inflected production sound produces a sound which seems stripped down and less orchestral than previous recordings, but also gives the band a more direct sound. This is complemented by Collins' increased role in the band's songwriting, leading to a lyrical focus on personal emotions, as well as the occasional musical influence of classic soul (see, for example, the main section of 'Behind the Lines' or the popular 'Misunderstanding'). That said, Banks continues to provide highly orchestrated songs of lyrical darkness and compositional complexity ("Heathaze," "Cul de Sac"), which provide much of the backstory for Collins' more direct dramatizations of emotional turmoil ("Man of Our Times"). Some of the opening songs, such as 'Duchess' and 'Behind the Lines,' which became concert favourites for years, were a synthesis of the writing styles of all three members, and presaged the more collaborative writing efforts which were to dominate the band in the future. As a song cycle which is in many ways a loose concept album, Duke was a key turning point for the band, and while clearly a shift to a more pop sound, is considered by many fans and critics to indicate a breath of creative fresh air for the group. TRACK LISTING All songs by Tony Banks / Phil Collins / Mike Rutherford , except where noted. #"Behind The Lines" - 5:31
#"Duchess" - 6:26 #"Guide Vocal" (Tony Banks) - 1:35 #"Man Of Our Times" (Mike Rutherford) - 5:34 #"Misunderstanding" (Phil Collins) - 3:13 #"Heathaze" (Tony Banks) - 4:59 #"Turn It On Again" - 3:50 #"Alone Tonight" (Mike Rutherford) - 3:56 #"Cul De Sac" (Tony Banks) - 5:05 #"Please Don't Ask" (Phil Collins) - 4:01 #"Duke's Travels" - 8:40 #"Duke's End" - 2:08 PERSONNEL
Additional personnel
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