| Spot the Pigeon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP by Genesis | ||||
| Released | 20 May 1977[1] | |||
| Recorded | September – October 1976 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 13:22 | |||
| Label | Charisma/Virgin (UK) Atlantic (CAN) |
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| Producer | David Hentschel, Genesis | |||
| Genesis chronology | ||||
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Spot the Pigeon is a 7 inch EP by the British progressive rock band Genesis, released in 1977. Its three songs were holdovers from the Wind & Wuthering sessions, which the band felt did not fit the feel of the album.
Upon its release, the EP managed to reach No.14 in the UK singles charts. Although the EP market never took off in North America, their overseas distributor, Atlantic Records, released Spot The Pigeon in Canada as a 12 inch, on limited edition blue vinyl.
This was Genesis' final studio release before guitarist Steve Hackett's departure later in 1977. Unhappy that he wasn't able to get more of his songs onto Wind & Wuthering, Hackett was further aggravated when "Inside and Out" – which he felt was worthy of inclusion on the album – was relegated to this EP.
Although Spot the Pigeon saw a CD release, it has since been deleted. Two of its three tracks, "Pigeons" and "Inside And Out" appeared on the band's 2000 box set Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992, though – due to their personal dislike of the song – they saw fit to overlook "Match Of The Day"'s inclusion, making it a rarity for fans. However, the track had a new release on CD on 15 May 2007 when Genesis released the box set Genesis 1976-1982 in the US, thus making the entire EP available for the first time on CD in the US. "Pigeons" and "Inside And Out" have been also released on Turn It on Again: The Hits – The Tour Edition.
A video for "Match of the Day" was made, with Phil Collins singing on the terraces of Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Contents |
The title is a variation on the football-themed spot the ball (the cover resembles a spot the ball competition photo), replacing the word "ball" with "pigeon" so that the title links the themes of the first two songs.
There is supposed to be an actual pigeon in the cover photograph.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
Allmusic's retrospective review praised the songwriting on the EP for returning to the sound of early Genesis album Trespass, but concluded their review with: "Spot the Pigeon has never been a popular or even very accessible release in the U.S. Of course, there's a reason for this: It simply isn't very exciting."[3]
All songs by Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford, except where noted.