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Welcome to the sixth edition of the Classic of the Month. Tonight, “Supper’s Ready” part 2 …

Willow Farm

The absence of a promenade between “How dare I” and “Willow Farm” is intentional. As Armando Gallo describes in his book, and quoting Tony Banks:

The obvious consequence of this approach, is that any attempt to find a congruent continuity with the flow of the story is, to put it lightly, a bit dubious. I believe that the lyrics of “Willow Farm” portray the senseless and superficial existence of a middle class manipulated by the factual powers. Mass manipulation. Of course, much in line with the article The Cult to the Ephemeral and its Effect on Art. All you need is to change “Willow Farm” for “Current Society” and the lyrics speak by themselves.

The structure of “Willow Farm” is a large ternary form:

A-B-A

where:

A: aa’bb
B: cd
A’: a’’

Sections “A” are in a meter of 12/8.

The sharp contrast between parts “A” and “B” is achieved by several means:

• The music suddenly stops and a scream “ALL CHANGE” is heard with doors banging in the background
• The rhythm changes from 12/8 to a straight 4/4
• The mode changes from minor to Major
• The organ is replaced by a piano.

The change in character between parts “A” and “B” is remarkable and is a good example of Genesis ability to move effortlessly through different styles.

According to Gallo, Banks suggests including a cadence at the end of “How Dare I” and it is very effective because it defines the mood of this section. Instead of the normal cadence using the ordinary western minor mode:

He uses:

Which is a mode called Phrygian. The second tone is lowered half step. This cadence is also used to introduce the IV and last promenade, but this time it is cleverly used to modulate to G minor.

Let’s identify each section while we listen to this plateau:

a:

If you go down to Willow Farm,
to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies
Open your eyes, it’s full of surprise, everyone lies,
like the focks on the rocks,
and the musical box. (1)
Oh, there’s Mum & Dad, and good and bad,
and everyone’s happy to be here.

 
 
(1) I think it makes reference to the following verse in the “Musical Box”: “And the nurse will tell you lies, of a Kingdom beyond the skies”

a’:

There’s Winston Churchill dressed in drag,
he used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag.
The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick, the brick was an egg,
the egg was a bird.
(Fly away you sweet little thing, they’re hard on your tail)
Hadn’t you heard?
(They’re going to change you into a human being!)
Yes, we’re happy as fish and gorgeous as geese,
and wonderfully clean in the morning.

b:

We’ve got everything, we’re growing everything,
We’ve got some in
We’ve got some out
We’ve got some wild things floating about

b again:

Everyone, we’re changing everyone,
you name them all,
We’ve had them here,
And the real stars are still to appear.
ALL CHANGE!

c:

Feel your body melt;
Mum to mud to mad to dad
Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office,
You’re all full of ball.
Dad to dam to dumb to mum
Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing,
You’re all full of ball.

d:

Let me hear you lies, we’re living this up to the eyes.
Ooee-ooee-ooee-oowaa
Momma I want you now.

a”:

And as you listen to my voice
To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause.
You’ve been here all the time,
Like it or not, like what you got,
You’re under the soil (the soil, the soil),
Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil!).
So we’ll end with a whistle and end with a bang
and all of us fit in our places.

Peter Gabriel’s description, within the context of the “Supper’s Ready” story, is:

Promenade IV

This is the longest Promenade and a very appropriate one because it provides a pause before the long and complex Apocalypse in 9/8. The structure is a Theme and Variation with an introduction:

Intro-A-A’-A’’-A’’’

Intro

In contrast to the theme and its variations which are mainly acoustic, the intro is based on electronic soundscapes drawn by mellotron, electric guitar and bass. A sequence of modulations takes us from G minor to A minor. In the last chord, the mellotron is purposely out of tune, helping to create a stronger contrast between the electric and acoustic parts of the piece.

Theme and Variations

The theme is presented by the flute, with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Each variation introduces additional instruments: A’ – organ, A’’ – Spanish guitar, A’’’ – an electric guitar.

Notice that in A’’’, the electric guitar recalls the melody of the first verse of G.E.S.M: “I know a farmer, who looks after the farm” and uses it to modulate to F# m, the tonality of “Apocalypse in 9/8”.

I will put this promenade without identifying each section. Try to do it yourself with the information I just provided:

Apocalypse in 9/8

It is very likely that the lyrics of this tableau emerged from the final verses of “Willow Farm”, from the phrase ALL CHANGE onwards. You will recall that they say:

You’re under the soil (the soil, the soil),
Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil!).
So we’ll end with a whistle and end with a bang
and all of us fit in our places.

As Banks pointed out, “Willow Farm” was a separate piece, including lyrics, written earlier by Gabriel. See how Gabriel ties “Willow Farm” to “Apocalypse in 9/8”:

For those of you with music knowledge, you might want to read Mark Spice’s analysis of this plateau on his paper: Large-Scale Strategy and Compositional Design in the Early Music of Genesis. He makes a very interesting comparison between “Apocalypse in 9/8” and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”.

As it name implies, the meter of this section is in 9/8 but not in 3 groups of 3, but rather follow the pattern 2+2+2+3. If you don’t have a clear understanding of what a measure is, you might want to follow the explanation given on the analysis of Close to the Edge Part / 1 (starting at minute 24).

The structure of this plateau is:

A – Instrumental (organo solo 1/interlude/organ solo 2) – B – interlude – C

Many fans struggle trying to count this section. If you want to try to count this, try not to listen to Gabriel’s melody and count like this:

One – Two – Three – one,two,three – One – Two – Three – one,two,three

Where the long One-Two-Three each occupy one of the three groups of 2 beats:

One(2)+Two(2)+Three(2), one,two,three

Let’s do it together until the beginning of the organ solo:

Now, let’s see section “A” from the point of view of Peter Gabriel. He is not counting in 9/8. He sings each verse in straight 4/4, makes a pause of two beats (2/4) and repeats this 5 times. It takes him 18 beats to complete each cycle (4×4+2), which is equivalent to two 9/8 measures. That is why the cymbal coincides with the beginning of each voice cycle. The last time, he needs to go into the two beats pause to complete the verse and even overlaps with the first beat of the instrumental section. Let’s count them together. Try not to pay attention to the instrumental accompaniment:

A:

With the guards of Magog, swarming around,
The Pied Piper takes his children underground.
Dragons coming out of the sea,
Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me.
He brings down the fire from the skies,
You can tell he’s doing well by the look in human eyes.
Better not compromise.
It won’t be easy.

Organ solo

This is unquestionably one of the most remarkable solos in the history of progressive rock. The way climax is built is by creating harmonic stress over a harmonic pedal (please refer to the analysis of Starless for a definition of harmonic pedals). Now in this case, the harmonic pedal is not based on a single note, but on a simple ostinato pattern based on three notes. What you just counted (2+2+2+3) is that pattern that repeats itself throughout the entire solo.

There are 2 organ solos, separated by an interlude with a complex interplay between organ chords and flute.

If you thought counting the voice was hard, wait until you see what Banks does in the organ solos. I believe he wrote the solo purposely building the phrases based on different metrics. The result is a complex mix of meters that is difficult to count. He probably uses each beat of the rhythmic session in order to guide himself through the solo. The guitar and bass, although playing in an irregular metric of 9/8, are not doing a syncopated figure. They play 9 regular straight beats in each measure. So, Banks can take each individual beat as his rhythmic cue. In other words, for him, the band is playing in 1/1. I took the solo and broke it down into phrases in order to get a better feel for how the accents of the solo are displaced with respect to the 9/8 beat.

To keep it simple, I will just refer to the number of beats in each group:

4-3-3-7-4-4-6-4-4-4-6-6-7(with chords accompaniment)-7-8-4-4-4-6-4-4-4-4(chords again)-4-4-3 and from this point on, Tony settles at 4/4 until the end of the first solo. The last 2 measures are 7/8 and then a 4 beat rest before the interlude.

I cannot count this without running out of air, so I will use two woodblocks instead. I will do this until a few bars after the solo settles on 4/4. Each time the sound of the woodblock changes, indicates a change of measure.

During the interlude, the bass and guitar stop playing the ostinato pattern. A single bass note is kept during the whole passage. A very complex interplay is done between the organ, playing chords at 4/4 and the flute with a free form of the ostinato pattern, at 9/8.

To add complexity, the drum plays a pattern that is a hybrid between 4/4 and 9/8. The only thing you can “hang on to” is a cymbal that is always played in the last beat of the 9/8. This is certainly one of the most complicated passages in the history of the band.

The second organ solo, until a couple of bars before the end, is based on 4/4. This is easier to follow because the left hand in the organ is keeping the beat while the right hand plays a syncopated pattern. Both hands start ascending, building a fabulous climax for the entry of “666”:

Let’s take a closer look at the remaining sections: B – Interlude and C

Section “B” starts with “666”. I label this section B instead of A’ because although the rhythmic pattern and voice style are the same, the melodies are different. Notice something very relevant: For the first time, the organ starts to play at 9/8, in sync with the rhythmic section, changing chords every two 9/8 measures. Section “B” ends with the phrase “a brand new tune” and we enter an interlude where the organ now plays in straight 9/8 along with the rhythmic section. At the final part of the interlude, the ostinato pattern in 9/8 stops and the metric is set at 4/4 in preparation for “C” which is really a reprise of “Lover’s Leap”.

If you recall my explanation on Close to the Edge Part / 1 it would seem that this is another example of using polyrhythmic metric displacement to build tension to represent the battle, and resolving the tension by playing all at the same meter to portray the end of a conflict. In “Close to the Edge” it was a struggle between spirit and flesh, in this case a struggle between good and evil.

Section “C” of this long plateau takes us back to “Lover’s Leap”, with a pompous arrangement that includes tubular bells, and on “Now I’m back again” a clever modulation takes us to the final plateau, based on the themes of G.E.S.M.

Let’s listen to the final part of Apocalypse in 9/8 and try to focus on how the music progressively goes in sync until, in the interlude, the whole band plays at 9/8 before changing to 4/4:

666 is no longer alone,
He’s getting out the marrow in your back bone,
And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll,
Gonna blow right down inside your soul.
Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon,
In blood, he’s writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.
And it’s hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue,
Hey my baby, don’t you know our love is true,
I’ve been so far from here,
Far from your loving arms,
Now I’m back again, and babe it’s gonna work out fine.

As Sure as Eggs is Eggs

This last plateau shows the victory of “Good” against “Evil”.

Gabriel’s description of this tableau is:

This final plateau is a reprise of G.E.S.M. and presents an astonishing overlapping of opposing concepts and forces. On G.E.S.M. the music and the lyrics refer to the evil impostor who manipulates the masses in the name of religion. Now, the same music, rearranged, has lyrics that represent the return of Jesus Christ Himself, to “lead his children home”.

Quoting Mark Spicer:

Can’t you feel our souls ignite
Shedding ever changing colours,
in the darkness of the fading night,
Like the river joins the ocean,
as the germ in a seed grows
We have finally been freed to get back home.
There’s an angel standing in the sun,
and he’s crying with a loud voice,
“This is the supper of the mighty one”,
Lord of Lords,
King of Kings,
Has returned to lead his children home,
To take them to the new Jerusalem.

Gabriel’s note: [Jerusalem=place of peace]

Resources

This analysis would not have been possible without the solid foundation laid by Mark Spicer in his work: “Large-Scale Strategy and Compositional Design in the Early Music of Genesis”.

Paul Whitehead’s description of the artwork of Foxtrot can be found here.

Foxtrot art cover images were taken directly from my personal copies of the album.

The background music used is “Bayreuth Return” from the album “Timewind” by Klaus Schulze.

This is an excellent orchestral version with Steve Hackett, the band Todmobile and the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Thanks to Rob Dubrovsky for this recommendation.

This is the link to the video in YouTube

Here’s the live version of Supper’s Ready in its original format at “Live in Shepperton in 1973”:

This is the link to the video in YouTube

This is a wonderful animated version of “Supper’s Ready” created by Nathaniel Barlam: