God! Where do I start from? This is probably the best piece of live music I've ever
heard (together with the band's previous live album) and definitely one of the 4 or 5
albums that I would give 6 stars, if I could.
Well, this album has this certain overall sound that makes you feel that all of the songs
in here come from he same album. The versions are quite loyal to the originals but, at
the same time, they have a unique sound that makes them "feel at home" in Seconds
Out, sounding different from the studio versions. This unique overall sound (clean
keyboard sounds, echoed organ, potent bass, stunning drum work, and sort of
background guitars), which I'll call "The Magic of Seconds Out".
1-Squonk: The album starts quietly; you can hardly hear a sound, until Chester
Thompson does the counting with his drum-sticks and BOOM, it starts off. Great guitar
sounds, well played bass lines, nice keyboard sounds, and Phil's vocals are in really
good shape. I also like the sound produced by the guitars when mixed with this sort
of "echoed" organ.
2-The Carpet Crawlers: The previous song ends with a lot of power and flows quietly
into this one. As the audience finishes clapping, Tony Banks enters with stunning
mellow electric piano, then augmented with Steve's guitar on the background. The
vocals enter softly, sounding totally different from Peter's, and, later the snare drum.
The song builds up and up, until it reaches its peak, and softly ends. Perfect!
3-Robbery, Assault and Battery: The concert continues to flow nicely with the synth riff
of this great piece from "A Trick of the Tail". Phil plays the different characters changing
his voice, while Mike does some great bass job and Steve plays his guitar parts, really
well. During the keyboard solo (which is awesome), Phil jumps back to the drums
providing some excellent playing. I really like the part where Tony plays the Hammond.
This is a great experimental keyboard solo.
4-Afterglow: Excellent version of this great track by Mr. Banks. Wonderful organ and
guitars, breathtaking mellotron. Phil sings his soul out here, again. Awesome drum duet
in the end. This version is very similar to the original, but it's even better. The ending
will take your soul away.
5-Firth of Fifth: Now, this version is very different to Peter's version. The vocals sound
more peaceful, the sound is not as aggressive as the original. We haven't got the piano
intro here, but it's still great. The virtuoso solos by Tony Banks and Steve Hackett are
present and extremely well executed, not to mention the stunning drumming. Mike
plays both guitar and bass with his double-necked.
6-I Know what I like: Wow, here's some "Magic of Seconds Out". It's nothing to do with
the original and it has this overall sound like all the other tracks, so it feels as if they all
came from the same album, as I mentioned above. Just listen, it's a lot longer than the
studio version, and Phil's way of singing it is absolutely different. Oh, pay special
attention to the syths and the stunning bass lines.
7-The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: Great version, almost the same as the original,
except for the vocals, of course. Really good version, maybe even better than the
1974 version.
8-Musical Box (closing Section): You may ask yourselves: "Why would I want to hear
just the closing section?" Well, the effect it produces is wonderful. "The Lamb" ends
with nice guitar arpeggios which flow seamlessly into the last part of this epic track, to
close the first half of the show. If you want the complete version, you've got it
on "Nursery Cryme" and "Genesis Live". This is a whole different point. It's like a brief
ending to the first disc. The guitar solo is done with a lot of passion, as well as the
singing. Oh, very loud ending, typical of great live shows!
9-Supper's Ready: Disc two starts off with the ENTIRE version of Genesis's magnum
opus. Wow! Incredible version. For the ones who think Phil would fail singing this epic,
listen to this and you'll most likely find out that you're wrong. Banks, Rutherford and
Hackett come in playing guitars, as Phil's voice gently sings the "lover's leap" section.
His voice sounds more peaceful than the original and it hasn't got that high-pitched
second voice on the background. Tony's electric piano solo sounds very clean and clear
and it gets mixed with the guitars perfectly. Very loudly played "Guaranteed eternal
sanctuary man" section. Well, everything here is perfect. Every note in its right place,
all played with energy and soul. I'd like to remark the transition from "How dare I be so
beautiful" to "Willow Farm" and the whole "Apocalypse in 9/8". The part where the
demonic mellotron and guitars get mixed sounds really scary, and the Hammond organ
solo is just perfect! This guy is awesome, man! The drum work there is also stunning, as
well as the backing guitars, augmented by strong bass pedals. The ending is colossal!
Steve's solo is top-notch! This is, actually, the first version I've ever heard of this song
(even before the original). Just plain perfection!
10-Cinema Show: This is the only recording taken from the "Trick of the Tail" tour, with
Bill Bruford on drums. Sang with soul, played gently, just great. The awesome part is
the instrumental half, with those virtuosic keyboards, and drums. This part is better
than the original, played with a lot more energy.
11-Dance on a Volcano: I remember this was one of my favorite Genesis tracks, when I
started getting into the band. The performance is, again, stunning and there's a 1-
minute drum duet in the end. It's good to have this, because Chester and Phil would do
that on every tour since then.
12-Los Endos: Performed awesomely, with the virtuoso keyboard, guitar, bass and
drum playing. God, these guys were all virtuosos! Loud, really loud ending for this
awesome show!
Well, this is not actually all the same show, but it really feels like it. The set-list is really
well arranged and the flow from one song to another creates the atmosphere for a
perfect live show. Just listen and enjoy one of the best live pieces of music ever!
N-man |5/5 |
MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).