THREE SIDES LIVE

This live album rarely troubles my hi fi system. It is the least of all Genesis live albums with only a few moments that lift it to a superior level. All of these moments are classic Genesis tracks and of course they are masterfully played as usual; namely In The Cage / Cinema Show / Slippermen medley that runs for a glorious 11:52 and shows what the band are still capable of. Afterglow is as good as ever along with seminal Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding. The tracks from Duke are excellent such as Behind the Lines and Duchess, though I prefer the studio releases.

Ironically enough the live album follows hot on the heels of their appalling "Abacab" album, but the band managed to salvage the best tracks from that release and they are way better live, much more punchier and interesting overall. Follow You Follow Me is a crowd pleaser and is okay on a live set. The other pop songs in the first half I could have done without.

The fourth side on my version is not live but a bunch of throwaway studio material that I listened to a couple of times before getting bored. I noted the newer CD version features a total concert and is far superior do that reason. Unfortunately this is not the version I am reviewing so I will stick to 2 stars for the excellent live material.