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Customer Reviews of Strictly Inc

Tony's still got that magic
You must try and get this CD for one song only. "An Island In The Darkness". Download it, rip it, steal it, do whatever you must to hear this song. This song reminds you of why you fell in love with his music long ago. There are two good sing-a-longs that I sing in the car. "Never Let Me Go" & "A Piece Of You". Although, "A Piece Of You" runs a distant third. Just when you thought you would never hear a new song from Tony that would blow you away like the old days.....along comes "An Island In The Darkness"

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STRICTLY INC.REDIBLE
When this album was released in 1995, it sank without a trace and didn't even see a US release. Though Tony Banks' solo output away fom Genesis has never been successful, the music has always, always been good. Everything you would want from a good Genesis album is here- strong songs, emotional vocals and cinematic, atmospheric keyboards. This album beats the pants off of Calling All Stations, released a couple years later. Though Phil Collins was the face of Genesis, Tony was without a doubt the musical soul of that band.

Strictly Inc. teams Tony with Wang Chung singer Jack Hues, possibly the best vocalist on a Banks solo album. His voice adds a bit of 'New Romantic' suave to the material, giving it an 80's sound while sounding timeless at the same time. Highlights include emotional balads 'A Piece Of You' and sadness-tinged 'Never Let Me Know', slight techno-ish 'Only Seventeen', 'Strictly Incognito' a song about an ice cream truck driver who falls for a schizophrenic minor, and Tony's finest solo moment, the 17-minute 'Island In The Darkness', in which Tony seems to have been channeling 1977-80 era Genesis with that piano sound we know from albums like 'And Then There Were Three'. A powerful and melodramatic track, 'Island' goes through many moods and 'movements' and also features a soulful guitar solo from Daryl Stuermer.

One thing that sank this album was the 'band' moniker of 'Strictly Inc.'- most people probably didn't even know it was a Banks album, not that it would have sold much better. But still, Tony should have learned his lesson with 'Bankstatement', his 1989 'band'/duo/project thing which met a similar fate, so 'Strictly Inc.' was dead before it was even out of the box. It really should have been called Tony Banks/Jack Hues. The cover gives no indication as to who is on the album, just 'Strictly Inc.' with a couple cartoon characters on it on a white background(what is it with these Genesis people with albums with white backgrounds?).
The music however is well worth checking out, and special mention must be made for Wang Chung's Jack Hues who's vocals fit Tony's music like a glove. 80's/Wang Chung fans should check this out too. Well crafted, great songs, great keyboards, great atmosphere, great vocals, bad band name. I can't praise this album enough.

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An Island In The Darkness.
Yes, Tony Banks was the musical "brains" behind Genesis. So unless you want to listen to Phil "3 chords & a drum machine" Collins you need to check out Tony Banks. For lovers of big chords on small keyboards (and fixed pedal notes!)

While not in a league with A Curious Feeling this one's a lot like The Fugitive which is to say, fantastic in places.