HAIRLESS HEART
Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford
Genesis Music Ltd/Hit & Run Music (Publishing) LTD
Leon Alvarado: keyboards, programming, percussion
Arranged, produced and mixed by L.A.
Mastered by Ty Tabor/Alien Beans Studio, U.S.A.
In 1999 Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford & Steve Hackett reunited to record a version of their classic “The Carpet Crawlers” commemorating its twenty-fifth anniversary. Produced by Trevor Horn and mastered by Nick Davis, the single included some interesting arrangements and sound treatments. It was contemporary, yet very “GENESIS” in feel. I personally found it to be quite interesting. One of the things I noticed was that the song is actually longer than the original but the lyrics had been shortened quite a bit. A whole verse had been removed. This was sort of surprising but at the same time, it changed the parameters of what was considered “sacred” in the composition and structure of GENESIS’ music. It made me wonder how another song from the same album could sound given a similar treatment. That’s what gave me the idea of doing the project in the first place. The song I chose to work on was HAIRLESS HEART, in part because I think the song is one of the most understated instrumentals by the band but also because I knew it would sound great when paired with CARPET CRAWLERS 1999. I knew I had to be very careful in reinterpreting a song considered a classic by fans and critics alike. One thing is for the band to tinker with their own creation, another is to have a complete stranger doing the tinkering. I secured the rights to the song and started to work on it in my studio at home. I approached the project as if I were a member of GENESIS. This fantastic set up allowed me to free my mind from any previous suppositions and to make logical decisions regarding the parameters of the work. I set out to create a version that stayed true to the original whilst making it more contemporary. I held everything that I considered sacred by these new standards. For example, all the Mellotron parts are the same as in the original. The drum track has been changed to a mix of tracks made up from various drum machines (including a Roland CR 78 which is the same type used during the recording of GENESIS’ DUKE).