Posts by Backdrifter

  • Supper's Ready.

    Quote from DecomposingMan

    I could be remembering wrong, but I recall reading somewhere that the band basically started with "Willow Farm" and wanted to write something big for it to pop up unexpectedly in the middle of.

    Oh. The version I've always read, usually quoting Banks, is that they got started with his university pieces (Lovers and Sanctuary) which carried on developing and led to parts 3 and 4, at which point they were in danger of losing direction and sounding like they were re-treading old ground - Banks was quoted as saying "We thought, this is going to turn into Stagnation if we're not careful". So they decided to avoid that by stopping it dead after the tranquil bit they'd reached and go straight into this slightly daft bit Gabriel already had pre-written. Banks said the rest of the song quickly fell into place after that.


    Your recollection of the starting-with-Willow version is a new one on me. Can you remember where you saw that? I wonder if it's another Hackett revisionist/contrarian thing!

  • The Genesis Trivia Quiz

    Quote from Simon1967

    https://tsort.info/music/6yw5gb.htm


    This link gives a list of albums and best charted history...similar to early list...although the Lamb slightly higher

    That backs up my thought about the top 3, although the sequencing belies the higher sales figure they give for WCD.


    Interesting that once you get past the trio years in pretty much reverse chron order, taking out non-regular studio albums the Lamb is the next highest.


    They've been pretty detailed in listing all live/comps etc but am I missing Archive 2 or is it not there?

  • The Genesis Trivia Quiz

    Quote from thefarmer

    That must be it. The trivia I came across was that CAS was the ninth best selling studio album outselling all the PG era albums bar the lamb and W&W and SO. Also I see it outsold Live over Europe. Quite surprising. (So that would have been my straight forward question but couldn't find the info verify it easily). Surprising how difficult it seems to be to find an up to date list of actual sales . Also surprising to to see where CAS ranks on the sales figures. Didn't do to badly.

    I'm not that surprised about CAS's sales. They remained a key band for Europeans especially, where they've had a very faithful devoted fanbase from early on and a new album and lineup was always going to be an attraction. I think many of us regard the album as a sort of appendix to their career, not especially great and I've even seen people here say they don't regard it as a 'proper' Genesis album. All those views create a sense of it being a poor relation among their work and maybe in that context it can seem surprising it sold fairly well.


    I agree, it's oddly difficult to pin down straightforward sales figures.*


    *EDIT: a footnote on that site explains that websites - including their own! - are not reliable sources of information on global album sales.

  • The Thread Of Complete Randomness

    Here's a thing. As I've said elsewhere, I'm getting our London flat ready for sale. To help this, we brought in a decorator we've used before, who we know does good work. I was chatting with him and it emerged we were at school together! Not just at the same school but the same year. It was only having that conversation that made us each realise we remembered each other.


    Ridiculously, it was as soon as he said he supported QPR that I made the mental connection.

  • Supper's Ready.

    Quote from thewatcher

    One interesting tidbit I remember reading in one of those track-by-track books. The writer noted that the song ends kind of abruptly with the needle up against the edge of the vinyl, as if they were running out of space. Any merit to that? I mean, I think the song was done, but it does kind of cut out maybe a bit suddenly.

    Now you mention it the original fade-out did stop rather suddenly, although it had faded quite low by that point so it wasn't too jarring at normal volume. Whereas the 08 remaster has a more gradual extended fade, including a few seconds of run-out that didn't feature before.


    It makes me wonder how they actually ended the track in the studio - did the different instrument tracks each come to a definite end as per live performances or just peter out? I thought the 86 ending without the volume-down was much better than previous live ones with the 'on-stage fadeout' which always sounded a bit lame to my ears.

  • Supper's Ready.

    Quote from thewatcher

    I also enjoyed reading lucky folks' reminiscence of seeing it live

    You've got me thinking back to it now.


    Not long past 38 years ago... wow. If I remember correctly, Sunday 19 September 1982, Shepton Mallet Showering Pavilion in the English westcountry. My girlfriend, a friend and I had booked for that gig as we got excited when the tour was announced and booked straightaway - we lived in London but no London dates were announced. Subsequently they did 4... We were too young (17) to know about how tour dates were released or about selling on/exchanging tickets.


    This venue turned out to be a concrete shed used for agricultural shows, in a remote field. Getting there and especially getting back was an adventure in itself.


    I recall they came on under dim purple lights and launched into a medley of Volcano, Behind the Lines and Follow You. Then Dodo/Lurker, which gave me my first view of the varilites in action (I hadn't gone on the Abacab tour or seen footage). They'd cleverly not moved the lights yet, just had a few colour changes which was already impressive - it was a different time! But on the "must die-ie-ie" line they lit up, splayed forward - then as one swept inwards and it was absolutely stunning. Of course the effect is now commonplace but at that time seeing an entire bank of rig lights moving in unison was mindblowing. Again, it was smart of them to minimise it - after that they barely moved again (a little in SR) until they all swept in on Collins at centrestage at "Outside the cage..." then went all-over insane during "keep on turning..." (what I gather techs call "panic").


    From Dodo to Abacab, then a pause while PC said "this is one we haven't done in a while" and not just Stuermer and Rutherford, but Banks as well, picked up acoustic 12 strings. Straight away that alerted us to an old 70s number about to be played. I immediately thought Musical Box. This was underlined by Collins's intro, explaining "this one has lots of LOUD BITS" (big cheer) "and... quiet bits" (soft cheer). He did that a few times then shouted "QUIET BITS!" (loud cheer) "aha, caught you out!" Pause, then - "Supper's Ready" - cue wild cheering that went on for what seemed like ages. It was still going on as the song quietly started.


    I've always loved the switch into Sanctuary when it breaks and that was just epic at this gig. In decades of gigs it remains a goosebumps moment. Another strong memory is the stark jagged lighting during Apocalypse, reflecting the rhythm, and at times all the lights briefly being off and how oddly thrilling that was. Then the slow heavy swell of Eggs and at "Jerusalem" the varilites white beams multi-splitting and slowly swirling amid a haze of red and what a beautiful effect it was.


    Then as I said, end, wow, amazing - applause applause - and into Misunderstanding! 😂

  • What TV shows have you been watching ?

    Quote from foxfeeder

    Down the pan! Don't like Paddy or Freddie, but to be honest, and I'm being serious, it's been rubbish since William Woolard left. Incidentally, there used to be an occasional presenter, also a journalist and on other motoring shows, called Mike Rutherford. He was OK, actually.

    William Woollard! I remember him from Tomorrow's World but never having been a Top Gear viewer I don't recall him on that show. I remember that sneery sounding bloke - Quentin Willson? And a woman who I think pre-dated both of them. Whenever I caught a glimpse of it during its Clarkson years I couldn't stomach the sheer blokeyness of it, as well as having an audience behind them, their grinning faces in full view. I can't stand seeing the general public on TV at the best of times.


    During Match of the Day last weekend there was a trailer for Top Gear - I suppose they think it's the same constituency. It was like pure concentrated distilled Essence of Bloke 🤢

  • Football Predictions League 2020 - 21 Week 3

    Quote from thewatcher

    Hats off to Aston Villa though. This season could be wild looking at recent results. Maybe the empty stadia are having a big impact?


    As for MU... 😂😂😂

    I think you're right about the effect of the empty stands. Although that can't fully explain the utter shambles Man U were (plus Spurs played well and capitalised on Utd's incompetence).


    But yes the Villa v Liverpool result was bizarre. Agreed, all credit to Villa.

  • Supper's Ready.

    Quote from MoonlitKnight

    And who can forget the light show during the vocal sections that immediately bracket Apocalypse in 9/8? Phil on the platform with smoke swirling around him, surrounded by brilliant red lights and highlighted by a blinding white light shining straight up on him from below. So shimmering and otherworldly.

    It bugs me there aren't professional videos of 82 or the 86 US/Aus Apocalypse segment.


    Re crowd reactions, aren't they generally more muted in Europe vs USA (with the possible exception of Scotland - many bands including Genesis have said the Scottish crowds were incredible. I've been in standing crowds at other bands' gigs in Scotland and loved it, while also fearing for my life!)