LIVE OVER EUROPE 2007

This album came pretty much out of nowhere and grabbed my attention for the better half of 2008! Even though I've been looking to the reunion announcement ever since I began listening to Genesis, the 2007 tour titled Turn It On Again: The Tour sounded too much like a pension money fund for the lads and so I never bothered to learn more about it.

It's safe to say that I completely regret this turn of events and that I didn't take that trip to Helsinki when I had the chance. The tour turned out to be quite an extraordinary event and the live DVD When In Rome documented it quite well. Still it was Live Over Europe 2007 that overshadowed that whole experience for me, so much in fact that I now consider it to be my third favorite Genesis live album after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway from Archive - Volume 1: 1967-1975 and Seconds Out. I did mention my fondness for the 1980-live release called As Good As Gold, which portrays Genesis right around the release of Duke, but my preference has now started to tip towards this 2007 album instead.

So what is it that makes this album so great, you might ask? Well, the set-list pretty much speaks for itself. Not only did the band create a solid set that featured music from nearly every part of their career but we also see a clear nod at their progressive past. Gone are the short crowd pleasers like Misunderstanding and Jesus He Knows Me. What we get instead are classic medleys like the one pretty early on featuring In The Cage/Cinema Show/Duke/Afterglow. Many of the longer pieces from the band's later years have also made their presence during the show where both Home By The Sea and Domino completely overshadow their studio counterparts in terms of timing and passionate arrangements.

There has been some criticism regarding Phil's vocal arrangements that aren't sung in the same key as they once were, but this was something that was needed to be pointed out to me before I actually realized the difference. I don't really mind it that much even after the discovery. It was also nice to hear Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson in the lineup since they've been an important part of a Genesis live show for all these years and clearly haven't lost their touch over the years.

The only really unnecessary moment featured on the entire album is the 7 minute long drum solo that just doesn't make much sense without the visual companion. Other than that, this is an excellent piece of Genesis live history that can and should be acknowledged by both the fans and any new arrivals. I'm still regretting that I've missed out on this tour so you can be sure that I'll be first in line if the band will ever decide to do another performance!

***** star songs: No Son Of Mine (6:57) Land Of Confusion (5:11) In The Cage/Cinema Show/Duke (13:30) Afterglow (4:28) Home By The Sea (11:59) Ripples (7:58)

**** star songs: Duke's Intro (3:49) Turn It On Again (4:26) Hold On My Heart (5:58) Follow You, Follow Me (4:19) Firth Of Fifth (Excerpt) (4:40) Mama (6:57) Los Endos (6:25) Tonight Tonight Tonight (Excerpt) (3:49) Carpet Crawlers (6:00) Domino (11:34)

*** star songs: I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) (6:45) Throwing It All Away (6:01) Invisible Touch (5:35) I Can't Dance (6:12)

** star songs: Conversation With Two Sticks (6:49)