The Fugitive (album)
| The Fugitive | ||||
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| Studio album by Tony Banks | ||||
| Released | Late June 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1982-1983 | |||
| Studio | The Farm, Surrey | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:35 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Tony Banks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Fugitive | ||||
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The Fugitive is the second solo studio album by Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks. It was originally released in June 1983, on Charisma (UK), and Atlantic (US). It was produced by Banks himself, and co-produced by the Grammy Award–winning Stephen Short. The album is notably the first and only album in which Banks sings the lead vocals all of the tracks, on the previous concept album, A Curious Feeling all of the vocals were done by Kim Beacon. When that album did not turn out too successful Banks thought that it was pointless to continue that project.[1] And unlike A Curious Feeling the songs on The Fugitive were much more commercially accessible and less experimental.
When the album was released in late June 1983, it received mixed reviews and peaked at #50 in the UK, lasting within the Top 100 for only two weeks.[2] It was also released only four months before Genesis's self-titled album, and "And the Wheels Keep Turning" was notably released in the same month as their single "Mama". "This Is Love", and "And the Wheels Keep Turning" were released as singles, but they both failed to chart.
The album was re-issued on CD in the UK, but it is currently out of print and arguably harder to find than the original vinyl LP itself, and today second-hand copies are often listed for sale for £15 or more.[3] However, in 1999 a CD re-issue was released in Russia, unofficially.[4]
Recording
In October 1982, Genesis wrapped their two-month tour of North America and Europe in support of their live album, Three Sides Live. The band then went on a brief hiatus, and during this time Banks recorded the album, alike band mate Phil Collins Banks recorded all of the basic tracks at his home on a professional 8-track tape machine, added to and mixed at The Farm, the band's recording studio in Chiddingfold, Surrey.[5] Genesis reconvened a month before the album's release, in May 1983 to start work on their next studio album at the same studio.
Three guest musicians (mostly Steve Gadd) played drums, while a Linn LM-1 was used in place of a live drummer on the instrumental "Thirty Three's". Daryl Stuermer (guitar) from Genesis' and Phil Collins' backing band was recruited, as was Mo Foster (bass) who played on Collins' solo album Hello, I Must Be Going!.[6] The two bonus tracks "K2", and "Sometime Never" were not included on the original album due to lack of space but they were still recorded in the same sessions.[7]
The Fugitive was a slightly different approach, where I sang everything. I wanted to do that once in my life! I purposely kept the vocal lines straightforward, so that I could sing them. The album has quite a strong instrumental bias, but it was a little more stark. I like the record very much.
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | June 1983 | Charisma | LP | 812 383-1 |
| United States | 1983 | Atlantic | LP | 7 80071-1 |
| United Kingdom | 1983 | Virgin | CD | TBCD1 |
| Portugal | 1983 | PolyGram | LP | 812 383-1 |
| Russia | 1999 | ArsNova | Unofficial bootlegged CD | AN99-049 |
Promotion
Upon release, the "This Is Love" single had a music video created to promote it.[9] It was the only music video from this period – to be filmed.[1] "And the Wheels Keep Turning" had no video, as Charisma Records chose not to commission one.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Retrospective review | |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
Retrospective review
The Fugitive received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Geoff Orens rated the album three stars out of five. He praised the album for being sparser and more accessible than most of Tony Banks's solo work. They also approved of his singing the songs himself, saying that his voice "works far better with his music than many of the other more bombastic vocalists he has recorded with as a solo artist." However, they commented that some of the songs have not aged well.[10]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tony Banks.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "This Is Love" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Man of Spells" | 3:46 |
| 3. | "And the Wheels Keep Turning" | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Say You'll Never Leave Me" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Thirty Three's" (instrumental) | 4:33 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 6. | "By You" | 4:29 |
| 7. | "At the Edge of Night" | 6:03 |
| 8. | "Charm" (instrumental) | 5:27 |
| 9. | "Moving Under" | 6:01 |
- Additional tracks
| Bonus tracks on compact disc release | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 10. | "K2" | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Sometime Never" | 3:41 |
- Note
- There are extended versions of "This is Love" and "And the Wheels Keep Turning" on 12" singles. These have never been released on CD.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]
- Tony Banks – lead vocals and background vocals; keyboards; synth bass and Linn LM-1
- Daryl Stuermer – lead and rhythm guitars
- Mo Foster – bass guitars
- Additional personnel
- Session musicians :
- Tony Beard : drums and percussion on "This Is Love", "Say You'll Never Leave Me", "Moving Under"
- Steve Gadd : drums and percussion on "Man of Spells", "And the Wheels Keep Turning", "By You", "Sometime Never"
- Andy Duncan : drums on "At the Edge of Night", "Charm" and "K2".
Production
- Produced by Tony Banks
- Assistant Producer: Stephen Short
- Technically assisted by Geoff Callingham
- Recorded at The Farm, Surrey
- Equipment and Food: Dale and Clare Newman
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[11] | 50 | 2 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
See also
References
- 1 2 "Tony Banks – The Fugitive". Genesis News Com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "The Official Charts Company - The Fugitive by Tony Banks Search". The Official Charts Company. 20 February 2015.
- ↑ "The Fugitive: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "Unofficial Russian re-issue at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "Banks, Tony - The Fugitive LP at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- 1 2 The Fugitive liner notes. Charisma Records. 1983.
- ↑ "Banks, Tony - The Fugitive CD at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ "Interview from 'Sound on Sound'".
- ↑ "Tony Banks- This is Love". YouTube. 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- 1 2 The Fugitive (album) at AllMusic
- ↑ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Tony Banks – The Fugitive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 February 2015. Enter The Fugitive in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
External links
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