Genesis recruited Steve Hackett after Gabriel spotted an advert he placed in Melody Maker in December 1970, which read "Imaginative guitarist/writer seeks involvement with receptive musicians, determined to drive beyond existing stagnant music forms". However, the rest of the group quickly realised that Barnard was not up to the same standard as the others, and they kept a look out for a better player. In November 1970, Mick Barnard joined the group on recommendation from Friars Aylesbury's David Stopps, and "The Musical Box" was added to the live set. Some songs were not practical to play live as a four-piece, so they decided to look again for a lead guitarist. The group felt that Collins was the best drummer they had worked with at that point, and his playing style and musical tastes gave a new dimension to their sound. Banks credited this to improving his technique as it required him to play two keyboards simultaneously. This led to the group completing the first half of their 1970–1971 tour as a four-piece with Rutherford playing rhythm guitar and bass pedals and Banks playing lead guitar lines on a Pianet through a distorted fuzz box amplifier in addition to his own keyboard parts. Phil Collins joined as the new drummer in August, also becoming an important backing vocalist, but they were unable to find a suitable replacement for Phillips. The other founders, singer Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford almost split up the group, but decided to carry on and replace drummer John Mayhew with someone who was of equal stature to the others and who could write.
Genesis recorded their first album as a professional outfit, Trespass in June 1970, but immediately afterwards, founding member and guitarist Anthony Phillips quit owing to increased stress and unhappiness in touring. Nursery Cryme was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in 2013. The tour included a successful Italian leg in April 1972, where the group played to enthusiastic crowds. The band toured the UK and Europe for one year to promote the album, which raised their profile in both territories. Banks made more prominent use of the Mellotron at Hackett's suggestion and used it prominently on several tracks. 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 humour on tracks like "Harold The Barrel". The song, a macabre fairy story set in Victorian Britain, became the inspiration for the album cover, and went on to be a live favourite.
The opening piece, " The Musical Box" combined the band's trademark mix of twelve-string guitars with harsh electric guitars and keyboards. Nursery Cryme saw the band take a more aggressive direction of some songs, with substantially improved drumming. At approximately 39 minutes long, it is the shortest studio album by the band to date.įollowing extensive touring in support of their previous album Trespass (1970), 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. However, the album was successful in Continental Europe, particularly Italy. 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. It was their first to feature drummer/vocalist Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett. Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released in November 1971 on Charisma Records.