Invisible Touch
Encyclopedia
Invisible Touch is the 13th studio album by the 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...

, 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. It received generally favourable reviews from critics and produced five US Top 5 singles, including the title track
Invisible Touch (song)
"Invisible Touch" is the title track of the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was their first and only #1 single in the United States. It went to number four in Canada, but only reached number 15 in the United Kingdom.Its B-side...

 which reached the No.1 spot on the US chart, the only song by Genesis to do so.

A SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...

 and DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released in October 2007.

Background and recording

During the writing process, "Invisible Touch", produced through improvisation, became a standalone piece. It was originally conceived by Tony Banks as a part of the "Domino" suite.

Three songs were cut from the album and subsequently released as B-sides: "Feeding the Fire" (on "Land of Confusion"), "I'd Rather Be You
I'd Rather Be You
"I'd Rather Be You" is a pop song by the English band Genesis. It was first released as the B-side to "Throwing It All Away" in June 1987, and later appeared on the rarities compilation Archive #2 1976-1992 in November 2000.-Releases:...

" (on "Throwing It All Away"), and "Do the Neurotic" (on "In Too Deep"). In interviews promoting Invisible Touch, both Banks and Collins stated that they felt that there may have been enough room on the album for these tracks, but they had to pick and choose which songs they felt to be a better fit to the overall sound of the album. The cut songs were later re-released on the Genesis 1983–1998 box set.

Lyrics

The lyrics to "Land of Confusion" were written by Mike Rutherford and comment on the political turmoil of the Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

/Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

/Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...

 era. A video for "Land of Confusion", featuring the Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....

 puppets, was nominated for MTV's Video of the Year Award, but lost to former lead singer Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

's Sledgehammer
Sledgehammer (song)
"Sledgehammer" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So. It hit number one in Canada on 21 July 1986 where it spent four weeks; number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and number four in the UK singles chart, thanks in part to a...

. Rutherford also wrote the lyrics to "Throwing it All Away". Phil Collins's lyrics to "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", another hit song from the album, dealt with drug addiction, while "Anything She Does
Anything She Does
"Anything She Does" is a song by the British band Genesis. It appears as the fifth track on their highly successful 1986 album Invisible Touch, opening the second side of the vinyl and cassette editions. The lyrics were written by keyboard player Tony Banks....

" (lyrics by Tony Banks) is about pornography. The lyrics to "Domino", which explore various applications of the domino effect
Domino effect
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in linear sequence. The term is best known as a mechanical effect, and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes...

, are by Tony Banks. Collins wrote the lyrics to both "Invisible Touch" and "In Too Deep".

Reception

Allmusic rated Invisible Touch three out of five stars. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

, who reviewed the album, commented that "was seen at the time as a bit of a Phil Collins solo album disguised as a Genesis album". However, he said that "[the] songs had big hooks that excused their coldness, and the arty moments sank to the bottom". Mark Putterford of Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...

remarks how the album shows "new ideas, new sounds, but still very definitely Genesis".

Catching Genesis at their commercial peak, Invisible Touch debuted at No.1 in the UK, while it reached No.3 in the US and went six times platinum there. The album was supported by the 1986–87 Invisible Tour, a concert video
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....

 of which was released in 1988 and on DVD in 2003.

In popular culture

In the film American Psycho
American Psycho (film)
American Psycho is a 2000 cult thriller film directed by Mary Harron based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name. Though predominantly a psycho thriller, the film also blends elements of horror, satire, and black comedy...

, protagonist Patrick Bateman
Patrick Bateman
Patrick Bateman is a fictional character, the antihero and narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, and its film adaptation. He has also briefly appeared in other Ellis novels.-Biography and profile:...

 proclaims that Invisible Touch is the group's "undisputed masterpiece", discussing its virtues at length with two prostitutes he has hired for the evening. The scene represents a chapter in the Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...

 novel
American Psycho
American Psycho is a psychological thriller and satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by the protagonist, serial killer and Manhattan businessman Patrick Bateman. The book's graphic violence and sexual content generated a great deal of...

 where Bateman muses about the significance of the album. "In Too Deep" plays during this sequence.

During the late 1980s, instrumental excerpts from the track 'Domino' were used on the BBC TV sports program Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...

, as a bed over which presenter Desmond Lynam previewed what was coming up in that day's program.

"The Brazilian" is used in the television show Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....

episode titled "Unfinished Business". "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was used in the Season 7 episode "Laura" which featured Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

 in his last acting role.

"Land of Confusion" was used in "Freefall," the final episode of the 1980s cop show Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...

(a show on which Phil Collins had guest starred) during a scene in which the characters Crockett (Don Johnson
Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...

) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas
Philip Michael Thomas
Philip Michael Thomas is an American actor. Thomas's most famous role is that of detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle...

) were in the middle of a stakeout. The song implied the complexity of the story during the finale.

"In Too Deep" was also used in the 1986 film Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa (film)
Mona Lisa is a 1986 British film about a petty criminal who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-class call girl. The movie was written by Neil Jordan and David Leland, and directed by Jordan. It was produced by George Harrison's HandMade Films...

 starring Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...

.

Track listing

All songs written by Tony Banks
Tony Banks (musician)
This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...

, 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....

, and Mike Rutherford
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...

.

CD

  1. "Invisible Touch
    Invisible Touch (song)
    "Invisible Touch" is the title track of the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was their first and only #1 single in the United States. It went to number four in Canada, but only reached number 15 in the United Kingdom.Its B-side...

    " – 3:29
  2. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – 8:53
  3. "Land of Confusion
    Land of Confusion
    "Land of Confusion" is a rock song written by the band Genesis for their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song was the third track on the album and was the fourth track from the album to become a single, which reached #4 in the US and #14 in the UK in early 1987. It made #8 in the Netherlands...

    " – 4:47
  4. "In Too Deep" – 5:02
  5. "Anything She Does
    Anything She Does
    "Anything She Does" is a song by the British band Genesis. It appears as the fifth track on their highly successful 1986 album Invisible Touch, opening the second side of the vinyl and cassette editions. The lyrics were written by keyboard player Tony Banks....

    " – 4:20
  6. "Domino" – 10:45
  7. "Throwing It All Away
    Throwing It All Away
    "Throwing It All Away" is the seventh track on the 1986 album Invisible Touch by Genesis. It was issued as the second single from the album in 1986, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 in Britain, where it was released as the last single of the album in 1987...

    " – 3:51
  8. "The Brazilian
    The Brazilian
    "The Brazilian" is an instrumental piece by the English band Genesis that concludes their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song features experimental sounds and effects....

    " – 4:50

LP

Side A
  1. "Invisible Touch
    Invisible Touch (song)
    "Invisible Touch" is the title track of the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was their first and only #1 single in the United States. It went to number four in Canada, but only reached number 15 in the United Kingdom.Its B-side...

    " – 3:27
  2. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – 8:53
  3. "Land of Confusion
    Land of Confusion
    "Land of Confusion" is a rock song written by the band Genesis for their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song was the third track on the album and was the fourth track from the album to become a single, which reached #4 in the US and #14 in the UK in early 1987. It made #8 in the Netherlands...

    " – 4:45
  4. "In Too Deep" – 4:58


Side B
  1. "Anything She Does
    Anything She Does
    "Anything She Does" is a song by the British band Genesis. It appears as the fifth track on their highly successful 1986 album Invisible Touch, opening the second side of the vinyl and cassette editions. The lyrics were written by keyboard player Tony Banks....

    " – 4:07
  2. "Domino" – 10:42
    • "In the Glow of the Night" – 4:27
    • "The Last Domino" – 6:15
  3. "Throwing It All Away
    Throwing It All Away
    "Throwing It All Away" is the seventh track on the 1986 album Invisible Touch by Genesis. It was issued as the second single from the album in 1986, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 in Britain, where it was released as the last single of the album in 1987...

    " – 3:49
  4. "The Brazilian
    The Brazilian
    "The Brazilian" is an instrumental piece by the English band Genesis that concludes their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song features experimental sounds and effects....

    " – 4:49

B-sides

  1. "I'd Rather Be You
    I'd Rather Be You
    "I'd Rather Be You" is a pop song by the English band Genesis. It was first released as the B-side to "Throwing It All Away" in June 1987, and later appeared on the rarities compilation Archive #2 1976-1992 in November 2000.-Releases:...

    " from the single "Throwing It All Away
    Throwing It All Away
    "Throwing It All Away" is the seventh track on the 1986 album Invisible Touch by Genesis. It was issued as the second single from the album in 1986, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 in Britain, where it was released as the last single of the album in 1987...

    ".
  2. "Do the Neurotic" from the single "In Too Deep".
  3. "Feeding the Fire" from the single "Land of Confusion
    Land of Confusion
    "Land of Confusion" is a rock song written by the band Genesis for their 1986 album Invisible Touch. The song was the third track on the album and was the fourth track from the album to become a single, which reached #4 in the US and #14 in the UK in early 1987. It made #8 in the Netherlands...

    ".

Working titles for the songs

Before Invisible Touch was released, five songs had working titles. Below is a list of the original song working titles and finalised song titles (in parentheses):
  • "Monkey Zulu" ("Tonight, Tonight, Tonight")
  • "Snake" ("Anything She Does")
  • "Hawkwind" ("Domino")
  • "Zephyr" ("Throwing It All Away")
  • "Savage" ("The Brazilian")

Personnel

  • 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....

     – drums, percussion, vocals
  • Tony Banks
    Tony Banks (musician)
    This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...

     – keyboards, bass pedals
  • Mike Rutherford
    Mike Rutherford
    Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...

     – guitars, bass guitar

Setlist

  1. "Mama
    Mama (Genesis song)
    "Mama" was the first single from Genesis' 1983 self-titled album. It is recognizable for its harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in minor keys and finally Phil Collins' reverb-laden voice. It remains the band's biggest...

    "
  2. "Abacab
    Abacab (song)
    "Abacab" is a song by the British rock band Genesis, released on August 14, 1981. It was produced by Genesis and distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. The song, written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford, was featured on Genesis' album of the...

    "
  3. "Land of Confusion"
  4. "That's All
    That's All (Genesis song)
    "That's All" is a song by Genesis. The song, a group composition with lyrics written by lead singer/drummer Phil Collins, appears as the second track on their 1983 album Genesis, and was its second single after "Mama"....

    "
  5. "Domino (Part 1: In the Glow of the Night-Part 2: The Last Domino)"
  6. "In Too Deep"
  7. "The Brazilian"
  8. "Follow You Follow Me"
  9. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight"
  10. "Home by the Sea
    Home by the Sea
    "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...

    "/"Second Home by the Sea"
  11. "Throwing It All Away"
  12. "In the Cage
    In the Cage
    "In the Cage" is also a song by progressive rock group Genesis off their 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.In the Cage is a novella by Henry James, first published as a book in 1898. This long story centers on an unnamed London telegraphist...

    "*+/"...In That Quiet Earth"*/"Supper's Ready
    Supper's Ready
    "Supper's Ready" is a song by the band Genesis. A recorded version appeared on their 1972 album Foxtrot, and the band performed the song regularly on stage for several years following this...

    " (Apocalypse in 9/8 and "As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs" sections)*
  13. "Invisible Touch
    Invisible Touch (song)
    "Invisible Touch" is the title track of the 1986 Genesis album of the same name. It is the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was their first and only #1 single in the United States. It went to number four in Canada, but only reached number 15 in the United Kingdom.Its B-side...

    "
  14. "Drum Duet"
  15. "Los Endos
    Los Endos
    "Los Endos" is an instrumental piece by English progressive rock band Genesis from their 1976 album A Trick of the Tail. It is one of the band's few forays into the world of jazz fusion and reflects drummer Phil Collins's involvement in the instrumental band Brand X...

    "*+


Encore
  1. "Turn It On Again (Medley)
    Turn It On Again
    "Turn It On Again" is a single from the British progressive rock band Genesis, from their 1980 album Duke.The lyrics deal with a man who does nothing more than watch his television, so much that he becomes obsessed with the people he watches on it, believing them to be his friends.The song is also...

    "*


On the Australian leg, the song "Your Own Special Way" was performed for the first time since 1977. The 1987 US and European legs of the tour saw the "Supper's Ready" section of the "In the Cage" medley dropped in favour of "Afterglow"*+. Also, the key of "Throwing It All Away" was dropped from C# to C. Also the key of "Land of Confusion" lowered from E Flat Minor to C# Minor. Finally, the songs "In Too Deep" and "Follow You Follow Me" were dropped completely.

Tour Band

  • 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....

     – drums, electronic percussion, lead vocals
  • Tony Banks
    Tony Banks (musician)
    This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...

     – keyboards
  • Mike Rutherford
    Mike Rutherford
    Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...

     – lead guitar, bass guitar+, bass pedals, backing vocals


with
  • Daryl Stuermer
    Daryl Stuermer
    Daryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician who plays guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most of his solo tours and albums.-Biography:...

     – bass guitar, guitar*, backing vocals
  • Chester Thompson
    Chester Thompson
    Chester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...

     – drums

Chart positions

Album – Billboard (North America)
Year Chart Position
1986 The Billboard 200 3


Singles – Billboard (North America)
Year Single Chart Position
1986 "Anything She Does" Mainstream Rock Tracks 40
"Domino, Pt. 1 – In The Glow Of The Night/Pt. 2 – The Last Domino" Mainstream Rock Tracks 29
"In Too Deep" Mainstream Rock Tracks 25
"Invisible Touch" Adult Contemporary 3
Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Billboard Hot 100 1
"Throwing It All Away" Adult Contemporary 1
Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Billboard Hot 100 4
"Land of Confusion" Mainstream Rock Tracks 11
Billboard Hot 100 4
1987 "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" Adult Contemporary 8
Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
Billboard Hot 100 3
"In Too Deep" Adult Contemporary 1
Billboard Hot 100 3

External links

  • Invisible Touch (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

  • Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

  • Land of Confusion (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

  • In Too Deep (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

  • Anything She Does (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

  • Throwing It All Away (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic
    VH1 Classic is a television network, launched on May 8, 2000. It is operated as part of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom and primarily features music videos and concert footage from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, though it formerly included a wider range of genres and time periods...

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