Duke (album)

By 1978, Genesis were a trio of lead singer and drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford. They had survived the departure of original frontman Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett and released the album ...And Then There Were Three..., which included the top ten single "Follow You Follow Me".{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=148}} The group were still touring successfully, and enjoyed the songwriting collaborations among the three of them. They decided to take a break before writing and recording a new album, which would be largely group-written in a rehearsal room, without many pre-conceived ideas.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=152–153}}

The group's touring schedule had put particular pressure on Collins, whose marriage was at risk of collapse due to him being away from home frequently. His wife, Andrea, had warned him that if he committed himself to the full ...And Then There Were Three... Tour, she would not be there when he returned.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=151}} Collins, however, was convinced that Genesis were on the verge of an international breakthrough and that his work with the band would pay dividends in the future.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=154}} By the end of 1978, Andrea had decided to move to Vancouver with their children. Realising that his marriage was more important than the band, Collins held a meeting with Banks, Rutherford and manager Tony Smith. He said he was moving to Vancouver to try and rebuild his family, and that the group would have to accommodate this.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=155}} In an interview for Sounds, Collins said, "I went off for two months to try and sort things out ... I was never going to leave the band. It was just that if I was going to be living in Vancouver then we'd have had to organise ourselves differently." He also noted that the individual members of his side project Brand X were geographically dispersed.{{Cite journal|title=The return of... Getting it together in the Country|journal=Sounds|date=27 October 1979|first=Hugh|last=Fielder|url=http://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/category/genesis-albumsong/duke-genesis-albumsong/|access-date=12 April 2015}}

Banks and Rutherford suggested the band take an extended hiatus, hoping Collins would save his marriage and that the band could work with him in Vancouver.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=155}} Banks recorded his solo album A Curious Feeling at Polar Studios in Stockholm with Genesis touring drummer Chester Thompson and singer Kim Beacon,{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=156–157}} while Rutherford also recorded his first solo album, Smallcreep's Day, at the same studio. In April 1979, Collins returned to the UK after the attempt to salvage his marriage failed. With time to spare before working on the next Genesis album, he gigged with Brand X, and began work on demo tracks for what became his first solo album Face Value at his home in Shalford, Surrey. As well as playing piano and synthesizers, he had recently picked up a Roland CR-78 drum machine and become interested in the possibilities of electronic drums.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=160}}{{efn|Collins later said he had approached Pete Townshend, asking if he could replace Keith Moon, who had died a few months earlier, in the Who, but the group had already recruited Kenney Jones.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=160}}}}

File:David Hentschel at Scott Frankfurt Studio, Woodland Hills, CA.jpg.]]

In autumn 1979, Banks and Rutherford moved in with Collins in Shalford to start rehearsals on Duke. Collins had written a large number of songs, but he felt many of them would not suit Genesis, while Banks and Rutherford were short of material having just recorded their solo albums.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=162}} The three decided each member should contribute two of their own songs for the band to work on. Banks put forward "Heathaze" and "Cul-de-Sac", Rutherford used "Man of Our Times" and "Alone Tonight", and Collins had "Misunderstanding" and "Please Don't Ask". The remainder of the songs were written together in rehearsals.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=162–163}} Banks later regretted not choosing Collins' "In the Air Tonight" for the album.{{sfn|Welch|2011|p=94}} His track "Cul-de-Sac" became a problem for Collins to get into as its overall style and lyrical content no longer interested him, and Collins said Banks realised that he should have kept the song for his solo output.{{cite web|url=http://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/genesis-information-19/|publisher=Genesis Information – Issue 19|date=April 1981|title=Phil on Genesis|page=2|access-date=26 October 2018}} "Please Don't Ask" is a song Collins wrote during his divorce from his first wife. Biographer Ray Coleman said the song is "a searing mixture of a love letter and a lament for the loss of his children". Collins recalled Banks and Rutherford chose to include the song "Misunderstanding" as it had a Beach Boys feel.{{sfn|Coleman|1997|pp=15–16}}

The group found the writing process easier and more enjoyable than ...And Then There Were Three..., which was primarily songs written in advance individually by the members. Rutherford summarised his time writing songs for Duke as "getting back to the basic stage of ideas being worked on jointly". Banks reasoned much of the band's refreshed attitude was down to not having worked together in a while, which resulted in good ideas being put forward, something that he said had not happened for some time. Collins felt the band interacted "as a group much better ... there's definitely a side to us coming out which wasn't on the last album; the playing side". Rutherford would later describe the writing process for the album, alongside the one for Abacab, as a "rethink" of Genesis' approach, refocusing their output to group writing and improvisation.{{cite episode|last1=Fischer|first1=Mark (host)|last2=Rutherford|first2=Mike|last3=Collins|first3=Phil|date=September 2006|orig-date=3 September 2001|title="Duke/Abacab" 25th Anniversary|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Xs1dhJp8o |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/M_Xs1dhJp8o |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|series=In the Studio with Redbeard|number=689|publisher=Beardedfisch|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} In contrast to earlier Genesis albums, most tracks were short with the exception of the ten-minute "Duke's Travels"/"Duke's End" suite that closed the album.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=164}}

The group went to Polar Studios to record the album, starting on 12 November 1979, and recording up to the end of the year.{{sfn|Welch|2011|p=93}} As with several earlier albums, production duties were shared by the band and regular co-producer David Hentschel.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=165}} Collins used the Roland CR-78 drum machine for "Duchess"; the first time he used one on a Genesis song.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=164}}{{cite book|title=The Drum: A History|page=258|first=Matt|last=Dean|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-810-88171-6}}

The cover art was drawn by French illustrator {{ill|Lionel Koechlin|fr}} and taken from his book L'Alphabet d'Albert, published in 1979.{{cite book|title=L'Alphabet d'Albert|first=Lionel|last=Koechlin|publisher=Jannick|year=1979|isbn=978-2-902-46204-9}} The band liked his work and decided to use it as the cover, but Collins maintained the character depicted is neither the album's titular character nor related to any song on it.

"Behind the Lines" was the first song arranged for the album and "Duchess" came about from rhythms that Collins had played on his set of drum pads.{{cite magazine |url=http://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/genesis-look-at-themselves-trouser-press-march/ |magazine=Trouser Press |date=March 1982 |first=Jon |last=Young |title=The Genesis Autodiscography|volume=71 |pages=16–21 |access-date=11 June 2018}} In its original form, "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" were one 30-minute track that told a story of a fictional character named Albert which had a working title of "Duke". The group chose this name because the fanfare melodies on "Behind the Lines" and "Duke's End" conjured an image of royalty.{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/clip/9345920/article/|title=Genesis: No concept behind Genesis' 'Duke' album|first=Lynn|last=Van Matre|newspaper=Fort Lauderdale News|date=27 June 1980|page=89|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=23 February 2019}} The band decided against sequencing the tracks this way on the album, partly to avoid comparisons to their 23-minute track "Supper's Ready" from Foxtrot, but also to have certain segments of the suite, such as "Duchess" and "Turn It On Again", released as singles. The six tracks were performed live on the album's supporting tour with Collins introducing it as "The Story of Albert".{{cite web|url=http://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/duke-tour-guildford-civic-hall/|title=Genesis : Civil Hall, Guildford|first=Steve|last=Gett|website=The Genesis Archive|access-date=17 April 2015|archive-date=31 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831030409/http://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/duke-tour-guildford-civic-hall/|url-status=dead}} "Turn It On Again" was originally a short connecting piece in the middle of this medley, but the band enjoyed playing it so much, they decided to double its length and make it more of a standout track.{{sfn|Welch|2011|p=94}} It came from a piece that Rutherford discarded from Smallcreep's Day and a separate piece from Banks that they joined together.{{cite web|url=http://www.twronline.net/issues/twr31/twr31_tb_history_part5.htm|title="The A to Z of Genesis" - Tony Banks talks about his career with the band|first3=Peter|last3=Morton|first1=Jonathan|last1=Dann|first2=Alan|last2=Hewitt|publisher=The Waiting Room Online|date=1995|access-date=4 July 2019}} The group considered placing the band-written songs on side one and the individually written tracks on the other, but this was rejected. Rutherford described the final running order as "a very balanced album".{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=165}}

Duke was released in the US on 24 March 1980 and in the UK on 28 March. It was the band's greatest commercial success at the time of its release; it spent two weeks at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209095724/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_albums.php?show=4|archive-date=9 February 2008|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_the_no1_albums.php?show=4|title=Number 1 Albums – 1980s|publisher=The Official Charts Company|access-date=27 June 2011}} and peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard 200.{{sfn|Welch|2011|p=95}} The album spawned three singles; "Turn It On Again" reached No. 8 in the UK and No. 58 in the US; "Duchess" reached No. 46 in the UK; "Misunderstanding" reached No. 42 in the UK and No. 14 in the US.{{sfn|Welch|2011|pp=95–97}} Duke was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry on 3 July 1980 and by the Recording Industry Association of America on 11 March 1988.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8178|pure_url=yes}} |title=Duke – Genesis {{pipe}} AllMusic |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |website=AllMusic | access-date=12 April 2015}}

| rev2 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last1=Larkin|first1=Colin|title=Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|date=1997|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|isbn=1-85227 745 9|page=514}}

| rev3 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev3score = 6/10{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=1994 |publisher=Canongate Press |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0862413850 |pages=437}}

| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4score = 8.0/10{{cite web |last1=Sodomsky |first1=Sam |title=Genesis: Duke Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/genesis-duke/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=28 February 2021 |date=28 February 2021}}

| rev5 = Q

| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite journal|title=Genesis : Duke|first=Andy|last=Fyfe|journal=Q|date=May 2007|issue=250}}

| rev6 = Record Mirror

| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Robin |title=Duke No Hazard |journal=Record Mirror |date=5 April 1980 |page=12}}

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book | author1= Nathan Brackett | author2= Christian David Hoard| title = The new Rolling Stone album guide | publisher = Simon & Schuster | pages = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/327 327]–328 | location = New York | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access= registration }}

| rev8 = Smash Hits

| rev8score = 6/10{{cite journal|last=Starr|first=Red|title=Genesis: Duke|journal=Smash Hits|issue= 17–30 April 1980|page=30}}

| rev9 = Sounds

| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}

}}

Duke received a mostly positive reception from music critics. In his review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke noted that "Turn It On Again" is "vibrant rock & roll" and thought that "Man of Our Times", "Duchess", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" "possess a refreshing urgency". Fricke points out the band's losses without Gabriel and Hackett in the line-up, yet summarised Duke as "comforting: a reassurance that Genesis aren't for an exodus yet."{{Cite magazine|title=Duke|first=David|last=Fricke|date=9 April 1980|magazine=Rolling Stone}} Sounds{{'}} Hugh Fielder gave the album four stars out of five, enjoying the opening of "Behind the Lines" and considering Collins's vocals to be "more convincing than ... before". He felt the first side was better than the second, and criticised some lyrics, but concluded "no Genesis fan could be disappointed".{{Cite journal|title=Power pomp supremos|date=5 April 1980|first=Hugh|last=Fielder|journal=Sounds|page=34}} The Los Angeles Times{{'s}} Steve Pond described the album's music as "identifiably Genesis, but it is toned-down" and "a more confident and successful album than ...And Then There Were Three...". He criticised the album as inconsistent with a lack of "melodic invention" on side one, but thought "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End" were "one of the best and most consistent pieces of music that band has made in some time".{{Cite news|title=Genesis puts up its 'Duke'|date=25 May 1980|first=Steve|last=Pond|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt Duke was the Genesis album that "leaped into the fray" of pop music but retained "a heavy dose" of progressive rock with the "Duke" suite. Erlewine thought the album comes off "a little bombastic" at times, with "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It On Again" being the two tracks that "showcase the new version of Genesis at its absolute best".

File:MikeRutherfordGenesis.jpg

Genesis supported the album with a 78-date tour across Europe and North America, between 17 March to 30 June 1980.{{Cite web|url=https://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/the-duke-tour/|title=The Duke tour|date=17 February 1980}}{{cite web |url=https://www.genesisfan.net/genesis/tours/duke-tour|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326213610/https://www.genesisfan.net/genesis/tours/duke-tour|url-status=usurped|archive-date=26 March 2020|title=Duke Tour|author= |date= |website=genesisfan.net|publisher=Marcel Albers|access-date=26 March 2020}} They were joined by drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist Daryl Stuermer. As the group had not embarked on a full scale UK tour since 1977, the tour began with a 40-date trek across the country, which saw all 108,000 available tickets sold within hours of going on sale.{{Cite magazine|title=Genesis: Another London Concert|magazine=NME|date=8 February 1980}} A 40-minute excerpt from the performance at the Lyceum Ballroom in London was broadcast on The Old Grey Whistle Test and released as a bonus feature on the 2007 reissue of Duke. Recordings from the tour were released on Three Sides Live (1982), Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 (2000), and BBC Broadcasts (2023).

A digitally remastered version of Duke was released on CD in 1994 on Virgin in Europe and Atlantic in the US and Canada. The CD included the album's original booklet, artwork and lyrics.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/duke-mw0000189985/releases|title=Duke – Genesis : Releases|website=AllMusic|access-date=12 April 2015}} It was reissued again in 2007 as part of the Genesis 1976–1982 box set, which included a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mix and a DVD of bonus features including band interviews, music videos, live performances and tour programs.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/duke-uk-bonus-dvd-mr0001510138|title=Duke [UK Bonus DVD]|website=AllMusic|access-date=12 April 2015}}

{{clear}}

All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford except where noted.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| total_length = 27:15

| title1 = Behind the Lines

| length1 = 5:31

| title2 = Duchess

| length2 = 6:40

| title3 = Guide Vocal

| writer3 = Banks

| length3 = 1:18

| title4 = Man of Our Times

| writer4 = Rutherford

| length4 = 5:35

| title5 = Misunderstanding

| writer5 = Collins

| length5 = 3:11

| title6 = Heathaze

| writer6 = Banks

| length6 = 5:00

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| total_length = 27:31

| title1 = Turn It On Again

| length1 = 3:50

| title2 = Alone Tonight

| writer2 = Rutherford

| length2 = 3:54

| title3 = Cul-de-sac

| writer3 = Banks

| length3 = 5:02

| title4 = Please Don't Ask

| writer4 = Collins

| length4 = 4:00

| title5 = Duke's Travels

| length5 = 8:41

| title6 = Duke's End

| note6 = instrumental

| length6 = 2:04

}}

Additional songs recorded during the Duke sessions:

Genesis

• Tony Banks – keyboards, backing vocals, 12-string guitar, duck{{efn|According to later interviews, the "duck" was a duck call used to trigger a sound on a Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer.{{cite interview|url=http://www.twronline.net/issues/twr94/twr94_tb_interview_part2.htm|title=So this is what it does!|author=Stuart Barnes and Frank Rogers|date=27 June 2015|access-date=21 August 2016}}}}
• Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals
• Phil Collins – lead vocals, drums, drum machine, percussion, duck

Production

• David Hentschel – backing vocals, production, audio engineering
• Genesis – production
• Dave Bascombe – assistant engineering
• Ray Staff – mastering
• Lionel Koechlin – cover
• Bill Smith – art direction
• Recorded at Polar Studios, Sweden
• Mixed at Maison Rouge, London
• Mastered at Trident Studios, London{{cite AV media notes|title=Duke|publisher=Charisma Records|id=CBR 101|year=1980}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Duke}}

{{Certification Table Entry | type = album | region = France| artist = Genesis| title = Duke | award = Gold | relyear = 1980| access-date = 9 September 2021|source=infodisc |certyear=1980}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Duke|artist=Genesis|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1980|certyear=1980|id=1972-1206-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Duke|artist=Genesis|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1980|certyear=1988}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Bowler|first1=Dave|last2=Dray|first2=Bryan|title=Genesis: A Biography|year=1992|isbn=978-0-283-06132-5|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/genesisbiography0000bowl_h5d4}}
• {{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Ray|title=Phil Collins: The Definitive Biography|year=1997|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-81784-2}}
• {{cite book|last=Welch|first=Chris|title=Genesis: The Complete Guide to Their Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-857-12739-6}}

{{refend}}

{{Genesis|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke (Album)}}

Category:1980 albums

Category:Genesis (band) albums

Category:Albums produced by David Hentschel

Category:Atlantic Records albums

Category:Charisma Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Phil Collins

Category:Albums produced by Mike Rutherford

Category:Albums produced by Tony Banks (musician)

Category:Albums recorded at Polar Studios