Land of Confusion – Genesis
“Land of Confusion” by Genesis, an acoustic cover by Mike Mass©
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Liner Notes:
Genesis is my second favorite band (tied with Rush) behind the Beatles. I absolutely adore Phil Collins as a singer. He has one of my favorite voices on the planet. I love “Trick of the Tail” and “Wind and “Wuthering”, in particular, the first two Genesis albums Phil sang lead on after Peter Gabriel left the band. “Land of Confusion” appeared on “Invisible Touch”, which was uneven, but brought us the amazing song “Domino”, which is a cool hybrid of 80s and prog. Love that tune.
I’ve always loved this song, too, and feel it’s more relevant now than ever. I dedicate it to all who decide to get involved and try to make a difference in this world. It serves as a rallying cry to take love and kindness as our guiding principles, because there’s not much love to go ’round. There’s a silent majority of us who choose peace and love, but sometimes it’s necessary to speak out and hit the streets, lest our silence be interpreted as consent.
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we’re given
Use them and let’s start trying
To make it a place worth living in
About my arrangement: First off, I’m tuned a half-step flat, since the song is in Eb minor. Let’s talk about the intro. Decisions, decisions. That main guitar riff is iconic, but it doesn’t stand alone well. You lose the Ab major to Ab minor from the keyboards, which really sets the tone and introduces the tension. So I opted to play the keyboard chords instead. (Besides, Tony Banks is my favorite keyboard player.) In part, I did it with an acoustic duo in mind, letting the bass (or second guitar) cover the octaves/fifths main riff. And besides, if you pound those keyboard chords, it still rocks. I’m doing my best to mute the open 4th string during those chords, allowing the 5th string (Ab) to ring open. The rest is pretty straight forward. I threw in the rhythm of the iconic drum fills where applicable. I hope you enjoy my take on this 80s classic.
Stand up and let’s start showing just where our lives are going to….
Love,
-Mike
Thanks to Wild Dog Stomp pedals out of Australia for providing the awesome stomp. (I’m playing it with my left foot throughout.)
Here’s my model: https://www.wilddogstomp.com/products/bunyip/