James Flood

Listening to Wind and the Wuthering for probably the first time in about 35 years. Back in my "rock days" I absolutely loved this album, considering it Genisis's best, and if I were forced to choose my top ten favorite albums of all it would have it would have been there. I remember that I didn't immediately take to it too much. It was a little too complex for a 14 year-old to immediately latch on to, but I gave it a chance and by the 4th or 5th listen I absolutely fell in love with it. After later diving into major classical works for years as an adult, I wondered if I would consider it slightly pretentious with an outsized ambition for a band trying to elevate rock to grand classical music proportions, but not quite making it. But after all these years, I was right as a teenager. It shows off sophisticated songwriting skills, outstanding musicianship (I still consider Phil Collins one of rock's greatest drummers), and an uncanny sense for sonorities search that they create a sense of magic and mystery.