SECONDS OUT

This is the album that seems to divide a lot of Genesis fans. On one hand, it is a better documentation of live Genesis than "Genesis Live" (which suffers from less than stellar quality and just not enough songs). This live recording shows the band at a transitional phase, still not completely sure which direction the band would go ion.

This album has a few major faults, which have already been pointed out by the other reviwers. For the most part, the good qualities outweigh the bad, but this still doesn't quite reach the qualities that make an essential purchase.

When this album is great, it's very great. The Trick Of The Trail songs are played magnificently. Collins vocals are spot on, and Chester Thompson is a very worthy replacement on the drums. Two other tracks that stand out are performances of Gabriel-era songs "I Know What I Like" and "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". Vocally, Phil takes these songs and makes them his own, and in many ways, he outdoes Peter's performances. This is especially true with "I Know What I Like", which easily sounds like it would have fit comfortably on "A Trick Of The Tail" or "Wind & Wuthering".

"Supper's Ready" is the most controversial inclusion. Phil's vocals work in some parts, mostly in the beginning. Phil gives a more soulful performance during the parts where a less melodramatic voice is needed. But once it gets to Willow Farm, things start to go wrong. Phil really can't pull this part off like Peter could. He sounds like a parody of Gabriel, overexagerrating the voice changes that flowed so well when Peter sang them. His voice also fails to impress on "Apocolypse in 9/8" and "As Sure As Eggs In Eggs", where Gabriel's dramatic voice really feels needed.

The other songs on the album are kind of bland and forgettable, esepcially "The Musical Box" and "Firth Of Fifth", which are uncomfortably abridged. "Afterglow", the only track from Wind and Wuthering, just kind of floats by unnoticed.

However, the albums finalie, "The Cinema Show" and "Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos" are a fantastic ending to the show. Both feature an excellent drum duet. It's hard to tell which drummer is playing what, but it doesn't matter, because both give top notch performances. The inclusion of extra percussion adds a lot more to the Genesis sound, and it would be great to hear more of this is there ever was another reunion.

Overall, this live recording has some great moments, and some dull moments, but is a good collection of live songs that every Genesis fan should hear.