Genesis - Invisible Touch
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On June 6, 1986 (US) and June 9 (UK) "Genesis" released their 13th studio album "Invisible Touch".
Crafted entirely from jam-based improvisations and shaped in the studio with longtime producer Hugh Padgham, Invisible Touch stands as a defining moment in ‘80s pop-rock, packed with catchy melodies, polished production and high charting singles.
Following a hiatus after their 1983 "Genesis" album and tour, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford returned to "Genesis" after pursuing solo careers (Rutherford formed "Mike + The Mechanics" and had success with their debut album, Banks released "Soundtracks", and Collins released his third solo album "No Jacket Required"). Their external projects had significantly influenced their musical perspectives—especially Collins’ "No Jacket Required", which helped solidify the band's shift toward streamlined, radio-friendly music. When the trio reconvened at their private studio, The Farm in Surrey, they came without pre-written material. Instead, they relied on long jam sessions, extracting ideas from spontaneous interplay.
As with their previous album, "Invisible Touch" was built from scratch—recorded between October 1985 and February 1986. They captured moments from their improvisations using rudimentary sampling (including Banks’s E-mu Emulator, which had only 17 seconds of record time), before sculpting them into full songs. Each band member typically handled the lyrics for particular tracks, giving the album a varied narrative voice within a cohesive sonic framework.
The album is a synthesis of cutting-edge ‘80s production and pop songwriting, built on electronic instrumentation and digital studio techniques. Phil Collins's drumming—both on acoustic and Simmons electronic kits—delivers the trademark gated reverb sound he helped pioneer.
Tony Banks's arsenal of synthesizers and sampled textures dominate the arrangements, while Mike Rutherford often lays back with rhythmic guitar figures and melodic basslines. A Roland TR-727 drum machine and Collins's Roland Pad-8 added Latin and percussive flair to several tracks, contributing to the album’s tight, electronic groove. Though cleaner and more concise than their earlier epics, the band still managed to sneak in moments of complexity.
The album opens up with the title track "Invisible Touch". It was born spontaneously during a jam on “Domino.” When Rutherford began playing a riff with echo effects, Collins sang the now-iconic hook line on the spot. Inspired partly by his first wife, Collins built the lyrics around irresistible but damaging relationships. Sonically, it's upbeat and sleek—propelled by Banks's sequenced synths and Collins’s crisp rhythms. A perfect pop song, it became the band’s only U.S. No. 1 hit.
"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – One of the album’s darkest and most atmospheric tracks. The song evolved from Banks's moody keyboard improvisations over a hypnotic groove. Collins’s intense vocal delivery and lyrics about addiction unfold over layered synths and a haunting instrumental middle section. The original title “Monkey/Zulu” hints at its abstract beginnings. It recalls older "Genesis" in scope and tone.
"Land of Confusion" – A biting political anthem with a muscular rhythm section and urgent vocal delivery. Rutherford, writing through a feverish haze, penned the lyrics as a protest song. Collins’s punchy performance gives the track its edge, while its animated video (featuring puppets from Spitting Image) helped cement its cultural impact.
"In Too Deep" – A smooth ballad originally written for the film "Mona Lisa" . Collins wrote the chorus in Sydney while touring solo, then added verses during the recording sessions. Subtle piano and understated guitar work support one of Collins’s most tender vocal performances.
"Anything She Does" – Inspired by images of pin-up models the band jokingly posted around the studio, this is the album’s most playful moment. Banks used sampled brass stabs (not from the Phenix Horns, despite the sound), giving it a punchy, pop-soul feel.
"Domino" – The album’s proggiest offering, this two-part suite ("In the Glow of the Night"/"The Last Domino") runs over 11 minutes. Banks wrote the lyrics as a critique of political carelessness. Though buried beneath the hits, “Domino” is one of "Genesis's" most musically ambitious tracks of the decade, full of dynamic shifts and dark tension. Rutherford called it one of their best.
"Throwing It All Away" – Built on a gentle guitar riff from Rutherford, the song began as a heavy piece before transforming into a more delicate love song. Collins’s description of it as a “one-note samba” captures its rhythmic flow, while the melodic vocal hook makes it a standout ballad.
"The Brazilian" – The sole instrumental, driven by Banks’s looping sample (triggered via a knife wedged on the keyboard!) and Collins’s experimental programming on the Simmons kit. The track started as a studio experiment and ends the album on a vibrant, percussive note.
Three additional songs—“Do the Neurotic,” “Feeding the Fire,” and “I’d Rather Be You”—were recorded during the album sessions but excluded from the final album. They later appeared as B-sides and in the "Genesis Archive 2" and 1983–1998 box sets.
"Invisible Touch" became "Genesis’s" most commercially successful album, topping the UK chart and hitting No. 3 in the US. It sold over 6 million copies in the U.S. alone and produced five U.S. Top 5 singles—a feat no other foreign act had achieved at the time. Despite its success, the album drew mixed reviews, with critics both praising and criticizing its overt pop leanings and resemblance to Collins’s solo work.
"Invisible Touch" is not just a reflection of "Genesis’s" adaptability—it’s a masterclass in pop craftsmanship without fully abandoning their progressive spirit. It's a polished, forward-looking record that captures the sound of the mid-1980s while showcasing the trio's chemistry and musical evolution.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music