Tony Banks - The Fugitive (1983) + Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1967 - Present)
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This 2nd album by Genesis's keyboard player 'Tony Banks' hit the shops in June 1983, a few months before the eponymous Genesis album, and  some hints of what was to come can be heard here. It was the first album that Tony provided all the vocals for, cruelly he places his voice in a register between Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) and Louis Armstrong, I would say that overall his voice is closer to Al Stewart / Stephen Bishop with a hint of Julian Lennon, so in reality, not that bad at all. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd swear you were listening to an Al Stewart album if you only listened to the last track "Moving Under",  which by the way is my favourite track on this album.

Cover image based on this photo

The opening track "This is Love" has some quite heavy moments indicating to me at least that perhaps some of the heavier Genesis riffs may not be the domain of Mike Rutherford. It is labelled as ‘Rock’, and with those elements of guitars, bass, and drums, not being dependent on the Banksian keyboards it does deserve to be placed in that musical genre.

It has its moments too, the instrumentals Thirty Three’s and Charm clearly demonstrating Tony’s flair for composition. Thirty Three’s is more structured and traditional, Charm is quirky and experimental. Charm for me was the piece of choice for filling up the space on mix tapes, perhaps also showing why he was in demand for a few soundtracks around that time, sadly it’s a case of nice tunes but the wrong films. In a moment of daydreams it would have been nice to see what he would have done with Ladyhawke; nice film, very cheesy soundtrack.

It was the eighties though, and instruments of the acoustic variety are noticeable by their absence which is a shame given their use by Genesis in the early days. Guitars and bass are the constants, provided by Daryl Stuermer and Mo Foster respectively; drumming comes from three sources dependant on the sound Tony was trying to achieve; Tony Beard, Steve Gadd and Andy Duncan, all renowned drummers in their own right.

Tony Banks - Early Genesis

In the pecking order of Genesis solo albums, Tony comes last. Unjustly, but last nonetheless. With compositions on a par with erstwhile members Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett, he deserves more recognition. Taken out of the band, had he been the leaver rather than any other member, the sound that was/is Genesis would have been lacking. Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins have produced some great pop singles and albums, but that sound, the central core is Tony, and this album really does reveal that.

Soppy and sentimental? Probably, but he can rock when he wants, and with a significant edge; when pop-like the tunes have enough complication or depth to raise them above chart material, and perhaps that is the problem. They are tunes that require a listen rather than being 3-minute background noise, the hooks are there but are not in your face. Tony’s Al Stewart/Julian Lennon voice is fine, likeable even, but like Julian, Tony’s output is lost in the beast that is Genesis (John being Julian’s shadow caster).

The video of "This is Love" is a fun if historic item, it is okay and contains the ubiquitous iguana that appeared in so many video’s of the era; the iguana is believed to have retired to the Galapagos Islands with a hefty pension. Warning: it also contains that rare sighting of a laughing Tony Banks. Rumours of grumpiness may be overstated.

Tony Banks 1983

There are a number of guest musicians on the album. Daryl Stuermer, (live) guitarist with Genesis and Phil Collins, plays the guitar. Other musicians involved are Mo Foster (E-bass) and Tony Beard, Steve Gadd and Andy Duncan who all play the drums on different songs. Tony produced the album himself, with Stephen Short as a co-producer. Short had previously been involved with the production of Wind & Wuthering. The Fugitive is a pop / soft-rock album almost throughout.

I like this album, but some of that is down to nostalgia. It deserved better, though of Tony’s solo output I prefer A Curious Feeling.

Tony Banks Today

Like his later solo albums, The Fugitive was not a huge success, though it definitely had potential. Neither the album nor the singles entered the charts. As with many of Tony's solo projects the problem is that they are too cramped. He should have written music for the old Genesis fans and pay some attention to the taste of the masses... Most songs have not aged very well. Though the reviewer likes Tony's voice, he does not think it always fits the songs. The album is still worthwhile listening to, and along with his more recent 1991 album Still, it is a good point at which to start exploring  the solo oeuvre of Tony Banks.
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my pristine vinyl, purchased in amongst a collection of Genesis albums at the Geelong Bazaar. Thankfully the price tag on this wasn't anything like the Genesis albums. I suspect the seller didn't have a clue and I already had the Genesis LP's.  It is interesting to note that Banks recorded on Atlantic and not with Genesis's Charisma label.
This is an enjoyable album to listen to and as already mentioned, one would be forgiven thinking they were listening to an Al Stewart album, rather than a key member of Genesis.
Full album artwork and label scans are included, along with two bonus tracks, sourced from the CD release.
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Track Listing
01. This is Love (5:17)
02. Man of Spells (3:48)
03. And The Wheels Keep Turning (4:48)
04. Say You’ll Never Leave Me (4:35)
05. Thirty Three’s (4:43)
06. By You (4:33)
07. At The Edge Of The Night (6:02)
08. Charm (5:27)
09. Moving Under (6:04)
10. K2 (4:02) Bonus Track
11. Sometime Never (3:42)  Bonus Track

Musicians:
Tony Banks – Keyboards & Vocals
Daryl Stuermer – Guitars
Mo Foster – Bass
Tony Beard – Drums
Steve Gadd – Drums
Andy Duncan – Drums

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Tony Banks FLACs Link (315Mb)

New Link 02/01/2024