Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks has made several stabs at a solo career since 1978, writing and recording in various styles and occasionally under different group names. However, none of his attempts have been very commercially successful, a sore point for the man many deem responsible for a large portion of the Genesis sound…
A Curious Feeling is the début solo album from Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks. Recorded at ABBA's Polar Music Studios during a brief Genesis hiatus, it was released in 1979 on Charisma Records and is one of only two of Banks' solo albums to have entered the UK Albums Chart, reaching 21 and staying on the chart for five weeks. According to Banks himself, the album "got some extremely scathing reviews, I don't think they were fair" but he conceded "this was post-punk and this was really not the album that people wanted to hear". Classic Rock reviewer Jerry Ewing agrees with Banks, writing that the album is made of "lush pastoral English prog rock that deserved better at the time" and is probably the musician's best solo effort.
Inner Prospekt is a sensational solo project by Mad Crayon's keyboard master Alessandro di Benedetti, in a style that is more electronic oriented that Italian prog (RPI) but offers up some incredibly interesting tracks that are modern, fresh and yet infused with a vast amount of soling in a style that is reminiscent of, yes, you guessed it, Tony Banks! In fact, Inner Prospekt sounds a lot like cross between electronic composers William Orbit, Richard Kirk and Banco di Gaia with the added component of frequent piano, organ and synthesizer soloing in the style of the venerable Genesis maestro…
Although Peter Banks sadly died in 2013, this new studio album features some of his work which has never been released until now. On 10th August 2010 he and David Cross got together for an afternoon of improvisation and all guitar and violin parts are from that time. Banks had expressed his desire for this music to one day be made available, so over the last few years Cross asked some friends to become involved and help in making this album a reality…