Invisible Touch

Invisible Touch
Studio album by Genesis
Released	9 June 1986
Recorded	October 1985 – March 1986 at The Farm, Surrey
Genre	Pop rock, progressive rock, New Wave
Length	45:42
Label	Virgin (UK) Atlantic (US)
Producer	Genesis and Hugh Padgham
Genesis chronology
Genesis (1983) Invisible Touch (1986) We Can't Dance (1991)

For the song, see Invisible Touch (song).

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. It received generally favourable reviews from critics and produced five US Top 5 singles, including the title track which reached the No.1 spot on the US chart, the only song by Genesis to do so.

A SACD 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" (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/Thatcher/Gorbachev era. A video for "Land of Confusion", featuring the Spitting Image puppets, was nominated for MTV's Video of the Year Award, but lost to former lead singer Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. Phil Collins's lyrics to "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", another hit song from the album, dealt with drug addiction, while "Anything She Does" (lyrics by Tony Banks) is about pornography. The lyrics to "Domino", explore various applications of the domino effect.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Kerrang!

Allmusic rated Invisible Touch three out of five stars. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, 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! 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 of which was released in 1988 and on DVD in 2003.

In popular culture

In the film American Psycho, protagonist Patrick Bateman 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 novel 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, 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. episode titled "Unfinished Business". "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was used in the Season 7 episode "Laura" which featured Frank Sinatra in his last acting role.

"Land of Confusion" was used in "Freefall," the final episode of the 1980s cop show Miami Vice (a show on which Phil Collins had guest starred) during a scene in which the characters Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) 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 starring Bob Hoskins.

In "Old Stan In the Mountain" episode of American Dad! the song "Invisible Touch" was used as the theme music for Francine and Roger's dance.

Track listing

All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford.

1. "Invisible Touch" – 3:29
2. "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – 8:53
3. "Land of Confusion" – 4:45
4. "In Too Deep" – 5:02
5. "Anything She Does" – 4:20
6. "Domino" – Part 1: In the Glow of the Night - 4:27 - Part 2: The Last Domino - 6:15
7. "Throwing It All Away" – 3:51
8. "The Brazilian" – 4:50

B-sides

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'd Rather Be You"	4:04
2.	"Do The Neurotic"	7:08
3.	"Feeding the Fire"	5:53

1. "I'd Rather Be You" from the single "Throwing It All Away".
2. "Do the Neurotic" from the single "In Too Deep".
3. "Feeding the Fire" from the single "Land of Confusion".

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 – drums, percussion, vocals
• Tony Banks – keyboards, bass pedals
• Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar

Tour

Genesis toured in support of Invisible Touch between September 1986 and July 1987.

Setlist

1. "Mama"
2. "Abacab"
3. "Land of Confusion"
4. "That's All"
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"/"Second Home by the Sea"
11. "Throwing It All Away"
12. "In the Cage"*+/"...In That Quiet Earth"*/"Supper's Ready" (Apocalypse in 9/8 and "As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs" sections)*
13. "Invisible Touch"
14. "Drum Duet"
15. "Los Endos"*+

Encore

1. "Turn It On Again (Medley)"*

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 – drums, electronic percussion, lead vocals
• Tony Banks – keyboards
• Mike Rutherford – lead guitar, bass guitar+, bass pedals, backing vocals

with

• Daryl Stuermer – bass guitar, guitar*, backing vocals
• Chester Thompson – 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
• Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
• Land of Confusion (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
• In Too Deep (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
• Anything She Does (Music Video) at VH1 Classic
• Throwing It All Away (Music Video) at VH1 Classic

Preceded by A Kind of Magic by Queen

UK number one album 21 June 1986 – 11 July 1986

Succeeded by True Blue by Madonna