Invisible Touch

Infobox Album |
Name = Invisible Touch
Type = Album
Artist = Genesis


Released = start date|1986|6|9
Recorded = October 1985 – March 1986 at The Farm/Surrey
Genre = Pop rock, progressive rock
Length = 45:42
Label = Virgin (UK) - GEN 2
Atlantic (U.S.)
Producer = Genesis, Hugh Padgham
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:86vsa9tgb23h~T1 link]
*Review-Christgau|C+|album=8233
Last album = "Genesis"
(1983)
This album = "Invisible Touch"
(1986)
Next album = "We Can't Dance"
(1991)

"Invisible Touch" is the thirteenth studio album by Genesis, released in 1986. As their most commercially successful pop album, it got generally favourable reviews from critics and produced five US Top 5 singles, including the title track which reached the pole position.

The album was structured to appeal to both newer and older Genesis fans, with radio-friendly singles like "Land of Confusion" and the title track for pop fans, and longer tracks like "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "Domino" aimed more towards fans of the band's progressive rock style of the 1970s. The idiosyncratic instrumental "The Brazilian" showed the band had not lost its willingness to experiment.

A SACD and DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released in October 2007.

Lyrics

Some of the lyrics on this album are among Genesis' rare attempts at social and political commentary, with "Domino" evoking a nightmarish nuclear war scenario and "Land of Confusion" commenting satirically on the political turmoil of the Reagan/Thatcher/Gorbachev era. A widely acclaimed video for "Land of Confusion", featuring the Spitting Image puppets, was nominated for MTV's Video of the Year Award, but ironically, lost to former lead singer Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", another hit song from the album, dealt with drug addiction, while "Anything She Does" took a humorous yet subtle look at pornography.

Reception

Catching Genesis at their commercial peak, "Invisible Touch" was an instant UK #1, while it reached #3 in the US and went six times platinum there. The album was supported by the 1986-87 Invisible Touch Tour, a concert video of which was released in 1988 and on DVD in 2003.

Cut songs

Three songs were cut from the album and subsequently released as B-sides: "Feeding the Fire" (on "Land of Confusion"), "I'd Rather Be You" (on "Throwing It All Away"), and "Do the Neurotic" (on "In Too Deep"). Both "Feeding the Fire" and "Do the Neurotic" were written by Tony Banks, while "I'd Rather Be You" was written by Phil Collins. In interviews promoting "Invisible Touch", both Tony and Phil stated that they felt that there may have been enough room on the album for these tracks, but they had to pick and choose which songs they felt to be a better fit to the overall sound of the album.

ong creation

During the writing process, "Invisible Touch", produced through improvisation, became a stand-alone piece. It was originally conceived by Tony Banks as a part of the "Domino" suite. Phil began singing over the keyboard parts that Tony had written and "Invisible Touch" became a separate song entirely.

In Popular Culture

In the film "American Psycho", protagonist Patrick Bateman proclaims that "Invisible Touch" is the group's "undisputed masterpiece", going on at length about its virtues to two prostitutes he has hired for the evening. The scene represents a chapter in the Bret Easton Ellis novel where Bateman muses about the significance of the album. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/quotes]

Track listing

All music by Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford.

ide one

#"Invisible Touch" – 3:27
#"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – 8:53
#"Land of Confusion" – 4:45
#"In Too Deep" – 4:58

ide two

#"Anything She Does" – 4:07
#"Domino" – 10:42
#*Part One – "In the Glow of the Night"
#*Part Two – "The Last Domino"
#"Throwing It All Away" – 3:49
#"The Brazilian" – 4:49

Personnel

*Phil Collins – drums, percussion, vocals
*Tony Banks – keyboards
*Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar

Chart positions

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

External links

* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/106600/Genesis/Invisible_Touch/index.jhtml Invisible Touch (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic
* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/106600/Genesis/Invisible_Touch/index.jhtml Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic
* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/18140/Genesis/Land_Of_Confusion/index.jhtml Land of Confusion (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic
* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/132022/Genesis/In_Too_Deep/index.jhtml In Too Deep (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic
* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/133355/Genesis/Anything_She_Does/index.jhtml Anything She Does (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic
* [http://www.vh1classic.com/view/artist/1077/99049/Genesis/Throwing_It_All_Away/index.jhtml Throwing It All Away (Music Video)] at VH1 Classic