GENESIS LIVE

I've listened to several interviews with the members of Genesis, and a recurring topic of discussion is how much better the band sounded live than in the studio. (I believe it's Tony Banks who usually makes that claim.) I make it no secret (not that anyone asks) that the three "Paul Whitehead albums" are my favorite among Genesis' corpus. Seeing as this live album is a collection of songs from that period, I thought it worth my time to check out. Fittingly the album has Paul Whitehead's last logo for the band, as these songs are all taken from the albums with his covers. The images on the front and back very nicely present the uniqueness of early Genesis. The scene on the front shows Gabriel in his Magog outfit while the rest of the band are hunched over their instruments. I always found it a bit strange that the cover highlights a moment from "Supper's Ready" when that didn't make it on here. The back cover features closeups of all the band, but Gabriel is shown multiple times, the centerpiece being his famous batwing headpiece. (I can see why there was some resentment from the rest of the band about his theatrics overshadowing their playing) But the main reason I bring up the packaging is because much like Nursery Cryme did and the Lamb will, this album includes a short story. It's very surreal and has nothing to do with the songs or images on the cover and I love it. The urban setting and tone definitely show where the band would be heading in a year's time. I like how it's presented as if it's a report of some kind. It really gives this album the mystique present in their best works, like something not of this world that found its way into ours. I really wish Gabriel had continued his writing.

The track listing is a very good selection of early Genesis classics, but then it really is hard to go wrong. If someone were unfamiliar with the band, and was for some reason too intimidated to go through full albums, this would be a good place to start. We start with the iconic "Watcher of the Skies". The famous mellotron intro is about the same as the one on the album, but I think the "morse-code-rhythm" is better pronounced here. I think Mike and Phil have the most to gain from being heard live. Next is "Get 'Em Out By Friday", which for some reason doesn't sound as good as the rest of the album. Still Peter's voices are fun and he goes a little more over the top than on the studio version. The opening to "Hogweed" is given a little more power than in the studio, and Steve adds some nice guitar flourishes. I will note that whatever keyboard Tony is using doesn't give the song that same horror vibe as the piano on the original, and Peter's vocal effects are missed. But the ending is more explosive than ever. After an unaccompanied bass pedal solo from Mike, we get my favorite Genesis song, "The Musical Box". It lacks the darkness and intensity of the original, but is still an interesting alternative. Steve's guitar lets out a monstrous groan as the heavy part starts. I think Tony stands out more here than he did in the studio. I also like Phil's drummer at the end, which is probably the only part more intense than the original. Finally, we get to the one everyone's been waiting for, "The Knife". No offense to Anthony Phillips or John Mayhew, but Phil and Steve really take this one to the next level! This heavier style is more suited to them. I don't think I've ever heard the band play this hectically! Once again Peter's vocal effects are missed, but the playing more than makes up for. Overall, this was an interesting look into one of my favorite bands and a good guide for newcomers. The quality of the recording isn't the best (apparently the band hated it because of that) but it's never so bad it's distracting. For the most part I prefer the studio versions, but I can certainly see where Tony was coming from. Well worth a listen, and "The Knife" is good enough to replace the original on your playlists. Definitely watch footage of their performances as well!

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