Monday, July 22, 2019

"Throwing It All Away" by Genesis

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  2837
Date:  08/16/1986
Debut:  54
Peak:  4
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Although lead singer Phil Collins had hit #1 as a solo artist, his band Genesis had yet to reach the top of the Pop chart. That finally changed when "Invisible Touch," the lead single from their album of the same name, made it to #1. For a follow-up, the band changed the pace and selected this ballad for release. It did quite well becoming their third Pop Top 10, their second #1 at Rock, and their first #1 at AC. The hit kept sales of the album brisk. It would eventually sell over six million copies.

ReduxReview:  This soft rockin' track wouldn't be out of place on a Phil Collins album. It's an easy going song that was memorable and sounded good on the radio. I like the various sections of the song and they all fit together well. They even tossed in some sing-a-long "woo-hoo's" in for good measure. It continued to showcase the newer commercial pop sound of the band, which didn't necessarily thrill long-time fans who liked the prog-rock side of the old Genesis.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Although it was widely known that Peter Gabriel was a founding member of Genesis and stayed with the band until 1975, many folks forget that there was another long-standing member during the band's earlier years. Guitarist Steve Hackett joined up with Genesis in 1971, the year after Phil Collins was brought on board. Hackett stayed with the band until 1977. During that time, Genesis would get four of their albums on the US chart. However, their most successful period wouldn't arrive until the band became a threesome (Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks) after Hackett departed. Hackett would go on to have a solo career and record several albums, yet his biggest success outside of Genesis was when he was a member of the "supergroup" GTR. That band reached #14 in 1986 with "When the Heart Rules the Mind."
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1 comment:

  1. A 7/10 for me as well, while I do like this song I never thought this was one of Phil Collins' best songs with or without Genesis, I do agree it sounds more like a Phil Collins' solo tune than a song he would do with Genesis.

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