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ALBUM
REVIEWS
GENESIS
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ALBUM
RATING SYSTEM |
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***** |
An
excellent album. Strong effort from beginning to end! A must own! |
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**** |
A
very good album. A few low points but, overall, a decent effort.
Recommended. |
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*** |
A
good album. Several weak points detract from the album, but it's still
worth owning. |
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** |
A
mediocre album. Unless you're a real fan, you might not like this album
very much. |
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* |
A
poor album. Stay away from this one unless you are a hardcore fan! |
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Genesis - From Genesis To
Revelation (1968) |
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WOG RATING: **
Honestly, before I heard the versions of some of these song on the first Archive
box set without the cheesy late-60s trite strings tossed into the mix, I thought
this album was fairly awful. It is nothing like any other Genesis album,
sounding at times like really bad early Bee Gees music (which the band openly
admits that they attempted to mimic to continue to attract the passing interest
of their then producer, Jonathan King, who was partial to the Bee Gees at the
time). Granted, the guys were still in their teens, so I guess you have to take
that into consideration.
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The versions of these songs (and the demos that weren't) that appeared on the
first Archive set are, for the most part, much better. The evolutionary
step between the first album and Trespass makes much more sense on the Archive
versions. A few gems on From Genesis To Revelation like "One Eyed
Hound" and "Where The Sour Turns To Sweet" offer distant glimpses into what
was to come, but for the most part, Revelation is probably worth avoiding
unless you are a serious fan of the band. You should also note that so many
different record companies have released this album in an attempt to
cash in on Genesis' popularity, and that literally dozens of versions of
this album
exist under various names, album artwork and slightly varied track
listings. |
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Genesis - Trespass
(1970)
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WOG
RATING: ****
A landmark album, Trespass became the band's first foray into progressive rock.
Replacing Jonathan King as producer, whether by choice or not, was a great move.
New producer John Anthony seems to have taken the band in the direction that
they wanted to be in. Genesis' second album was a far cry from the sappy debut
effort. Filled with angst, energy and passion, Trespass was fueled by
tracks like "The Knife", "Stagnation" and "Looking For
Someone," and ensured that the group's musical direction was clear. Trespass
would remain one of the band's heaviest and darkest albums of their career.
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Genesis - Nursery Cryme (1971) |
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WOG
RATING: *****
Another landmark effort, Nursery Cryme saw the addition of Phil Collins
on drums and Steve Hackett on guitar. It would be this line-up that would
fortify the early success of Genesis and remain intact for another four years.
Once again produced by John Anthony, Cryme picked up where Trespass
left off. In typical progressive rock fashion, the album was lyrically saturated
with fantasy-based lyrics and long, epic musical pieces broken only at times
with short awkward yet catchy tunes.
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The musicianship on the album was extremely
solid as demonstrated on songs like "Fountain of Salmacis,"
"Return of The Giant Hogweed" and the early concert staple, "The
Musical Box." Despite a few weak moments, Nursery Cryme was an
excellent album for its day, and an essential piece of Genesis' history.
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Genesis - Foxtrot (1972) |
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WOG RATING: ****
Although considered by many to be one of the best of Genesis' early works, I
found Foxtrot very hit or miss. Outstanding tracks like the opus
"Supper's Ready" and another early concert staple, "Watcher of
The Skies" showed signed of the band's continual musical evolvement. Still,
despite its achievements, Foxtrot, as an album, is not without flaws.
"Can-Utility and The Coastliners" for example, which seemed like a big
step backwards for the band in terms of songwriting and style, was clearly a
low-point on the album and the most forgettable tune of the project. I can't
decide if this was an attempt at doing something commercial or just a bad judgment
call, but it certainly detracted from the album.
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Genesis - Live (1973) |
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WOG RATING: ****
Originally recorded by the King Biscuit Flower Hour for radio broadcast, Live
offers a decent retrospective of the group and of their live shows of that era.
Although some songs from the performance are excluded from the show, like
"Supper's Ready" (which did finally manage to surface 25 years later
on the first Archive box in 1998), the recording is excellent. Also
omitted is all of the colorful commentary and banter by Peter Gabriel between
each tune, which, perhaps, is not so surprising. All in all, a great album! I
especially enjoyed the live versions of "The Musical Box", "The
Knife" and "Return of The Giant Hogweed."
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Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973) |
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WOG RATING: *****
Along with new co-producer John Burns, Genesis produced what I consider to be
the best overall album from the "Gabriel era" of the band. With songs
like "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" and "Firth or Fifth",
the band continued to develop their progressive rock roots while starting to
explore tunes with a little bit of straight-forward pop appeal with songs like
"More Fool Me" and "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)."
There isn't a bad track on this album, and if you haven't tried any
"Gabriel era" Genesis, I would suggest starting here.
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Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
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WOG
RATING: ****
Again, many fans find The Lamb to be Genesis' best album of the
period and, in some cases, their career. I strongly disagree. The Lamb
was an ambitious project; probably the most ambitious album in the band's history, but it is not the best. As is the case with most double albums, I generally find that if they were
tweaked down to a single disc (be it LP, CD, or whatever), it would have been
outstanding. Sadly, to properly explain the concept of The Lamb, several
extemporaneous songs found their way to the final project. In this case, taking
what could have been an amazing 47 minute album and turning it into a fairly
good 85-ish minute album with several high points.
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As a fan, I'm glad to have
the songs, but let's face it, songs like "The Grand Parade of Lifeless
Packaging" are certainly not among the best moments. At what point
do you sacrifice an album musically for the sake of a storyline? Still, with
tracks like the title cut, "In The Cage", "Carpet Crawlers",
"Back In NYC" and "It" its hard to pass negative judgment on
the album.
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Genesis - Trick of The Tail (1976) |
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WOG RATING: *****
Some people would consider Trick a landmark album, because it was Phil's
first outing as lead singer. I tend to disagree. The material is still very much
uninfluenced by Phil's unique vocal style. Later albums seemed to be more
specific to Collins as a singer, even while still under the moniker of
progressive rock. Still, Trick was an outstanding album. Musically, the band sounds tighter
than ever here, with a passion and energy that seemed lost on most of The
Lamb (which seemed to be more about technical musical perfection and
storytelling).
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The band had something to prove sans Gabriel, and they made their
point well. Tracks like "Dance On A Volcano", "Los Endos"
and "Squonk", clearly demonstrated that Genesis' musical integrity was
stronger than ever. Like any album, it has one or two seriously questionable
tunes (like the title track, for instance), but Trick
is still a decent offering by Genesis.
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Genesis - Wind & Wuthering (1977) |
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WOG RATING: ****
Although Steve Hackett was apparently pretty disgruntled by the time Wind
& Wuthering was finished, you'd never know it by listening to the album.
Wind, in my opinion, showcased some of Hackett's best guitar work with
Genesis. Interestingly, I thought Tony Banks' keyboard playing was also
exceptionally good on this project as well.
Wind & Wuthering, which seems to be a forgotten album by many, got
lost between the shuffle of Trick of The Tail and the band's double live
album, Seconds Out. While still very much progressive rock, further signs
of what lies ahead for the band appeared in songs like "Your Own Special
Way" and "Afterglow."
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What I enjoyed best about this album;
however, are some of the pieces with longer instrumental parts, which were
classic period Genesis. Songs like "...In That Quiet Earth" and
"One For The Vine" being perfect examples of that style. Although the
songs were still lyrically dominated by fantasy, it is here that we start to see
the first real signs of yet another evolution for Genesis. An evolution that
would eventually turn purist prog-rock fans against Genesis, and turn millions
of pop fans on to them.
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Genesis - Seconds Out (1977) |
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WOG RATING: *****
Culled from the 1976 and 1977 tours, Seconds Out offered the band's first
double live album. The musical performances were generally excellent, and the
performance sounds virtually unaltered (not overdubbed in the studio), although
I'm sure that's not the case. Let's not forget the historical significance as
well. The recording features both Genesis touring drummers, Bill Bruford and
Chester Thompson, and of course the departing presence of Steve Hackett from the
fold (who quit during the mixing of Seconds Out).
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For the passive fan, perhaps this release would be questionable, but for true
fans of the group, a double length live album is certainly more than welcome.
Unlike later live collections, Seconds Out was not a "greatest hits
live" package. It was a time capsule of the history of Genesis; something
that more recent live albums have failed to be. Not because they focused on the
popular songs, but because they mainly overlooked the diversity of the band's
catalog. Seconds
Out doesn't do that at all. Instead, we get a reasonably thorough live
retrospective as seen through the eyes and ears of thousands of European concert
goers in darkened venues in the late '70s. In my opinion, it is without
question, the best live collection ever released by the band.
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Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three (1978)
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WOG
RATING: ***
A pivotal album in the group's history, Three bridges the gap between the
Genesis of old and the modern pop, multi-platinum selling juggernaut that sold
out football arenas across the globe throughout the '80s and early '90s. Much of
the material on this album sounds like a cross between Tony Banks and Mike
Rutherford solo projects mixed with a little Genesis influence for good measure.
The result: a hodge-podge collection of decent progressive-pop songs with no
direction whatsoever.
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To me, Three one of the "safest" albums the band has ever done.
It takes very few chances, almost blatantly trying to be Wind & Wuthering
Part II, but at the same time, trying to find its own unique voice. Don't
get me wrong, Three has its share of likable songs, including "Deep
In The Motherlode", "Scenes From A Night's Dream", "Burning
Rope" and so on, but it all seems very similar at times.
What distinguishes Three, and makes it such an important part of the
Genesis mythos is the album's conclusion. Throughout the whole project, we get a
fairly straight-forward atypical Genesis album, and then, the last song begins
and changes everything as we know it. I find it interesting how the catchy pop
ballad "Follow You Follow Me", which is an odd way to end an album in
the first place, ends up at the closing of a very progressive album. More than
in any other instance, this album says 'out with the old, in with the new,' with
"Follow You Follow Me" serving as the death knell for the progressive
days of Genesis. Sure, "Say It's Alright Joe" and "Many Too
Many" appear earlier in the set, but they sound like the ballads of
yesterday's Genesis circa Wind & Wuthering, whereas "Follow You
Follow Me" could have easily fit on Duke or Abacab. ...And
Then There Were Three... is an interesting album to say the least, if only
for its bizarre instantaneous musical metamorphosis!
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Genesis - Duke (1980)
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WOG
RATING: *****
Duke marked the first time that Phil Collins seemed to be a major
influence in the songwriting process for Genesis. While I'm certain he played an
important part in previous albums, Duke introduces us to the drum box
with "Duchess", album production that seems to place more emphasis on
the overall drum sound, and songs like "Please Don't Ask" and
"Misunderstanding" that could have easily fit on an early Phil Collins
solo album (it was after all written during the period of Face Value, his
first solo project). Not to say that Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford weren't an
important part of what made the Duke album a success.
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Duke offered audiences the group's first "radio friendly" pop
album with countless catchy tunes ranging from "Turn It On Again",
"Man of Our Times" and "Behind The Lines" to ballads like
"Alone Tonight" and superb instrumentals like "Duke's
Travels" and "Duke's End." The album was my first exposure to
Genesis (at the tender age of nine), and it left me wanting more. In fact, to
this day, I still rank Duke among my favorite albums of all time.
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Genesis - Abacab (1981)
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WOG RATING: ****
An extension of the Duke album, Abacab took some really
interesting chances. First and foremost, adding the Earth, Wind & Fire horns
on "No Reply At All," making it one of the band's more unique songs.
Abacab also features a number of great Genesis classics including the title
song, "Dodo/Lurker" and "Man On A Corner."
If felt that the group started relying a little too much on the drum box by the
time Abacab surfaced. Particularly, when Phil is a more than capable
drummer in his own right.
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Still, despite a couple of very weak moments, like the
amazingly wretched "Who Dunnit?" (which gets my vote for the worst
Genesis song of all time), its a fairly good album. I'd still like to know who
decided to drop "Paperlate" from the album and use "Who Dunnit?"
instead! What were they thinking?!
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Genesis - Three Sides Live (1982)
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WOG RATING: ****
Depending on where you lived when this album was first released you may or may
not have had three actual sides live. Anyone who buys the album for the first
time now might not realize that the original U.S. version of the album was a
double LP with the fourth side containing studio tracks (including "Me
& Virgil" which you can no longer get on any Genesis album). Most of
the rest of the world got the version that exists today, which is completely
live.
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Don't get me wrong, it's unfortunate that "Me & Virgil" is no
longer made on CD, but having the fourth live side definitely makes the album
better. Without that fourth live side, which features some great vintage
material like "One For The Vine" and "It/Watcher of The
Skies," Three Sides Live would be little more than a live collection
of popular Genesis tunes with no real rarely performed live gems for the fans. Three
Sides is a great live performance all around and the songs are done with a
great deal of raw enthusiasm, but it just seems to lack some of the magic of Seconds
Out.
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Genesis - Genesis (1983)
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WOG RATING: ****
Continuing to gain momentum after the success of Abacab, Genesis'
self-titled album became their most successful album to date. Although the band
has said that they only felt the first side of the album holds up, I thought it
was an amazing offering. In many ways, it was the most diverse Genesis album in
years! It offered dark songs like "Mama"; a comedic, 'tongue-in-cheek'
song with "Illegal Alien"; great straight-ahead pop songs like
"That's All"; rockers like "Just A Job To Do" and "Home
By The Sea"; and delicate ballads like "It's Gonna Get Better."
For Genesis, this is about as varied as it gets!
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Genesis - Invisible Touch (1986)
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WOG RATING:
*****
As far as
creating a well-rounded, commercially acceptable pop album goes, Invisible
Touch was certainly the group's masterpiece hands-down. Spare the
instrumental track ("The Brazilian") and "Domnio", a
longer piece calling back to the Genesis of another time, every song on
the album was released as a single and charted on the music charts (even
"Everything She Does" which was released in Spain!). Song after
song reads like their greatest hits album from the title track (which went
to #1 on the Billboard charts) to top 40 hits "Land of
Confusion", "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "In Too
Deep" and "Throwing It All Away." |
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this point, Genesis could do no wrong as far as mainstream radio was
concerned. To be honest, I thought Touch finally provided the right
mix of Genesis' '80s sound with vague hints of the past evident in moments
of "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and the second half of
"Domino." In retrospect, the album still holds it's own. Even
though over-exposure on the radio and MTV killed this album for me for a
few years, I can now appreciate it again without flinching. |
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Genesis -
We Can't Dance (1991)
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WOG RATING:
****
Once again
riding high on the wave of massive commercial success, Dance became
one of the highest selling Genesis album in the band's history (and still is).
Again, like Invisible Touch, the band seemed to find a sound that
offered a new edge, but still gave glimpses of their past work. On
"Fading Lights" and "Driving The Last Spike" for
example, the influence of their older work is very obvious. Phil Collins
songwriting influence seems almost overpowering against that of Banks and
Rutherford at times, with several tunes sounding like they might have fit better on
Collins' ...But Seriously album than on a Genesis project. |
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more interestingly though are songs like "I Can't Dance" (a very
different sounding tune for Genesis) and "Jesus He Knows Me" which
were both comedic lyrically reminiscent of songs like "Illegal Alien." Catchy
tunes like "No Son of Mine"
also make the album a worth while purchase. Again, "Fading Lights" was
another great track that stands out as a personal favorite on the set, and
would have made an amazing final song for the band to record (even though
I am glad that they did Calling All Stations). All in all, another excellent
offering, and a fine swan song of an album for Phil Collins' days in
Genesis. |
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Genesis -
The Way We Walk: The Shorts/The Longs (1992/93)
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WOG RATING:
***/ ****
In many ways, The
Shorts and it's follow-up release, The Longs, are the blandest
live album(s) in the band's long history. Rather than compile double disc
collection from the We Can't Dance world tour, the band decided to
botch-up the show, dividing the "radio friendly" hits in the
first part, and the longer songs in the second part, which was released
the following year. I suppose the idea was to offer passive fans the
opportunity to get the hits without any of the epic tunes, but since
casual fans tend not to buy live albums, I don't know if that was such a
great marketing idea. What if leaves behind is an ass-backwards mix of the
tour, with what seems to be no regard to track list order or song
flow. |
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In addition,
the album sounds so over-produced and overdubbed that it almost sounds
like studio recordings with a live vocal track! I would have much rather
seen the band release the usual 2-CD live set with the track listing left
in a somewhat similar order to what it was on the tour (and maybe a little
less studio perfection--It is after all supposed to be a live album,
right?). Then again, as a "fan," I suppose my perspective is a
tad jaded. The highlight of the albums is the oldies medley on The
Longs, which to it's credit, is excellent and one of my favorite live
performances by the band.
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know many Genesis fans will find this statement sacrilege, but I find
these live recordings very dull for the most part. Maybe it's just me, but
the recording is either too enhanced by studio alterations, or perhaps
much of the passion of Genesis was missing on these recorded nights? With
a handful of exceptions, it sounds like the band is just going through the
motions for a paycheck. Then again, maybe you just had to be there (at the
concerts), as they say, because I recall the We Can't Dance tour as
being quite entertaining. Either way, I find myself just listening to Three
Sides Live and Seconds Out and wondering what happened on The
Longs and The Shorts. |
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Genesis -
Calling All Stations (1997)
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WOG RATING:
***
When the album was first announced,
the band stated that Stations was going to be "darker" and more reminiscent
of old Genesis. Banks and Rutherford cited that new singer Ray Wilson's
voice was very similar to that of Peter Gabriel, and that the departure of
Phil Collins led to a less pop radio-orientated style of song writing. At
the time, most fans rejoiced at the prospect of a Genesis album in the
vein of an darker ominous album like And Then There Were Three or
maybe even Trespass or Nursery Cryme! Fans from around the
world posted praise for the group's seemingly blatant disregard for
commercial popularity in exchange for a sound that the die-hard fans would
adore and an eagerness to buy the new album. Sadly, neither turned out to
be the case. |
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of all, Calling All Stations is really not a dark album. In
fact, I think Collins era albums like Abacab and Genesis
have much darker moments (with songs like "Dodo", "Keep It
Dark", "Home By The Sea", "Mama" and "Silver Rainbow")
than Stations could ever have. Calling All Stations is much
less commercial than it's recent predecessors, but using the term
"darker" was very misleading. The mislabeling left die-hard fans
feeling disappointed since they had false expectations, and left casual
radio listeners disenchanted with the album's general lack of commercial
appeal. The overall result led to poor sales, a cancelled US tour, and the
eventual decision to stop making new Genesis albums. |
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often say that Phil's departure killed the band, and on a commercially
successful level, that might have some truth. I do, however, think Ray
Wilson was a good choice for the group. Vocally speaking, I thought he did
a great job on the album, but short of bringing Peter Gabriel back, there
was just no way that anyone could have stepped into Phil's shoes and made
this album sell. I really enjoyed several tracks on Stations,
especially the title track, "The Dividing Line", "There
Must Be Some Other Way" and "Not About Us." Unfortunately,
a couple of songs like "Shipwrecked" (which sounded a great deal
like ELO's "Can't Get It Out of My Head") and "Alien
Afternoon" seemed a tad weak for a Genesis album. Other tracks seemed
like they would have fit better on a Tony Banks solo album or a Mechanics'
project. All in all, I enjoyed Stations, but it takes more than a
handful of record sales to make an album go gold or platinum. Hence, the
death of a great band. |
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Genesis -
Turn It On Again: The Hits (1999)
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WOG RATING:
****
This collection was the first truly sanctioned "best of" set of
Genesis' hit singles spanning 24 years of the band's history from 1973's Selling
England By The Pound through 1997's Calling All Stations. Since
the anthology focuses on the hits, its no surprise that the Peter Gabriel
years are virtually neglected with the exception of two tracks, one of
which is newly recorded and is discussed later in this review. Several of
the other tracks from the band's hit machine years of the '80s and early
'90s are the single versions (radio edits), so songs like "Tonight,
Tonight, Tonight" and "Abacab" are much shorter here than
on their original albums. All in all, this does not detract from the set,
especially since the emphasis here is the hits as heard on radio - not on
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highlight of Turn It On Again: The Hits is the inclusion of
"Carpet Crawlers '99", a remake of the classic Genesis tune
featuring the Genesis line-up of Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve
Hackett, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford - their first "new"
studio track together since the recording of the original Lamb Lies
Down on Broadway album in 1974! The limitations of spanning only one
CD force the compilation to be incomplete, but I have to admit that for a
single disc, it features a good number of the band's biggest songs and
makes an ideal introduction to the band's work or a perfect anthology for
the passive Genesis fan whose exposure to Genesis was limited to FM
radio.
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Genesis -
The Platinum Collection (2004/05)
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WOG RATING:
*****
What Genesis' single disc greatest hits, Turn It On Again: The Hits,
accomplishes for passive Genesis fans, this massive 3-CD set, The
Platinum Collection, achieves for the true Genesis enthusiast. Culling
material from 27 years of the band's long history, from 1970's Trespass
through 1997's Calling All Stations, this 40-song retrospective
is as thorough as almost any fan could want. Released in November 2004 in
Europe and September 2005 in North America (hence the dual release date
above), this set encompasses most of Genesis' classic album tracks and
radio hit singles.
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All
tracks featured are the original studio album versions with the exception
of the single edit version of "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight." In
some cases, some tracks have been newly remixed for this collection by
long-time Genesis Engineer/Producer Nick Davis and sound incredible! To be
honest, I've been an avid Genesis fan for more than 25 years, and I find
it difficult to find a bad word to say about this set. Yes, it is missing
a few songs I would have included like "In The Cage",
"Watcher of The Skies", "Deep In The Motherlode",
"Man on The Corner" and "No Reply At All," but the
group's back catalog is so extensive, that there really isn't anything I
would cut from this set to makes those songs fit if I could (with the
possible exception of "Undertow" from And Then There Were
Three). In fact, I think most people who would consider themselves
"fans" would probably ditch most of their old Genesis CDs after
buying this one. It's just that good! It's fairly comprehensive, sounds
great, and is filler-less! This one is a MUST OWN for any serious Genesis
fan! This set gets my highest recommendation.
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Genesis - Turn It On
Again: The Hits - Tour Edition (2007)
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WOG
RATING: ****
This is a remixed, remastered, and expanded double disc collection of the first truly sanctioned "best of" set of
Genesis' hit singles spanning 24 years of the band's history from 1973's Selling
England By The Pound through 1997's Calling All Stations.
Unlike the original 1-CD version of the collection, this special limited
edition version (which boasts a new silver album cover), offers a little
more depth from the catalog with hit songs like "No Reply At All" and "Man
on the Corner" and fan favorites like the non-album cuts "Happy The Man",
the single version of "The Knife" and "Inside & Out" nestled along
side of favorites like "Duchess" and "Many Too Many" now included. Several of
the other tracks from the band's hit machine years of the '80s and early
'90s are the single versions (radio edits), so songs like "Tonight,
Tonight, Tonight" and "Abacab" are much shorter here than
on their original albums. All in all, this does not detract from the set.
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The
highlight of Turn It On Again: The Hits is still the inclusion of
"Carpet Crawlers '99", a remake of the classic Genesis tune
featuring the Genesis line-up of Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve
Hackett, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford - their first "new"
studio track together since the recording of the original Lamb Lies
Down on Broadway album in 1974! Fans might want to grab it for the
edit of "The Knife" but aside from that, there is nothing on this collection
than a fan doesn't already own. Personally, I find this 2-CD expanded set to
be a little unnecessary if you already have the single disc version. If you
find that the single disc edition doesn't satisfy your Genesis fix, I think
that the band's Platinum Collection is a far superior choice.
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Genesis - 14 From Our
Past (2007)
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WOG
RATING: ***
Exclusively in North America, Genesis and Warner Brothers Special Products
licensed a new 14-track collection to the Starbucks coffee chain called
14 From Our Past. As the title suggests, the collection includes one
track from each studio album the band recorded from 1970's Trespass
through 1997's Calling All Stations. The only exception to the 'one
track per album' theme is the inclusion of "Happy The Man" which is a
Nursery Cryme period b-side which serves as the token track from that
album.
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Collectors will note that the collection does include some single edits (as
opposed to using all album versions) and the version of "Happy The Man" is a
different mix than the one used on the Turn It On Again: The
Hits - Tour Edition which was also released in 2007. On this
compilation, you'll notice that the flute part to "Happy The Man" is
mysteriously missing, but its very clear on the Tour Edition CD. This
set was also the only place to get the newly remixed stereo version of
"Watcher of The Skies" until the 1970-75 Genesis box is released in
the fall of 2008, which sounds absolutely amazing!
The packaging includes a cardboard digipack with a unique album cover and
detailed liner notes about each track with some rarely seen pictures of the
band in an attractive quality paper insert booklet. Its a very unique item
and as its a licensed product will probably become scarce quickly, but it
offers very little to the fan who has all the albums. Unless you are a
completist or finds the idea of getting the alternate mix of "Happy The Man"
appealing, I would probably pass on this release. Its a different concept,
but its not going to provide the kind of retrospective that most people will
be looking for from a Genesis collection. There are no plans to release this
album outside North America. |
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Genesis - 1976-1982 (BOX
SET) (2007)
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WOG RATING:
*****
The 1976-1982 box set was the first of three box sets on the band
with newly remixed stereo and 5.1 surround sound for the albums Trick of
the Tail, Wind and Wuthering, And Then There Were Three,
Duke and Abacab (courtesy of long-time Genesis Producer Nick
Davis) plus period b-sides (also newly remixed) and, if that was not enough,
a bonus DVD with new interviews about each album, period music videos, and
rare video footage - some of which has never been commercially available
before! I won't go into a review of each album since that is listed above,
but in addition to some amazing surround sound mixes that bring new life to
old favorites, some of the video highlights in this box include the much
sought after In Concert 1976 footage which has not been available on
video in any form since the early 90s, live footage from the 1980 Duke Tour
(which was previously only available in bootleg form), a 1978 documentary on
the band's 1978 World Tour, and much more. In short, this set is nothing
short of a treasure trove of Genesis goodies, sure to please any fan of the
band.
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The booklet is absolutely beautiful and comes on heavy stock paper. All
around, this is an amazing set! Of course, there are those who have made
comments about the fidelity of this release. Personally, I like the new
surround mixes, but some people have argued that the increased volume and
new mixes don't satisfy them since they are very slightly different from the
original mixes on the older CD pressings and LPs of yesteryear. I, myself,
don't put much stock in these criticisms. I think it's safe to say that I am
a fairly devoted fan, and I absolutely love this set. For that matter, it
only wets my appetite for the next two sets; the next of which surfaces in
September 2007 spanning the years 1983-1998. If you are a true fan, you'll
appreciate 1976-1982 whether it be for the video footage, the sound
of the new mixes or other goodies. If you are among the minority that will
moan over remixing the original studio tracks, I'd still recommend buying
this box and keeping your old discs so that you can revisit the original
mixes if you so desire. Either way, no Genesis fan should be without this
box! |
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Genesis - 1983-1998 (BOX
SET) (2007)
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WOG
RATING: ****
The second Genesis box set of remixed and remastered stereo and 5.1
surround sound titles spans the popular 1983 to 1998 era of the band
including the albums Genesis, Invisible Touch, We Can't
Dance, and Calling All Stations. The format of the box replicates
the original 1976-1982 set, with the European/Japanese issues
packaged in SACD + DVD double disc sets and the North American issues packaged as CD +
DVD double disc sets. The box also includes a bonus 2-disc set of period b-sides for a
total of ten discs. Perhaps most disappointing about this
box is that a number of period b-sides are omitted, especially from
Calling All Stations, with tracks like "Nowhere Else To Turn",
"Banjo Man", "Papa He Said", "Phret", and "7/8" missing despite the fact
that there was plenty of space left unused on the bonus material portion of
the package. |
In terms of the mixes, I particularly enjoyed most of the surround mixes,
but there are a couple of newly remixed tracks, which I did not enjoy as
much as the originals. The overall improvements still certainly make it
worth the price of admission, but there were a couple of disappointing
moments.
The bonus video content was also a welcomed feature, with my personal
favorites being never-before-seen rehearsal footage from the Mama Tour (of
course, the actual Mama Tour DVD still has not seen the light of
day); the behind the scenes documentary called No Admittance, which
chronicles the making of the final studio album with Phil Collins, We
Can't Dance; and the making of footage from the "Land of Confusion"
music video. Fans should note that the original North American pressing also
has "hidden" bonus video content on the Calling All Stations DVD not
available on the other pressings from Europe or Japan. As a hint, if you
watch the electronic press kit and just let it keep playing, it will see an
unedited video press kit; rare live footage of part of "Congo"; "There Must
Be Some Other Way" live (different than the version included on the normal box
set); the band's acoustic set at Cape Canaveral, Florida; their press
conference and tour of the NASA space station in Florida, and more!
Like the 1976-1982 box set, the booklet is absolutely beautiful and
comes on heavy stock paper. The liner notes include some interesting insight
from the band's long-time video producer Jim Yukich, who certainly
demonstrates his disinterest in the Calling All Stations album with
fervor. As with the prior set, the quality of the video footage
is not always perfect, but I still appreciate that the material is
commercially available to the fans (in many cases for the first time). Over all, I think any Genesis fan will
find this set a worth while collection. I do think this box could have been
vastly better had they added the missing studio b-sides, included the
"Carpet Crawlers '99" remake to encompass the group's entire studio catalog
(instead of ending the collection one year shy of the full studio history),
and had included a few missing video gems that I know are available in
pristine condition, like the making of the "I Can't Dance" music video,
which was available commercially on video in the days before DVD.
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Genesis - Live Over
Europe (2007)
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WOG
RATING: ****
2007 was a banner year for Genesis fans. Multiple new releases and
reissues combined with the announcement of a reunion tour sparked the
interest of many, and the band's brief comeback tour ended up being one of the
most successful (and reportedly profitable) tours of the year. Live Over
Europe highlights the first leg of that reunion, capturing selections
from every night of the European tour as the title so aptly suggests. The
full set list is included in the album, and the mastering of the project
really sounds quiet impressive. Some fans have argued that the audience is
too low in the mix, but I found the balance to be perfect. Others complain
that the music has been dropped down a notch to suit Phil Collins' aging
voice, but I think the recording sounds fantastic regardless (although that
is a true statement - some songs were detuned slightly). |
As you may already know, the band's set list on the tour was a decent
representation of their career with early favorites like "I Know What I Like
(In Your Wardrobe)", "In The Cage", "Ripples" and "Carpet Crawlers" blended
with radio friendly favorites like "Land of Confusion", "I Can't Dance", and
"Invisible Touch" to name but a few.
The booklet included with the live album is exceptional. Its almost like a
mini tour book, and reviewing the many full color, thick pages brings back a
lot of great memories from the five shows I was able to see on two
continents that year. Whether you made it to the tour or the lofty ticket prices kept
you away, this live set is a wonderful collection and includes all of the
great medleys that are trademarks of any Genesis concert. Whether it be for
nostalgia's sake or for pure enjoyment, I've listened to this set
repeatedly. Highly recommended!
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Genesis - 1970-1975 (BOX
SET) (2008)
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WOG
RATING: *****
The third and final Genesis box set of remixed and remastered stereo and 5.1
surround sound titles spanning the band's studio albums features the cult
favorite 1970 to 1975 era of Genesis
including the albums Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot,
Selling England By The Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
The format of the box replicates the first two sets from 2007, with the European/Japanese issues
packaged in SACD + DVD double disc sets and the North American issues packaged as CD +
DVD double disc sets (with the exception of The Lamb which is a
3-disc package in a special sleeve in all versions of the box set). The box also includes a bonus 2-disc set of period b-sides
and rare recordings for a
total of thirteen discs. It is clear from the first notes of an Earth
shatteringly clear "Looking For Someone" on Trespass through the
resonating ending chorus of "It" on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
that the 1970-1975 box benefited the most out of the three sets from
long time Genesis Producer Nick Davis' remixing. Lost moments, musical
tidbits, and sound effects find new life in these wonderfully restored
masterpieces! |
Although, like the prior to boxes, some so-called 'purists' despise the
concept of remixing from the original multi-track tapes, the end product is
nothing short of stunning. Some 40 years after the band's own genesis, these
recordings are so clean and clear that they sound as if they could have been
recorded yesterday! The hiss is gone, the flatness is gone, and what is left
is almost like a religious experience for any Genesis fan who had been
relegated to the old versions for decades. Overall, the surround and stereo
mixes are a delight, despite one or two moments that seem quite different
from the originals... Even one moment where I cannot be sure, but the vocal
track seems like it may be from an alternate take! Despite this, I find it
extremely difficult to cast any negative comments on an otherwise near
flawless collection.
Of course, if the new mixes and surround sound was wasn't enough, the rare
audio tracks and rare video is certainly worth the price of admission alone.
Without question, the highlight of this box was the inclusion of the
never-before-released "Genesis Plays Jackson" tapes, a series of four mono
demo recordings (available in fake stereo and surround due to the
limitations of the original source tape) made circa 1970 for an ill-fated
BBC documentary on painter Michael Jackson (no, not the 'King of Pop!') as
Genesis transformed from public school boys to true progressive rock
innovators. Elements of these tracks later evolved into other Genesis
classics like "The Musical Box" and "Anyway" among others, making them not
only historically significant but also offering a rare glimpse into the
creation of some of the band's epic pieces in ways they have never been
heard before! Other non-album audio tracks featured include the two studio
b-sides "Happy The Man" and "Twilight Alehouse" along with "The Shepherd", "Pacidy"
and "Let Us Now Make Love" from the band's BBC Nightride sessions in 1970.
Sadly, once again other BBC recordings of songs like "Looking For Someone"
and an early rendition of "The Musical Box" were omitted, leaving them
unofficially available once again (despite having plenty of space left on
the bonus disc).
Among the video gems included are the much sought after and widely
bootlegged 1973 Shepperton Studios performance; a live 1973 performance from
Bataclan, France; The Rock of the '70s performance from Brussels,
Belgium in 1972; a live performance from the Piper Club in Rome, Italy 1972;
a live performance from The Melody in France 1974; combined with the
completely uncirculated original slides from The Lamb Lies Down on
Broadway Tour put in time to the music (!), new, sometimes surprisingly,
candid 2007 interviews with Anthony Phillips, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks,
Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins and more! John Mayhew was
mysteriously not filmed on the interview portion of the DVDs despite playing
drums on Trespass, which was an unfortunate oversight as his role in
the band has obviously been foreshadowed by Phil Collins, who went on to
incredible success not only in Genesis but in his own right as a solo
artist. Of course, more bootleg video exists that is not included here (like
The Lamb tour footage from Bern 1975 for example), but I again find
myself hard-pressed to criticize this collection given all of the treasures
offered within its little green box! In addition to its audio and video
content, the deluxe package includes a beautiful mini hardback booklet
(similar to the prior two editions) with high quality thick paper chock full
of color (and sometimes rarely seen) pictures along with new liner notes by
Genesis' long time friend and former road manager Richard Mcphail, David
Baddiel, Queen's Roger Taylor, Jeremy Clarkson, and Terry Robinson. This box
set is a must own for any fan of Genesis' earliest progressive albums.
Despite any missing "wish list" type inclusions, this collection is nothing
short of an audio-visual wet dream for Genesis fans!
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