Home by the Sea
Encyclopedia
"Home by the Sea" is a suite of two songs by English progressive rock
band Genesis
. It first appeared on their eponymous album in 1983. Lyrically, the song is about a burglar who breaks into a house only to find it is a haunted prison. The burglar is captured by the ghosts who force him to listen to their stories for the rest of his life - "let us relive our lives in what we tell you".
with an extended section more characteristic of progressive rock into one two-part piece. Played together, "Home by the Sea" and "Second Home by the Sea" are over eleven minutes long.
In an interview, Phil Collins
noted the track as an example of how the band often recorded songs without playing together as a group. Using a prerecorded drum machine
as initial background, the band members would first produce 'guide' parts (such as vocal or guitar) to settle on the format of the song, and later rerecord them for final compilation into the song, adding 'real' drum parts as well.
, the song was a single with a music video to go with it. The promotional video was taken from The Mama Tour Live
video release.
"Second Home by the Sea" also appeared much later in an slightly edited form (minus vocals) on the Enhanced CD version of the single "Congo
".
, The Way We Walk
, Calling All Stations
(with Ray Wilson
on vocals), and Turn It On Again
Tour.
Live versions have also appeared on the DVDs Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium
, The Way We Walk - Live in Concert
and When in Rome 2007
as well as the Home Video
The Mama Tour
.
During the latest Turn It On Again tour
, it was transposed down a key to account for the deepening of Phil Collins's voice over the years. The "Second Home by the Sea" section, being mostly instrumental, was performed in its original key, including the brief vocal part near the end of the song.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
. It first appeared on their eponymous album in 1983. Lyrically, the song is about a burglar who breaks into a house only to find it is a haunted prison. The burglar is captured by the ghosts who force him to listen to their stories for the rest of his life - "let us relive our lives in what we tell you".
Background
The piece was written at a point in Genesis' career when they were transitioning from progressive rock to a more streamlined, commercial approach. As such, it combines simple pop hooksHook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
with an extended section more characteristic of progressive rock into one two-part piece. Played together, "Home by the Sea" and "Second Home by the Sea" are over eleven minutes long.
In an interview, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
noted the track as an example of how the band often recorded songs without playing together as a group. Using a prerecorded drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
as initial background, the band members would first produce 'guide' parts (such as vocal or guitar) to settle on the format of the song, and later rerecord them for final compilation into the song, adding 'real' drum parts as well.
Single release and video
In some countries, such as HollandNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the song was a single with a music video to go with it. The promotional video was taken from The Mama Tour Live
The Mama Tour
Genesis Live – The Mama Tour is a 1985 home video featuring footage from a Genesis concert in February 1984. It was filmed at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, and directed by Jim Yukich....
video release.
"Second Home by the Sea" also appeared much later in an slightly edited form (minus vocals) on the Enhanced CD version of the single "Congo
Congo (song)
"Congo" was the first single from the Genesis album ...Calling All Stations..., released in September 1997. The single marked the debut of Ray Wilson as the lead vocalist for the band...
".
Live performances
The song was played live during the Mama, Invisible TouchInvisible Touch
Invisible Touch is the 13th studio album by the band Genesis, released in 1986. It reached No.1 in the UK where it remained in the charts for 96 weeks, making it by far the most commercially successful album of their career, eventually selling over 15 million copies worldwide...
, The Way We Walk
We Can't Dance
Rolling Stone chiefly commented on the album's lyrics. They criticized "Tell Me Why" and "Way of the World" for being soulless and impersonal social commentaries, but regarded most of songs as outstanding, and summarized "Although We Can't Dance doesn't quite achieve the vulnerable grace of Duke or...
, Calling All Stations
Calling All Stations
Calling All Stations, is the 15th studio album by rock band Genesis. It was recorded following Phil Collins's departure from the band in 1996, and was released in 1997...
(with Ray Wilson
Ray Wilson (musician)
Ray Wilson is a Scottish musician, best known as vocalist in the post-grunge band Stiltskin, and in Genesis between 1996 and 1998.Wilson started off in a band called Guaranteed Pure in the early 1990s...
on vocals), and Turn It On Again
Turn It on Again: The Tour
Turn It On Again: The Tour was a 2007 concert tour of Europe and North America by progressive rock band Genesis. The tour was notable for the return of drummer and vocalist Phil Collins, who left the group in 1996.-History:...
Tour.
Live versions have also appeared on the DVDs Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium
Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium
Live at Wembley Stadium is a 2003 DVD featuring concert footage from a sold out Genesis concert at the titular London venue on 4 July 1987. It was first released in 1988 as The Invisible Touch Tour....
, The Way We Walk - Live in Concert
The Way We Walk - Live in Concert
Genesis – The Way We Walk – Live in Concert is a 2001 double DVD9 featuring live performances from the We Can't Dance tour by Genesis. The footage was filmed on 8 November 1992 at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and first released on VHS in March 1993 as Genesis Live – The Way We Walk – In...
and When in Rome 2007
When in Rome 2007
When In Rome 2007 is a live DVD by Genesis recorded at Circo Massimo, Rome, Italy, on 14 July 2007, during the successful Turn It On Again Tour. The concert was directed by David Mallet. The collection was released on 26 May 2008 in most of the world and 10 June 2008 in North America...
as well as the Home Video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
The Mama Tour
The Mama Tour
Genesis Live – The Mama Tour is a 1985 home video featuring footage from a Genesis concert in February 1984. It was filmed at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, and directed by Jim Yukich....
.
During the latest Turn It On Again tour
Turn It on Again: The Tour
Turn It On Again: The Tour was a 2007 concert tour of Europe and North America by progressive rock band Genesis. The tour was notable for the return of drummer and vocalist Phil Collins, who left the group in 1996.-History:...
, it was transposed down a key to account for the deepening of Phil Collins's voice over the years. The "Second Home by the Sea" section, being mostly instrumental, was performed in its original key, including the brief vocal part near the end of the song.