Fawcett / Poustie had seen 1993 end triumphantly with the release of the tremendous album “Feed The Monkey”.
The album was released in November packaged in a classic sleeve boasting magnificent pictures taken by Lawton Green on the beach at Boracay. The cover photo, which is now regarded as a classic vintage F/P picture shows Nick and Chris standing bare-foot in the blue Boracay seas sporting rock star poses and resplendent in fancy rock’n’roll regalia.
Personally the boys had regarded “Monkey” as a brilliant achievement. Both Nick and Chris had excelled as musicians, writers and performers and considered the album the first truly representative F/P release. They regarded the album on a par with any of the releases of their heroes an achievement unimaginable just a couple of years earlier when the had released the debut “We Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
The year ended in further celebration with the Christmas release of “Genius Part 1” ; the first Fawcett / Poustie compilation album spanning the first 3 studio albums and the Stocking Filler EP.
‘Genius’ demonstrated the incredible achievements Fawcett / Poustie had made in the space of just 3 years. From the opening “Makes Me Grow” through to the closing “Purple Orchids” every song was a classic and together the album was an incredible souvenir of the first 3 albums.
The packaging of “Genius” like “Monkey” and indeed “Magic” was of the highest standard. The cover shot, taken at Chris’ Manila home, shows a classic F/P pose where Nick is decked out in shades and cowboy hat whilst strumming the legendary Boracay acoustic. Behind the interposed main picture are two rare shots taken from the “Monkey” and “Magic” photo shoots cleverly merged into each other so that the Manila seas appear to blend into the seas surrounding the Giants Causeway in Ulster.
Included in the inner sleeve are classic individual pictures of Nick and Chris taken at a Boracay beach bar. Chris is posing next to a loaded shelf of bottles whilst Nick is seemingly striking a billiard ball into the camera’s lens.
Genius was the icing on the cake of a splendid and victorious year. It ended the first chapter of Fawcett / Poustie genius and opened the door to the next.