Watchers Of The Skies

Bottom/ Nursery Cryme (Charisma, 1971) is the third studio album by British progressive rock band Genesis, then in its "classic" lineup led by Peter Gabriel. Like Trespass, the preceding Genesis album, Nursery Cryme was also recorded at London's famous Trident Studios. The folky feel was retained on songs such as "Harlequin" and "For Absent Friends", but other tracks displayed a more aggressive and strident sound. The striking artwork for Nursery Cryme was painted by Paul Whitehead, who was also responsible for Trespass and Foxtrot. The album cover is a depiction of "The Musical Box" song and story, a ten minute epic touching on themes of death, reincarnation and lust, set in Victorian England: Cynthia, holds a croquet mallet —there is a hoop visible close by— but instead of croquet balls, there are a few heads lying on the ground. Together with "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," this became one of Genesis' more famous songs, acquiring status as of one of the band's signature tunes from their progressive rock-era. Top/ Pink Moon (Island, 1972) is Nick Drake's third and last album, following Five Leaves Left (1969) and Bryter Layter (1970). An "enigma wrapped inside a mystery", Nick Drake (1948 – 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs, experimenting with open tuning and finger-picking guitar techniques. Drake suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life, and these topics were often reflected in his lyrics. By the mid-1980s Drake was being credited as an influence by such artists as Robert Smith and Peter Buck. By the early 1990s, he had come to represent a certain type of 'doomed romantic' musician in the UK music press, and was frequently cited by artists including Kate Bush, Paul Weller and The Black Crowes. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he now ranks among the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.