Record Collector reviews box set

UK magazine Record Collector has given the 1970-1975 box set a magnificent 5 star review!

A flower? The whole florists!

The Genesis reissue project has been, on the whole, faultless (unless you’re a fan of Calling All Stations, that is). Here is the crowning glory, their first five Charisma albums, aka the Peter Gabriel ones, remastered in 5.1 with celebrity sleevenotes and all the bells and whistles imaginable in a big beautiful green box.

Let’s look first at what we know. Although the maypole dance-mosh of The Knife continues to overshadow the rest of Trespass, it is full of naïve, pastoral charm. The ambition of Nursery Cryme (with new members Steve Hackett and Phil Collins replacing Ant Phillips and John Mayhew) isn’t found on the well-known key tracks. For that look at the overlooked cuts, such as Seven Stones and its soulful, mournful edge.

From the drone of Tony Banks’ mellotron and the nagging insistency of Mike Rutherford’s bass on Watcher Of The Skies, Foxtrot ushered in a new Genesis. Obviously, the rather large elephant in the album’s corner – the side-long Supper’s Ready – is still the greatest single piece of music this line-up recorded. Read more »

Chapter & Verse (US Softcover Edition)

A Fan’s Review

The last Genesis book that I read from front to back was in 1992 when Genesis – A Biography, by Dave Bowler and Bryan Dray was published, so a reading on the band was much overdue!

But I must admit to being slightly skeptical and apprehensive when I first heard the initial reports on this book, especially hearing that it was not written like a chronological biography/autobiography, and that in fact it was a series of anecdotes from numerous interviews with the band. However I was proved otherwise after I finished reading page 360…

Being a little miffed as to why the US edition was not hardcover was put out of my mind when I first received the book - being very surprised as I was expecting a small paperback non-fiction novella, not this wonderfully bound soft back book with pictures, old and new, encompassing at least every other page of text. Photos are not one thing that this book lacks.

The editor, Philip Dodd is no stranger to music biographies and the like, having written and edited books on the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, amongst numerous others. Considering that the book’s contents were taken from separate interviews with band members and personnel between 2005 and 2007, his editing is superb in making sure each of the band’s quotes are pieced together to give the reader some kind of continuing history. I like the way he has injected some humor (on several occasions) into the book also.

Phil: Tony claims to this day that I didn’t play them ‘In The Air Tonight’, because he reckons that they’d have chosen it if they’d heard it, but I know I played them everything.

Tony: Phil didn’t play us ‘In The Air Tonight’, because if he had and we’d rejected it I’d be very pissed off. I don’t think he’d written it at the point, that’s why.

Mike: No one can remember whether we heard ‘In The Air Tonight’. I’d like to think that I had heard it, I would have remembered.

This book, rather than being a complete history of the band reads more like a collection of memories or memoirs that is sad, strange, interesting and funny. That being said, this being the first official biography from the band on their 40^th anniversary, you can sense that they are all proud of their history by how much they have managed to remember from their past and what is printed in this book. And with all their solo successes, I am glad that not much of that is mentioned here, only what is necessary. That would take several other biographies in some cases!

My only minor complaints would be that the photos in some cases have been reversed, especially live ones from the early 80s, and not enough pages are devoted to the period after Abacab album. That might be because the interviewees might not remember too much about their recent past!! Unfortunately this seems to be a problem with most published biographies on the band - they skirt over their most commercial period. But, it is nice to have lots of photos that have been donated by the band, which have never been seen before.

Being as their history and success can be attributed to numerous ex-band members and personnel, I would have liked it if the book was not credited to Messrs Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett and Rutherford, but rather have been left off.

Overall though, a very enjoyable read, and one that I would read again.

Read more »

Turn It On Again - The Tour Edition

TURN IT ON AGAIN - The Hits: The Tour Edition, released on September 11th 2007 features more than two and a half hours of classic Genesis reflecting the band’s evolution from its prog-rock roots to its later pop triumphs. The double-disc set draws mainly from the supergroup’s most successful incarnation, which featured Collins on lead vocals. The collection opens with the hit song that gives this collection its name and includes the US#1 Billboard pop smash “Invisible Touch” and the Top 5 hits “In Too Deep,” “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight,” “Land Of Confusion,” and “Throwing It All Away.” Also featured are fan favorites “No Reply At All,” “Misunderstanding,” “Paperlate,” “Abacab,” “A Trick Of The Tail” and “Follow You Follow Me.”

The collection revisits early Genesis with several selections featuring founding member Peter Gabriel: “The Knife (Part 1)” from Trespass (1970), “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” from Selling England By The Pound (1973), “Counting Out Time” from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974), plus “Happy The Man” a rare single from 1972. In addition, the set includes the 1999 remix of 1974’s “The Carpet Crawlers,” featuring both Collins and Gabriel on lead vocals.

Longtime Genesis producer Nick Davis has newly remixed all but one of the tracks (Carpet Crawlers ‘99) on this new compilation, released now for the first time in the US, having recently only been available in Europe.

To celebrate the release of this album, I have 4 copies to give away, graciously donated by Rhino Records (with thanks to Matthew).

However, this competition is only open to US residents, and the closing date for entries is Friday, September 21st 2007.

Winners will be picked at random from all correct entries received.

Good Luck!!