Genesis: Land of Confusion

Most definitely this is Genesis best video clip. The majority of their videos consists of the band playing their act, good shots and edition but they lack something. "Land of Confusion" carries a critical theme which perfectly defined the decade, unavoidable political and there's plenty of art to enjoy and admire with puppets presenting not only the band members but also Ronald Reagan and other characters reflecting the period, one of apparent tension and fear with the Cold War still going strong. And the sound, lyrics and music...a shock to the senses in so how well-executed and perfect it was - to the die-hard Genesis fans who prefer their progressive rock phase might not work all that much but I always liked them in both pop/rock and progressive moments.

The song is serious with their critique while the video makes fun of everything we hear. Puppets representing the band and Ronnie (gotta admit, those were some ugly things but they achieved the needed satirical effect, monstrous creatures crawling and moving through a desperate world at the brink of collapsing) make the amusing part of the video ("Oh Superman where are you now?") along with a fantastic art direction, and some dialogues at the opening and ending with a clueless Reagan going to sleep - then the video presents the real scenario he was involved - and ending with the "nightmare" he just woke up. Also comes a spoof on "We Are the World" which is brilliant. The lyrics asks us why this is the land of confusion and with all the terror, chaos and creatures we see it's not hard to imagine why the band isn't wrong with their thoughts. Directors John Lloyd and James Yukich made one of the most creative, thoughtful and brilliant videos of the era and Genesis greatest video achievement (ok, I like "Invisible Touch" as well, specially their Capella version at the conclusion, it's very amusing and "Jesus He Knows Me" is hysterical with its attack to televangelists). But this one points out to so many aspects from the decade and in such an artsy form that it's impossible to resist its effect. It's real and speaks louder than news, we can understand to what criticism they were making: social, political, economical, cultural, a whole understanding of how troubled and limited that era was in so many aspects. Phil Collins hit the nail in the head with precision and didn't left us with just the critical part; he asked us to use our hands and make the world a place worth living in. True then and true now. The urge in the song and clip is one barely ever touched and present in the world of arts and entertainment, and yes, I think "Genesis: Land of Confusion" is an integral part of both. 10/10