LIVE - THE WAY WE WALK VOLUME TWO - THE LONGS

'The Way We Walk Volume Two - The Longs,' as the title suggests, sees Genesis performing their longer pieces of music live. In fact, outside of the six minute drum duet at the end, every track is over ten minutes long. I would argue that the second volume is superior to the first solely because of the song selection. Critics may say that just because a song is ten minutes or longer doesn't necessarily make it prog, and while that may be true for some of the songs on this live album, the music is still good and is more consistent than the music found on the first volume.

The live album opens with the near twenty-minute "Old Medley," which consists of parts of "Dance On a Volcano," "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," "The Musical Box," "Firth of Fifth," and "I Know What I Like." Overall, it's quite good except for when the band inject "Illegal Alien" into "I Know What I Like," which I find to be unpleasant. In that same section of the medley, "Stagnation," as usual, makes an appearance in the music, which is beautiful. I would've much preferred it if the band played "Supper's Ready" in its entirety rather than hearing a medley of the same duration. Nevertheless, I will take any bit of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis that I can get in a Genesis live performance, as it is certainly better than anything from the first volume. "Driving the Last Spike" is almost identical to the original in how the band perform it live. "Domino" is more punchy in a live context, and I might actually enjoy it more than the studio version.

"Fading Lights" is one of my favorite Genesis songs, and hearing it played live is very enjoyable. "Home By the Sea / Second Home By the Sea," like "Domino," has even more energy when played live. "Drum Duet" oddly closes the live album and it doesn't do much for me, though it is impressive that Phil and Chester can play those rhythms together in synchrony.

In conclusion, 'The Way We Walk Volume Two - The Longs' is good, but non-essential. When I listen to a live album, as the listener, I want to feel like I am at a concert. This album is incomplete and doesn't make me feel immersed in that environment, hence the three star rating. 6/10