Genesis Invisible Touch released

Invisible Touch Genesis

Released: June 9, 1986 Peak: 3 US, 13 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.2 UK, 14.6 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic mainstream rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Invisible Touch [3:29] Tonight, Tonight, Tonight [8:53] Land of Confusion [4:45] In Too Deep [4:58] Anything She Does [4:09] In the Glow of the Night (Domino, Part 1) [4:27] The Last Domino (Domino, Part 2) [6:18] Throwing It All Away [3:53] The Brazilian [4:50] Total Running Time: 45:42 The Players: Tony Banks (keyboards, synth bass) Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion) Mike Rutherford (guitars, bass)

Rating: 3.557 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Quotable: “Pop that was the sound of the mainstream in the late ‘80s” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

An Unlikely Success Story Genesis’ ascension to kings of the pop world with the Invisible Touch album marks one of the most unexpected successes in rock music history. The band formed in 1966, releasing their first album in 1969. When original lead singer departed in 1975, Phil Collins – who’d been the band’s drummer since 1970 – took over duties as frontman. After two more albums, guitarist Steve Hackett left the group and Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks decided to soldier on as a trio. While they maintained elements of their progressive-rock roots, the band now embraced a more conventional sound that made them staples at album rock radio with songs like “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Turn It on Again,” “Misunderstanding,” and “Abacab.” Their self-titled 1983 album took the band to new heights when “That’s All” became the group’s first top-10 hit. It was, however, familiar territory to Collins. As a solo artist, he’d reached the top-10 eight times – four of those topped the charts. His 1985 No Jacket Required album hit #1 in the U.S. and UK, sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. A Phil Collins Solo Album in Disguise? It made for high expectations for his next outing with Genesis. Invisible Touch did not disappoint. It is, “without a doubt, Genesis’ poppiest album, a sleek, streamlined affair built on electronic percussion and dressed in synths that somehow seem to be programmed, not played by Tony Banks.” AM This was “pop that was the sound of the mainstream in the late ‘80s, pop that still effortlessly evokes its time.” AM A Phil Collins Solo Album in Disguise? Some dismissed the album as “a Phil Collins solo album disguised as a Genesis album, and it’s not hard to see why.” AM “It does seem a bit like No Jacket Required, and the heavy emphasis on pop tunes does serve the singer, not the band.” AM They serve up ready-made radio hits and power ballads that understandably felt closer to songs like “Sussudio” and “One More Night” than “Supper’s Ready” or “I Know What I Like in Your Wardrobe.” There are differences, however. “On his own, Phil was lighter, and Genesis was often a bit chillier.” AM “The songs unfold in a percussive, artificial realm that makes Collins’ voice sound even more isolated in his yearning and his predicaments.” JP “Banks’ recital-hall piano and organ had long since given way to foreboding synthesizer chords and brittle notes that ricochet all over the place, syncopating neatly against Collins’s salvos of tom-toms.” JP The Rise of Mike Rutherford To attribute all the album’s success to Collins was also a slight to the other band members. Mike Rutherford, who’d been with Genesis since the beginning, didn’t crave the spotlight like Collins or former Genesis bandmate Peter Gabriel. However, as he watched both embark on solo careers, the bug eventually bit him as well. In the early ‘80s, he released a pair of solo albums, both of which were commercial flops in the U.S. However, he remained undaunted, launching the group Mike + the Mechanics in 1985. He farmed out vocal responsibilities to Paul Carrack and Paul Young. They each helmed a top-10 hit – “Silent Running” and “All I Need Is a Miracle” respectively – from the Mechanics’ self-titled debut album. Rutherford was a co-lyricist on each. It apparently whet his appetite. For Invisible Touch he served as lyricist on two of the album’s top-ten hits, “Throwing It All Away,” and “Land of Confusion.” It made it clear that Phil Collins wasn’t the only band member who knew how to craft a pop hit. Still Signs of the Genesis of Old “The big but snappy suite ‘Domino’” JP consisted of the songs “In the Glow of the Night” and “The Last Domino,” both with lyrics by Tony Banks. While a far cry from Genesis’ early prog-rock days, they still give the album its artier touches. The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Invisible Touch Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music), Phil Collins (music/lyrics), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: single (5/19/1986), Invisible Touch (1986), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) B-side: “The Last Domino” Peak: 11 BB, 13 BA, 11 CB, 13 GR, 12 RR, 3 AC, 13 AR, 15 UK, 6 CN, 3 AU, 7 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.4 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 319.97 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The lead single and title cut from Invisible Touch “is the frothiest thing the band ever did.” AM It landed the group their one and only chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. There was, however, much more to come – in fact, the album would generate four more top-ten hits.

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music), Phil Collins (music/lyrics), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: single (U.S., 1/29/1987; UK, 3/9/1987), Invisible Touch (1986), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) B-side: “In the Glow of the Night” Peak: 3 BB, 3 CB, 3 GR, 3 RR, 8 AC, 9 AR, 18 UK, 19 CN, 93 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 25.99 streaming About the Song: “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” is “a stark, scary tale of scoring dope (which made its inclusion in a Michelob campaign in the ‘80s almost as odd as recovering alcoholic Eric Clapton shilling for the brewery).” AM

Land of Confusion Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music), Phil Collins (music), Mike Rutherford (music/lyrics) Released: single (October 1986), Invisible Touch (1986), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) B-side: “Feeding the Fire” Peak: 4 BB, 5 CB, 2 GR, 5 RR, 11 AR, 14 UK, 8 CN, 21 AU, 8 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 150.62 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The protest song “Land of Confusion” was one of the album’s five top-ten hits. Both this and “Throwing It All Away” featured lyrics from Mike Rutherford.

In Too Deep Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music), Phil Collins (music/lyrics), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: single (8/18/1986), Invisible Touch (1986), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) B-side: “Do the Neurotic” Peak: 3 BB, 4 CB, 13 GR, 3 RR, 13 AC, 34 AR, 19 UK, 15 CN, 17 AU, 8 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 4.0 radio, -- video, 84.05 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: Perhaps nothing on the album sounds more like a Phil Collins’ solo song than this ballad, cut from the same cloth as “Against All Odds,” “One More Night,” and “Separate Lives.” It showed just how pop-heavy the album was as a whole, though, that the band trotted out four top-ten hits before finally releasing this one.

Anything She Does Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music/lyrics), Phil Collins (music), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: Invisible Touch (1986) First Charted: 6/28/1986 Peak: 40 AR, 23 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.14 streaming About the Song: While this song did dent the album rock charts soon after the Invisible Touch album was released, it was never released as a single. That seems a shame – it had a poppy nature that suggested it could have been the sixth top-ten hit from the album. It also showed that Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins weren’t the only lyricists in the band with a taste for commercial appeal as Tony Banks took up the pen for this one.

In the Glow of the Night (Domino, Part 1) Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music/lyrics), Phil Collins (music), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: B-side of “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” (1/29/1987), Invisible Touch (1986), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) Peak: 14 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.43 streaming

The Last Domino (Domino, Part 2) Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music/lyrics), Phil Collins (music), Mike Rutherford (music) Released: B-side of “Invisible Touch” (5/19/1986), Invisible Touch (1986), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) First Charted: 6/21/1986 Peak: 29 AR, 21 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.43 streaming

Throwing It All Away Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks (music), Phil Collins (music), Mike Rutherford (music/lyrics) Released: single (U.S., August 1986; UK, 6/8/1987), Invisible Touch (1986), Turn It on Again – The Hits (compilation, 1999), Platinum Collection (compilation, 2004), Turn It on Again – The Hits (Tour Edition) (compilation, 2007), The Last Domino? (compilation, 2021) B-side: “Do the Neurotic” (US), “I’d Rather Be You” (UK) Peak: 4 BB, 2 BA, 3 CB, 12 GR, 11 RR, 12 AC, 13 AR, 22 UK, 12 CN, 91 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 58.76 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “Throwing It All Away” was the second single from the Invisible Touch album in the U.S. It followed the power ballad template that had given Phil Collins such massive success as a solo artist – but the lyrics weren’t by him. Instead, it was Mike Rutherford who crafted the words, giving him his first taste of top-ten success with Genesis as a lyricist.

The Brazilian Genesis

Writer(s): Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford Released: Invisible Touch (1986) Peak: 18 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.09 streaming About the Song: The album’s only instrumental was actually the first release from the Invisible Touch album, but not as a single. Just weeks before Invisible Touch was released, “The Brazilian” appeared on the soundtrack for the animated disaster film When the Wind Blows directed by Teruaki “Jimmy” Murakami.

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine JP Jon Pareles, Blender magazine (10/07). Pages 118-9. WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/18/2008; last updated 9/15/2025.