Nursery Cryme 50th Anniversary Year
July 2021

Photo © Jo Hackett

Once upon a time in a life far far away, I joined a band called Genesis... and we swiftly started to put together ideas for a new album.

That was fifty years ago and the album came to be known as Nursery Cryme. We often rehearsed outside in the beautiful Sussex countryside under the sunshine of an eternally blue sky. Manager Tony Stratton Smith's large thatched house known as "the cottage" was our accommodation and we had a fantastic rehearsal space in its out building, "Toad Hall". I'm sure the magical atmosphere and cosiness of that place influenced the quintessentially English vibe of the album, with its nod to Victoriana and the old world.

I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. I had a new Gibson Les Paul Custom whilst as a band we now owned a Mellotron MKll (the Beatles 'Strawberry Fields' version, courtesy of King Crimson who sold it to us). Our music was developing at a thrilling pace. I'd just discovered tapping which made guitar and keyboard salvos virtually indistinguishable. All part of that early magic...

It was a hugely creative time, crafting music with a brilliant new team. We sounded like no other band. I was so proud of the album. From a haunted nursery to the rampant Hogweed, Victorian whimsy combined with a horror show along with romantic mythology.

One of my favourite tracks is the eponymous The Musical Box. I love the way the music starts with a tinkling toy and finally explodes into dramatic frenzy. The other big favourite is The Fountain Of Salmacis. To my mind, this music more than lives up to the beautiful title... Genesis at its most classically inspired, with Mellotron on full stun recorded at a deafening level at Air Studios, London on all those thrilling crescendos. It remains many people's favourite Genesis track... the Glory Of Greece meets the magic Mellotron.

A treasured memory from my first year with Genesis.

Steve in Kew Gardens... home of the Giant Hogweed

Nursery Cryme 50th Anniversary YearJuly 2021

Nursery Cryme 50th Anniversary Year
July 2021