Nursery Cryme

"Nursery Cryme" is the third studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released in November 1971. It is a landmark record that helped define the early 1970s progressive rock movement. The album showcased Peter Gabriel's highly theatrical lyrical style.

This album is the very first to feature the classic five-piece lineup of Genesis. It introduced guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins to the band, joining Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford. This specific configuration is widely viewed as the peak era of the group.

"The Musical Box" is a lengthy, ten-minute track that opens the album with a dark Victorian fairy tale. The lyrics tell the bizarre story of a young girl who decapitates a boy with a croquet mallet. As an old musical box plays, the boy's ghost ages rapidly and violently.

With "Nursery Cryme," Genesis moved firmly away from their earlier, more folk-pop roots. The addition of Hackett's tapping and Collins' dynamic drumming allowed the band to explore heavier, more complex arrangements. It laid the vital foundation for masterpieces like "Selling England by the Pound."