Nursery Cryme

Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released in November 1971 on Charisma Records. It was their first to feature drummer/vocalist Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett. The album received a mixed response from critics and was not initially a commercial success; it did not enter the UK chart until 1974, when it reached its peak at No. 39. However, the album was successful in Continental Europe, particularly Italy. At approximately 39 minutes long, it is the shortest studio album by the band to date. Following extensive touring in support of their previous album Trespass, which included the recruitment of Collins and Hackett, the band began writing and rehearsing for a follow-up in Luxford House, East Sussex, with recording following at Trident Studios.

Nursery Cryme saw the band take a more aggressive direction of some songs, with substantially improved drumming. The opening piece, “The Musical Box” combined the band’s trademark mix of twelve-string guitars with harsh electric guitars and keyboards. The song, a macabre fairy story set in Victorian Britain, became the inspiration for the album cover, and went on to be a live favorite. “The Return of the Giant Hogweed” warns of the spread of the toxic plant Heracleum mantegazzianum. Both “The Musical Box” and “The Return of the Giant Hogweed” feature Hackett’s first use of guitar tapping, a technique whereby the index finger of the plucking hand is applied directly to the guitar fret board. The opening to the latter features Hackett and Tony Banks playing triplets in harmony.

Collins brought a new dimension to the group, covering the majority of the backing vocals (including his first lead vocal with Genesis on “For Absent Friends”) and bringing in a sense of humor on tracks like “Harold The Barrel”. Banks made more prominent use of the Mellotron at Hackett’s suggestion and used it prominently on several tracks. The album’s sleeve was designed and illustrated by Paul Whitehead who had also designed the cover for Trespass and the band’s next album, Foxtrot.