Duke

With solo albums out of their system, Genesis regrouped in late 1979 to record what would be their next album, Duke. The album marks a stark difference from their 70s output—and it's not only the cover art from illustrator Lionel Koechlin that stands out. The album continues the songwriting collaboration between Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks that began with their last album. But when offering their self-penned songs, the trio seem to try to outdo themselves with commercially-viable hits. "Behind the Lines" successfully conveys the transition, while also providing an ample rocker with good hooks. The ensuing "Duchess" ticks away under a drum machine, something Collins would return to quite famously, and a treat to see him manipulate live in concert. "Man of Our Times" benefits from a choppy drum beat and heavy production (again from David Hentschel), despite the obvious hook in the chorus. "Heathaze" and "Cul-De-Sac" sound as though they could have been outtakes from their previous album, while "Alone Tonight" and "Please Don't Ask" contain the throwaway sentimentality that would propel Collins to mass popularity in the 80s. The second side ends with a blistering pair of instrumentals ("Duke's Travels/Duke's End") that was to be part of a larger suite of songs from the album, entitled The Story of Albert. It was performed live, however, on the band's subsequent tour. But following in the footsteps of "Follow You Follow Me," two tracks on the album provide all the controversy for fans of Genesis' progressive era: Anyway you look at it, "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It on Again" are a pair of pop hits, and there's not much else to say about them. The former reached the Top 10 in the UK, while the latter would creep into the US Top 20. Duke was Genesis' first No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 11 in the US, while also earning the band their first of many platinum awards. The band spent late March through the end of June on tour in the UK and North America.