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And The Wheels Keep Turning: Esoteric Reissues Two Tony Banks Albums As CD/DVD Sets

March 11, 2016 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Tony Banks - A Curious FeelingLast year, Tony Banks went A Chord Too Far with a career-spanning box set; now, the Genesis keyboardist has teamed once more with Esoteric Recordings for a CD/DVD edition of his sophomore solo album, 1983's The Fugitive.  The first disc presents a new stereo mix of the album plus two bonus tracks, while the DVD includes a DTS 5.1 surround mix, a 96/24 PCM stereo mix, and a promotional music video.  The Fugitive has recently arrived alongside a new pressing of the similar 2009 CD/DVD reissue of Banks' first solo release A Curious Feeling.  That last reissue was fetching high prices on the secondary market, making Esoteric's re-reissue more than worthwhile.

Banks' solo career began in 1978 during a brief Genesis sabbatical when he embarked on the recording of A Curious Feeling.  The album was originally conceived as a musicalization of Daniel Keyes' novel Flowers for Algernon, about an intellectually disabled man whose intelligence is artificially (and temporarily) "upgraded" by scientific means.  Though the author consented, he revealed to Banks that Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie) and David Rogers were already working on a stage musical of the novel.  Banks pressed forward with the album but adapted his songs for a different story.  (In his liner notes to Esoteric's reissue, Banks respectfully notes that the musical "was really not bad," and indeed, Strouse's songs are typically tuneful.   But Banks admits that he should have pursued the project anyway, as the "plot" songs on Curious Feeling are tied so specifically to the novel's plot.)

Though he played every instrument on A Curious Feeling save the drums (played by Genesis touring drummer Chester Thompson), Banks still didn't feel confident enough to debut as a vocalist.  Kim Beacon of the band String Driven Thing, instead, provided the album's raspy, reedy vocals.  Banks also produced along with David Hentschel.  The project's theatrical roots are clear on the instrumental opening track, "From the Undertow," which serves as an Overture of sorts; the album also is clearly developed from Genesis' early progressive period.   Two other instrumentals allow Banks to stretch as a composer and arranger: the dark "Forever Morning" and the gentler (though not without its moments of prog pomp and majesty) "The Waters of Lethe."

The lyrical perspective is primarily in the first person, introduced on the first vocal track "Lucky Me."  One could imagine a narrator and a protagonist sharing "The Lie," which cedes to the dramatic, prog opus "After the Lie." On the latter, Banks deftly showcases his instrumental prowess as the album's main "character" based on the novel's Charlie "sees things in a different light...And the complicated structures of scientific knowledge/Once just mad, they seem so simple now."  A bright, upbeat melody to "A Curious Feeling" contrasts its lyrical questioning ("It seems the more I know, the more I don't know/Does this ever end?") while the dark undercurrent continues on "You," a conventionally pretty love ballad that morphs into an energetic, prog keyboard workout.

One is sorry that Banks never did pursue writing a musical as his instincts were spot-on as to certain moments in Flowers for Algernon that lent themselves to song; in the lengthy "Somebody Else's Dream," Banks chillingly captures the moment when the Charlie character realizes his newfound intelligence - and the love that he was able to finally feel - is soon to be a thing of the past.  Banks concludes A Curious Feeling with a one-two punch. "For a While" ("It sure felt good for a while/Yes, it was good for a while/I found somebody to take my hand/To the promised land of the loved") is pure, wistful pop before, on "In the Dark," Banks' "Charlie" character realizes, "For now I'll live in the dark" as this ambitious concept album comes to a close.

Tony Banks - The FugitiveFor his next solo album, Banks had something else in mind. Not only would the songs be less dense and melodically complex - and not based a on a story or concept - but he would sing all of the songs on The Fugitive himself.  As he puts it in his new liner notes, Banks was aware his voice wasn't in the league of his Genesis bandmates: "I had to simplify some melodies a bit.  When I was writing songs for Phil [Collins] or Peter [Gabriel] to sing, I didn't always think about what song a key was in, or how complex the melody or lyrics.  I'd just expect them to sing it!  When it came to The Fugitive, I had to think more carefully about this aspect."  The resulting songs weren't necessarily simple, but they were certainly simplified from the lengthier excursions of A Curious Feeling.  They also add up to perhaps Banks' finest, and most accessible, hour as a solo artist.  The Fugitive is primarily a pop album, very much of its time, with rock and progressive touches.  Multi-instrumentalist and producer Banks is joined by a band including Daryl Stuermer (guitar), Mo Foster (bass), Tony Beard (drums), Steve Gadd (drums/percussion) and Andy Duncan (drums).

Despite his reservations, Banks' voice is strong and confident, if rough-hewn, on The Fugitive.  The melodic, uptempo opening track "This is Love" (also the album's first single) established the album's contemporary feel with its up-front, metallic keyboards, vocal effects, big drums and crisp guitars.  The lyric, a straightforward address to a lover on the brink of her leaving, reflected Banks' determination to "keep ideas a little bit shorter and perhaps more sing-able."

"And the Wheels Keep Turning" was selected as the second single off the LP, but it might be its strongest track.  Surely Banks' melody is his most insinuating on The Fugitive; the rockier guitars give an edge to the rumination on life's changes and the inevitability of it all.  The upper reaches of the tune are a stretch for Banks' voice, but he pulls it off with appropriate vulnerability and resignation.  "At the Edge of Night" is more rocking, combining a pop bounce with AOR muscle.  It features a guitar solo from Daryl Stuermer over the course of its 6+ minutes.

The pop direction is emphasized on the romantic ballad "Say You'll Never Leave Me," with Banks' most traditionally attractive melody on the LP.  "By You" offsets its warm lyric ("I see your sunshine calling to me...") with a repeating keyboard bass motif and "processed" vocals.  Other tracks are more off-the-beaten-path, like "Man of a Spells" which nods to Banks' progressive roots as a tale of wizards and magic.  As on A Curious Feeling, the artist also included instrumental compositions.  "Thirty Three's" naturally shows off Banks' keyboard prowess as he journeys through various textures, sounds and rhythms, while the burbling video-game sounds of "Charm" drive its heavier, still multi-layered soundscape.  The enigmatic "Moving Under" closes the original album on a high note with another big, upbeat melody and one of the album's strongest vocals.  Two previously issued bonus tracks, "K2" and "Sometime Never," have been added to Esoteric's reissue; Banks' vocals seem influenced on these by John Lennon, particularly on "Sometime Never."  Alas, the extended 12-inch mixes of "This is Love" and "And the Wheels Keep Turning" have not been included among the bonus material.

Though the original LP mixes are absent, both A Curious Feeling and The Fugitive each feature a new stereo mix by Banks and longtime Genesis associate Nick Davis on both CD and DVD (96/24), but the key attraction on both reissues may well be Davis and Banks' 5.1 surround mix (in DTS, not full-resolution DVD-Audio).  The surround mixes of both albums are far from flashy but make for a more immersive, enveloping listening experience.  For some longtime listeners, the new stereo mixes may not supplant the originals, but they undoubtedly bring out new instrumental detail throughout.  Two music videos are on Curious Feeling: "For a While" and "The Waters of Lethe," while The Fugitive has the video of "This is Love."  Note that the DVDs are Region 0, playable worldwide on all standard DVD players.

Both releases are superbly packaged, as well.  A Curious Feeling is in a jewel case within a slipcase, and The Fugitive is housed in a casebound hardcover book-style format.  Banks has penned revealing liner notes to both.  If you've ever had a curious feeling about the solo career of the Genesis keyboardist, look no further than these two splendid CD/DVD reissues.

You can order the above releases as follows:

A Curious Feeling: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
The Fugitive: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (also available in 1-CD edition)

Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD, DVD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Genesis, Tony Banks

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. Jim says

    March 12, 2016 at 10:28 am

    Waiting for Rutherford's album "Smallcreep's Day" to be tarted up and re-issued.
    😀

    Reply
  2. Philip Cohen says

    March 16, 2016 at 11:50 pm

    And also Mike Rutherford's only album as a vocalist "Acting Very Strange", hopefully with the non-L.P. B-side and the two 12" mixes. The previous CD of "Acting Very Strange" is deleted and bringing very high prices.

    Reply
  3. Dustin says

    December 28, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Nice review, Joe. I thoroughly loved the box set and the first couple reissues. Long overdue, and they sound great in the new treatment. Esoteric had stated that there was more to come in 2016 from the TB remasters, but nothing materialized. Can you find out what happened or when we can expect Wicked Lady/Soundtracks/Bankstatement remasters from Esoteric?

    Also, yes to the goofy early-80s Rutherford records getting the new treatment. There are some great moments there and it's just two albums. I'm sure he doesn't want to look at "Acting Very Strange" again, but yeah.

    Also, Blu-Ray Audio.

    Reply
  4. James Auman says

    July 28, 2017 at 6:45 pm

    Count me in for more Banks re-issues with 5.1 mixes, and i want the Rutherford ones too! Give me everything Genesis related. Nick Davis did a great job with the Genesis catalog so let's keep them coming. Anyone heard anything about why we haven't had follow-up releases? Anthony Phillips hasn't had any trouble getting stuffed released.

    Reply

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