History Music / SuppersReady

* TheWalrusWasPaul: Gabriel's descriptions of the song do little to increase its comprehensibility. His way of announcing it at concerts was telling a [[ShaggyDogStory tangentially-related story]] (involving earthworms) ending on the punchline ''Supper's Ready''. [[note]]The only thing the story had to do with the song is that, near the end of the story, Gabriel would start whistling the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_did_those_feet_in_ancient_time Jerusalem hymn]]; both the hymn and "Supper's Ready" have to do with the Book of Revelation.[[/note]]
** "Gabble Ratchet" apparently refers to the Hounds of Hell. Either that, or squawking geese.
* UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill: In "Willow Farm", he's dressed [[CrossDresser in drag]] and used to be a British flag.[[note]]Plastic bag, what a drag.[[/note]]

"Supper's Ready" is a seven-part song[[note]]or, arguably, eight-part song, as explained under SubduedSection, but there are only seven official movements[[/note]] by the seminal ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Genesis}}, appearing on their 1972 album ''Music/{{Foxtrot|Album}}''. At around 23 minutes long, it takes up almost an entire side of the original vinyl release (apart from a brief, unrelated instrumental entitled "Horizons") and is Genesis' first real RockOpera (if "The Musical Box" doesn't count, anyway). Alongside ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway'', it's one of the major contributors to Genesis' lasting reputation and influence on progressive rock, and it's exactly how a surrealist prog-rock opera should be done.

A fan-made music video, ''Supper's Ready Illustrated'', [[WebAnimation/SuppersReadyIllustrated has its own page]].

* LyricalColdOpen: The song opens with Gabriel singing the line "Walking across the sitting room" over acoustic instrumentation.

* WordSaladLyrics: "Willow Farm"

"Supper's Ready" is a seven-part song[[note]]or, arguably, eight-part song, as explained under SubduedSection, but there are only seven official movements[[/note]] by the seminal ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Genesis}}, appearing on their 1972 album ''Music/FoxtrotAlbum''. At around 23 minutes long, it takes up almost an entire side of the original vinyl release (apart from a brief, unrelated instrumental entitled "Horizons") and is Genesis' first real RockOpera (if "The Musical Box" doesn't count, anyway). Alongside ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway'', it's one of the major contributors to Genesis' lasting reputation and influence on progressive rock, and it's exactly how a surrealist prog-rock opera should be done.

"Supper's Ready" is a seven-part song[[note]]or, arguably, eight-part song, as explained under SubduedSection, but there are only seven official movements[[/note]] by the seminal ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Genesis}}, appearing on their 1972 album ''Music/{{Foxtrot}}''. At around 23 minutes long, it takes up almost an entire side of the original vinyl release (apart from a brief, unrelated instrumental entitled "Horizons") and is Genesis' first real RockOpera (if "The Musical Box" doesn't count, anyway). Alongside ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway'', it's one of the major contributors to Genesis' lasting reputation and influence on progressive rock, and it's exactly how a surrealist prog-rock opera should be done.

"Supper's Ready" is a seven-part song[[note]]or, arguably, eight-part song, as explained under SubduedSection, but there are only seven official movements[[/note]] by the seminal ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Genesis}}, appearing on their 1972 album ''Foxtrot''. At around 23 minutes long, it takes up almost an entire side of the original vinyl release (apart from a brief, unrelated instrumental entitled "Horizons") and is Genesis' first real RockOpera (if "The Musical Box" doesn't count, anyway). Alongside ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway'', it's one of the major contributors to Genesis' lasting reputation and influence on progressive rock, and it's exactly how a surrealist prog-rock opera should be done.

** ContinuityNod: "...and the Musical Box".

* LongestSongGoesLast: The song, clocking at 22:57, closes ''Foxtrot'', and is the longest song on the album.[[note]]Or, indeed, on any of Genesis' studio albums, although had "The Story of Albert" been recorded in its original configuration, it would have been some 28 minutes long. It was performed that way in concert several times and can be found on bootlegs. Many live recordings of "Supper's Ready" are also longer than the studio version due to a mostly spoken intro that went on for about two minutes.[[/note]]

Note that, while this is the only twenty-plus-minute suite Genesis released, it's not the only one they wrote. From ''Music/SellingEnglandByThePound'', "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", "The Cinema Show", and "Aisle of Plenty" were originally conceived as a single composition, but the band split "Dancing" and "The Cinema Show" up after deciding it was too similar to "Supper's Ready"; the songs ultimately {{bookend|s}}ed the album. Also, from ''Duke'', "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" were originally a side-length suite as well, sometimes called "The Story of Albert", but the band split it up for a number of reasons, similarities to "Supper's Ready" being one of them.[[note]]The band also believed that it would've left ''Duke'' with a weaker B-side (or A-side if they'd used it as the B-Side), and also - correctly, as it turned out - that progressive rock's commercial fortunes were declining, though one can't help wondering whether, if they'd released the suite in its initial configuration, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen that could have revived them]].[[/note]] "The Story of Albert" was still performed in its entirety live during almost every show the band played in 1980, though.

Note that, while this is the only twenty-plus-minute suite Genesis released, it's not the only one they wrote. From ''Selling England by the Pound'', "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", "The Cinema Show", and "Aisle of Plenty" were originally conceived as a single composition, but the band split "Dancing" and "The Cinema Show" up after deciding it was too similar to "Supper's Ready"; the songs ultimately {{bookend|s}}ed the album. Also, from ''Duke'', "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" were originally a side-length suite as well, sometimes called "The Story of Albert", but the band split it up for a number of reasons, similarities to "Supper's Ready" being one of them.[[note]]The band also believed that it would've left ''Duke'' with a weaker B-side (or A-side if they'd used it as the B-Side), and also - correctly, as it turned out - that progressive rock's commercial fortunes were declining, though one can't help wondering whether, if they'd released the suite in its initial configuration, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen that could have revived them]].[[/note]] "The Story of Albert" was still performed in its entirety live during almost every show the band played in 1980, though.

* LongestSongGoesLast: The song, clocking at 22:57, closes ''Foxtrot'', and is the longest song on the album.