Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by Genesis and was recorded and released in 1971. It is also the first album to feature the five-piece line-up of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and Steve Hackett; the latter two replacing John Mayhew and Anthony Phillips, on drums and guitar respectively, in 1970 and 1971. This line-up remained consistent until A Trick of the Tail, when Phil Collins became lead singer instead of Peter Gabriel after his departure from the band in 1975.

Although not a success upon release in their homeland, Nursery Cryme became an unexpected hit in Italy, reaching number 4 in the LP charts – spurring on Genesis' European success—with the album eventually reaching No.39 in the UK charts for one week in May 1974, and the re-issue reached No.68 for one week in March 1984.

The album also marked the beginning of a steady, cohesive line-up for Genesis.

Like Trespass, the preceding Genesis album, Nursery Cryme was recorded at London's famous Trident Studios. Trident was one of only a handful of British studios to have 16-track equipment, which was state of the art for the time.