There's a few other covers of That's All out there. One is sort of bluegrass. Another is old-timey jazz, with baritone and clarinet.
I don't know who the a capella guy is. Yes, it is all the same person (wearing "disguises" to look like different people).
I agree that cover versions are most interesting when they bring something different to the song. I am impressed by the many musicians out there who can faithfully recreate the song. They have great skill and musicianship. But I mostly want to hear covers that take the song somewhere new.
I like this country version of That's All by Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Union Station:
This acoustic version of I Can't Dance sounds quite good, even if the video is a little silly:
This a capella version of Throwing It All Away is pretty good:
I quite like this song. The first part is intimate, a bit playful. The second part is almost majestic. I haven't got a clue what it is about.
I quite like the live versions, including the one on Plays Live and the more recent version on the Back to Front tour. By Plays Live, his voice was richer and the second half benefitted particularly.
For a light bit of silliness, I find this song quite enjoyable. The main riff is catchy, Tony has fun with percussion sounds, and the lyric is nicely self-effacing. However this is one of the few Genesis songs that I prefer the studio version over the live version. The studio version is quite tight sound-wise and the humour isn't overplayed. Live it becomes lumbering musically and the humour is pushed too hard, so it stops being funny.
There was an older thread on this somewhere...
Sarah McLachlan has highlighted The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway as an influence repeatedly.
Jeff Buckley covered Back In NYC.
I'm not sure that Tony was thinking about the end of Genesis when he wrote the lyrics to this song, although I can appreciate why we can all interpret the lyrics that way.
Although the vocal part of the song is lovely, serene and poignant, the part that really energizes me is the instrumental section. I don't think it is a throwback to older instrumentals. Instead it is the modern (at the time) version of what a Genesis instrumental could be. It is far more straightforward than the instrumentals of the early to mid 70s - no weird time signatures, fairly simple chord progressions. And yet it has all the melodicism and majesty that marks the best of Genesis. Phil's drumming is exceptional, especially in the live versions.
I love the atmosphere and the doubling of the vocal line with the lower octave. Moody and mesmerizing for me.
Los Endos is a track that sounds like it came out of jamming on the themes from several different songs. The first part is based on It's Yourself. There's a snippet of Dance on a Volcano in the middle. And then end section is basically Squonk. So I'm not sure It's Yourself was supposed to be joined to Los Endos any more than the other two songs were. But perhaps someone else with more knowledge of the origins of these tracks can correct me on this.
This is one of my favourite songs by Phil. I like the fact that the lyrics are a bit enigmatic and open to interpretation. My interpretation is that it might be from the perspective of someone with dementia in a long-term care facility. Many people with dementia don't have a memory and understanding of their current circumstances. They feel confused about why they are being kept in an unfamiliar place and simply want to go home. They often believe they are in an earlier period of their lives, when their spouse was alive, when they were still working (hence the discontinuity between verse 3 and the earlier verses).
Musically, I love the drone and repetitive rhythm mixed with some simple chords.
And for Peter, well his most important instrument has always been his voice. Hasn't it
If we are including voice as an instrument, which is fair, I would say that Peter's just got better and better. His peak was after he left Genesis, but during Genesis it would have to be on The Lamb - he could be poignant and heartbreaking (Chamber of 32 Doors) and also powerful and aggressive (Back in NYC).
Phil probably hit his peak in terms of range and power around the Mama album. However, he had maybe even more warmth and depth by We Can't Dance. I found him overly harsh on IT, so that wouldn't be the peak for me.
Since Ray only did one album and tour, there really is no choice in picking a favourite.
I think this idea has kind of been covered before, maybe in the individual member threads. But it might be nice to discuss it all together.
Each Genesis member has gone through different eras of instruments they used (and the associated set-ups). For each member, which ones are your favourites? For me it is the following:
Peter - not really something I can comment on as he really only had the flute and some assorted percussion.
Phil - although his Lamb kit had great variety and I loved the high toms on the 3SL tour, I think my favourite kit and sound he achieved was on the We Can't Dance album and subsequent tour. The toms were great and he had a fabulous snare sound.
Mike - from the bass standpoint, I'm a sucker for his Rickenbacker days. For 12-string, I really like the Rickenbacker sound on the We Can't Dance tour. For 6-string I have not been a fan of his sound much overall, so perhaps the Duke era would be the best.
Tony - this is tough as I prefer his Hammond and mellotron from the earlier days and I really like the Quadra from later (I'm don't think these overlapped). So perhaps I will go with the ATTW3 tour, where he had the Hammond, the mellotron, and a Pro Soloist I think.
Steve - also a bit of a toss up. He is definitely the best on the Les Paul, but then I both really like the raunch of the Genesis Live era and the pure tone and sustain of SEBtP era.
I can't comment at all on Ant or others, so perhaps some of you will.
I am a unclear what you mean by "world wide famous music band". Many of the ones you list are not at all well known in countries around the world. For example, Biffy Clyro has really only had a presence in the UK and hasn't registered much at all in North America. The Courteneers, Doves, and Editors have had also some presence in Europe in addition to the UK, but that hardly counts as "world wide famous".
AC/DC and Coldplay in your list are the only ones that are closer to Genesis at their peak popularity. I agree with Backdrifter that U2 and The Rolling Stones would be also examples. There are many others that have the same stature that are either disbanded or largely just touring based on their history like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. The Who, The Eagles, etc. In terms of bands that have wide popularity that are still very active artistically, there are relatively few: Radiohead, The Foo Fighters. However, this is really the era of single artists being "world wide famous": Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, etc.
I love this song overall, moody and poignant. The original album version is a bit bombastic and over-the-top (Bob Ezrin is the producer and I keep thinking of the more heavy-handed moments on Pink Floyd's The Wall). I prefer the more stark version on Fripp's Exposure, although Fripp's guitar additions don't really enhance the song. The later piano-only versions are lovely, but Peter doesn't sing the original melody for the choruses, opting for a lower range melody that doesn't work as well. His voice is richer in this later versions, but I wish he would stick with the original melody. Somewhere in-between were the live versions on the So tour with the original melody, but these versions were unfortunately abbreviated.
There is a nice piano-only version on a Kate Bush special from the late 70s that you can find on YouTube.
Duchess has always been a favourite for the reasons people above have mentioned. The atmospheric multilayered sections magical and an interesting contrast to the fairly straightforward verse and chorus sections, which tell a poignant story. I like both the studio and live versions and don't care about Phil changing the lyrics a bit.
To address some other points, Entangled live has 3 parts. Other songs that they played in the 3-man era that had a fair bit of back-up vocals include Carpet Crawlers, I Know What I Like, Illegal Alien, and Driving the Last Spike.
[Above] Ah, a hippie classic. They sound a bit like The Moody Blues on this one, at least to me.
Although the studio version is great, I particularly love the live version he did with Sting at Live Aid.
Tomorrow in Toronto. He's playing all the hits as expected, but there's a couple of chestnuts I am looking forward to.
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Elton John was great last night. Although his voice has lowered (since the 80s), it was in fine shape otherwise. There were plenty of jams for him to stretch out on the piano. You can tell he is 71 when he is walking around on stage, but not when you are listening. Pretty much all the greatest hits were covered, but my favourite performances were on the less-than-greatest-hits. Nigel and Davey are still doing a great job, and Ray Cooper remains a fantastically engaging percussionist. If you are a fan of his music, I would encourage you seeing this tour.
Tomorrow in Toronto. He's playing all the hits as expected, but there's a couple of chestnuts I am looking forward to.
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I would give it around 12 points. I have never cared much for the lyrics/story, which I found a bit too cute-sy. Musically I like the straightforwardness and aggression of the main verses and choruses. A bit weaker are the link back to the chorus ("Mirror mirror on the wall..."), the bridge ("All and all you are a very dying race..."), and the outro, all of which seem a bit insipid in contrast. There are few studio versions that I prefer over the live versions, but I do prefer the studio version as the sound is much crisper and more powerful.
I am always fascinated with any behind-the-scenes music documentaries. I like learning more about the processes that go into the final result. I like seeing the band struggle with remembering how to play things, their camaraderie and banter, the planning behind an elaborate stage show.
