🎧 Drop the Needle, and the Scenery of Some Time Pt. 100 — An Epic Etched into 'Foxtrot'
This is 'Foxtrot,' a coffee shop where music lovers from the neighborhood naturally gather.
Under the guidance of Kazuhiko, the master who loves UK rock, Ami, an aspiring copperplate printmaker, and Yukihiro, a music magazine writer and friend since middle school, occasionally drop by to engage in quiet yet passionate music discussions over records and coffee.
Genesis 'Foxtrot' (1972)
The scenery changes every time you listen
Ami“Master, is this album named 'Foxtrot' after the shop?”
Kazuhiko“That's right. I named the shop after this Genesis album, 'Foxtrot.' When I first heard it, the world of sound was so vast. I wanted the atmosphere of the shop to be just as free.”
Yukihiro“I see. You must have a deep attachment to it if you named the shop after it. A masterpiece from '72, the golden age of Genesis.”
Ami“It feels like a story when I listen to it. The vocals sound theatrical, too.”
Kazuhiko“Oh, you noticed. The vocalist is Peter Gabriel. His stage performances are famous—wearing masks, spreading wings. He’s an artist who aimed for the fusion of music and theater.”
Yukihiro“The first track on the album, 'Watcher of the Skies,' is like the opening of a sci-fi movie. The majestic sound of the Mellotron rings out, and it feels like a door to the universe is opening.”
Ami“You're right, I can feel it expanding. Just listening to it makes the scenery appear.”
Kazuhiko“Yes, that is the true essence of Genesis. Painting stories with sound. Especially the drumming of Phil Collins—it's not just rhythm, it's part of the 'narration.'”
Yukihiro“And then there's the B-side epic, 'Supper’s Ready.' A 23-minute grand epic. Themes like war, faith, and rebirth unfold over seven parts. The frenzy of the final 'Apocalypse in 9/8' is a masterpiece.”
Ami“It's 23 minutes long? How did they perform that live?”
Kazuhiko“They used visual effects back then, too. Lights, costumes, narration—they presented it not just as sound, but as an 'experience.' It was truly a total work of art.”
Yukihiro“When I listen to this album, I think, 'Can rock really go this far?' It's on a different dimension from ordinary pop music.”
Ami“The sound is like a universe of its own. I never get tired of it.”
The moment rock becomes literature
Yukihiro“The title 'Foxtrot' itself is ironic. The foxtrot is a ballroom dance step, but the content is a mix of religion, apocalypse, humor, and tragedy.”
Kazuhiko“British prog rock was a culture that turned social satire and fables into sound. Genesis is a prime example of that. Their sound is 'literature' born from British history and class consciousness.”
Ami“Rock as literature... That’s surprising. I thought it was something more sensory.”
Yukihiro“But you see, they were from London art schools. They were people who studied painting and poetry, so the roots of their expression are different. 'Foxtrot' is 'music to be read' that offers new discoveries every time you listen.”
Kazuhiko“The album cover is the symbol of that. A woman standing on the sea, and a fish's face. It depicts the boundary between reality and fantasy. The sound is exactly the same. Dreams and reality intersect.”
Ami“It’s a mysterious painting. When I listen to the album, I feel like I’m stepping inside the picture.”
Yukihiro“It was designed by Paul Whitehead. He’s the painter who visualized Genesis’s 'world of sound.' The album jacket is also a part of the work itself.”
Kazuhiko“That’s why the story begins the moment you drop the needle on the record. There’s a silence you can’t experience with digital, and there’s an afterglow in the pause while you flip it to side B.”
Ami“So it’s not just the sound, but the 'time' itself that is part of the work.”
Yukihiro“Exactly. 'Foxtrot' is an album that serves as proof that rock evolved from 'music to listen to' into 'music to think about.'”
Kazuhiko“I named the shop 'Foxtrot' after listening to this album because I wanted to cherish that 'freedom to imagine.' Music, coffee, and conversations with people—it’s all connected.”
Ami“That’s wonderful. I hope that one day, I can draw 'soundscapes' with my own copperplate prints.”
Yukihiro“The sound of Genesis awakens that kind of imagination. As if dancing, as if dreaming—in the rhythm of a foxtrot.”
Next time...
■ Characters
Kazuhiko: 52 years old. Owner of the coffee shop 'Foxtrot.' Knowledgeable about UK rock and a record collector.
Ami: 26 years old. Waitress and budding copperplate print artist. A graduate of an art university, her dream is to hold a solo exhibition. She started becoming interested in music through the owner's influence.
Yukihiro: 52 years old. A music magazine writer and Kazuhiko's close friend since junior high school. He drops by the shop occasionally to drink black coffee.
* The name of the coffee shop 'Foxtrot' is derived from the Genesis album of the same name.