SECONDS OUT

I'm still tracking down the Genesis Archive Vol. 1 set that has the full performance of The Lamb... and Supper's Ready, but until then I have to be content with Genesis Live and this record, Seconds Out, which has a good array of songs but recorded with Phil Collins at the front of the band. Phil Collins is a strong vocalist, and the band did have some moments of real strength after Gabriel left, but there are some moments here where he is REALLY missed, where the band's arty-performance sensibility live that is somewhat inherent to Gabriel-era live recordings, and definitely missing with Collins' renditions, though Collins' voice is technically stronger and more consistent than Gabriel's. I'm sure every true Genesis fan has had this debate with themselves before, so I'll spare the rest of it. Needless to say, I prefer Genesis Live! an emphatic amount more than this album.

The band is fairly spot-on in most moments, giving the original album renditions justice, for the most part, despite certain omissions. Hackett and Rutherford are both flawless on this whole set, and the drumming, whether by Chester Thompson (touring drummer), or a combination of Phil Collins and Thompson, or the guest appearance of Bill Bruford, is spot on, plenty of genuine energy and flourish throughout, a good balance of power and delicacy, as prog rock drumming ought to be. I've said my piece on Collins' vocals; the rendition of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway seems almost painfully soulless compared to the Gabriel original, and the missing theatrics on I Know What I Like and Supper's Ready are obvious in their absence. And while I don't hate Tony Banks, I do think some of his solos are a bit redundant, especially since he recreates most of them note for note, and his choice of synth sound very occasionally grating. And his synths are certainly no match in tone and warmth for Gabriel's reedwork in the album versions, though he has exhaustive energy. Indeed, there are certain songs in which the band clicks with their energetic playing and propels the arrangements, but as this was the first album to cover Supper's Ready, Selling England By The Pound and The Lamb..., the disappointment on so many songs - over half the album's playing time, really weakens this album as a whole.