What is the best Genesis studio album

Seven Stones is hardly amazing but I reckon it's their finest mellotron moment

Trick of the Tail is great but I suspect its one of those where it's a lot of people's 3rd or 4th favorite

I suspect the Calling All Stations votes were bc of this:

Anybody who wants to choose "I don't like Genesis" could just vote for Calling All Stations featuring TV's Ray Winstone.

Seven Stones is hardly amazing but I reckon it's their finest mellotron moment

Better than the intro to Watcher of the Skies?

ayeee

It's not the most flashy Mellotron usage, but I love the flutes after the "Broadway Melody" reprise in "Lilywhite Lilith".

This thread starting me thinking about Genesis 1970-1974:

Best song: "Firth of Fifth" or "Cinema Show"
Worst song: "Counting Out Time" or "White Mountain"
Overrated songs: "The Knife", "Watcher of the Skies"
Underrated songs: "Dusk", "Seven Stones", "Time Table", "Hairless Heart"

Clearly you are a fan of alliterative titles.

1970-74

Best Phil: Cinema Show
Best Mike: Fountain of Salmacis
Best Tony: Riding the Scree
Best PG: Back in NYC
Best Steve: Hogweed

the long ending of "Cinema Show" is so nice, only thing that really reminds me of it is "Neon Lights" by Kraftwerk

alliterative titles

Seems you're right! Yet I ignored "Carpet Crawlers".

Best Mike: Fountain of Salmacis

Never paid much conscious attention to the bass on this one, but I can call it up from memory and it is excellent.

Back In NYC is musically primarily a Mike song, just 15 years before The Living Years

Every generation
Blames Mike Rutherford

Always thought this was an inspired, ambitious cover:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubYDPqi6ht4

Did Rutherford really write the music to Back in NYC? I didn't realize that, Id assumed it was a Gabriel composition because it doesn't really sound much like anything else Genesis were doing at that time (it's much more modern sounding) and Gabriel did perform it on his first few solo tours. It's my favorite Genesis track (just edging out Carpet Crawlers).

I suspect the Calling All Stations votes were bc of this:

Anybody who wants to choose "I don't like Genesis" could just vote for Calling All Stations featuring TV's Ray Winstone.

― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Friday, 22 October 2021 15:57 (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

i've always assumed that's what those votes mean

"Back in NYC", with the 12-string guitar over the pedal bass, is similar to "Squonk" on the next album, also mostly written by Rutherford

The song originated from Mike for sure... The vocal melody is probably Peter's though. You can hear the similarity in this one from Mike's first solo album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weI6qSg9OOE

very credible-sounding thread on Who Wrote What:
https://www.genesis-news.com/forum/index.php?thread/129-who-wrote-what/&pageNo=1