Posts by OneForTheVine

    Were there any proper B sides for this album, and if not, was it the only Genesis album without any?


    Feel like I should know this but I don't.

    The only studio leftover was “A Call To Arms”, which Mike subsequently used on the first Mike & the Mechanics album. Details here (look in the “Background and recording” section) :


    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik…he_Mechanics_(1985_album)


    There were no studio b-sides; however, there was a lovely live version of “Firth Of Fifth” on the 12” single for “That’s All”.

    Glad you enjoyed our show! I like rugby shirts, too, so tried to find one that was similar to the ones Tony wore in that early 80s era. Also figured that if seemingly-staid Tony Banks donned a snorkel for "Whodunnit?" then I should give it a go as an homage for any die-hard fans... 10 seconds into the song the lens fogged up terribly, making it rather difficult to see my notes! 🤓 Looking forward to our reprise on the 27th!

    Well, I definitely appreciated the attention to detail - thank you for enduring the fogging issue. ^^


    Well, I never got around to the longer review, did I? Let's change that.


    OK, for those who were curious (and for those seeing them in Milton, DE in a few weeks), some further details. Do they play the entirety of both "Duke" and "Abacab" albums? YES! 8) Do they play the songs in album order? YES! 8) How many players are on stage? Glad you asked - there are 7...UNLESS the horn sections shows up...then there are 11. :thumbup:This makes their attention to detail even more evident. I'll explain.


    Did you ever not fully enjoy a section of a live version of a song because they play a section differently from how they did on the studio version? There are two such sections for me from the "Abacab" album when certain songs were played live back in the day: one section during the song "Abacab" itself, and another during "Keep It Dark". In "Abacab", Phil uses maracas live during the "It's an illusion - it's a game..." part of the song. Of course, in the studio, this section has a repeated "di-di-di-di" part. I always preferred the studio version here. Well, apparently, The Rock Orchestra felt the same way because dodo /Tony played the repeated "di-di-di-di" in this section! No maracas to be found! (Now, I don't blame Genesis using the maracas in this section back in the day; it would have been difficult to reproduce that sound live without its being pre-recorded.) They also kept a superior-sounding studio section instead of playing the altered way live in "Keep It Dark". Phil plays a winding-clicky-thing (apologies for the technical jargon - sometimes it can't be helped) before singing the words "keep it dark" in live performance. TRO kept the original percussion section that features on the studio version - again, I prefer the studio version sound here too. It was really nice to hear the original sounds for these two sections in these two songs. I wasn't expecting that to happen, but it showed how much effort they took in listening to and working on recreating the original sounds in concert.


    For those seeing them in Milton, know this: before performing in Wilmington, they only had 8 rehearsals! :huh: I don't know if they will have another one or two before Milton (dodo will have to tell us), but, if not, fear not - they sounded amazing! It wasn't completely trouble-free either (just like an old Genesis show, really - I guess that's another instance of their attention to detail ;)). For example, when the "Lurker" speaks to us in the song of the same name, the singer set up the part perfectly: "...and this is what it said to me..." We waited briefly in anticipation for the Lurker to speak through "Tony's" keyboard, and...he didn't speak!;( Ever the pro, dodo calmly reconnected the cord that had fallen out before he could play Lurker-speak, the band kept playing in a holding pattern, and then the Lurker spoke proudly as we were accustomed to hearing! I always love watching/hearing musicians work through a unexpected difficulty; TRO did it wonderfully!


    Was there an encore? Hmmm...should I keep it a secret? :/ NO! ^^ Yes, there was one. So, if you are seeing them in Milton, you might hear a song whose title is a single word plucked from the lyrics of DWTMK. AND, if you are especially well-behaved, you might even hear a medley of songs featuring a cage, the cinema, some men who are slippery, and some glowing after. (No, it's not naughty, despite its sounding like it could be. ^^)


    A great show! I almost wish they would figure out a way to perform it a third time - if they did, I'd go again.


    Well, a short review now before bed (it’s late).


    This is definitely a show worth catching! I’m very glad I went. I heard excellent live versions of songs I had never heard live before.

    I wondered in the “Your Next Gig” thread if “Tony” would have the snorkel mask on during “Who Dunnit?” Well, you/he did! 🤿 You even had a regulation Tony Banks early-80s striped rugby shirt on - that’s true attention to detail! 👍 (I loved those shirts back then, and it always made me happy that he wore them too.)


    More later after some rest. In short, great job last night and good luck with the Milton show! 🍀

    Please post a review of the concert! I will be seeing them later this month in Milton, Delaware performing the same show :)

    I’ll do it under his original post. 😎


    The short version - GREAT show! You are in for a good evening of excellent music! 👍

    Tonight, I am seeing The Rock Orchestra play the “Duke” and “Abacab“ albums (at least in part, if not in whole) in Wilmington, DE.


    The talented dodo from our message board here will be the “Tony Banks” of the band. 🎹 Rumor has it that he will also be performing interpretative dance during “Who Dunnit?” (but perhaps I just made up that possibility). Will he at least wear the snorkel mask that Tony once wore? 🤿 I will have to let you know later….

    Thanks for your review! I actually think that Steve is a MUCH better guitar player now (over the past 10-15 years) than he was when playing with Genesis. If you listen to old Genesis recordings (certainly in the Gabriel days), there were a number of flubs (try finding the Firth of Fifth solo played flawlessly on any show from the SEBTP tour - good luck). His tone now is incredible and his playing is super confident. I'd sort of expect this with 50+ years of playing but as you point out, not everyone ages so well. Happy that we can still all enjoy his playing. Thanks again.

    Thank you for saying that. I was hedging my bets by saying he plays “as well” as he always has. I completely agree with you that he plays better now, i.e., recent past up to now. I’m currently reading his autobiography, and I think that he always had some confidence issues during the entire Gabriel-era (as well as equipment issues). He didn’t really become the master axe-wielder that we all love in concert until the four-man era (and, if you are really picky, you could even say not until the W&W tour).


    In any case, yes, I love that he has kept - and even improved upon - his chops. I think the general excellence of his band must help in that regard. You would definitely feel some urgency to keep your end up in such a band. Fortunately, he does just that!

    I was hoping that you would post your review before I wrote mine so that I could find out for certain what the difference between the two shows was for this tour. The specific "Seconds Out & More" shows have this setlist:


    Set 1:

    Clocks - The Angel of Mons

    Held in the Shadows

    Every Day

    The Devil's Cathedral

    Shadow of the Hierophant (closing instrumental section)


    Set 2 (Seconds Out):

    Squonk

    The Carpet Crawlers

    Robbery, Assault & Battery

    Afterglow

    Firth of Fifth

    I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

    The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

    The Musical Box (final verse only)

    Supper's Ready

    The Cinema Show

    Aisle of Plenty


    Encore:

    Dance on a Volcano

    Drum Solo

    Los Endos / Slogans (solo song) / Los Endos



    Since my show last night was a makeup date from a show originally scheduled two years ago, what I saw (and what others will see if they are seeing one of the makeup shows) was:

    Set 1 (Seconds Out)

    Squonk

    The Carpet Crawlers

    Robbery, Assault & Battery

    Afterglow

    The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

    The Musical Box (final verse only)

    Supper's Ready


    Set 2 (SEBTP)

    Dancing With The Moonlit Knight

    I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

    Firth Of Fifth

    More Fool Me

    The Battle Of Epping Forest

    After The Ordeal

    The Cinema Show

    Aisle Of Plenty


    Encore:

    Dance on a Volcano

    Drum Solo

    Los Endos / Slogans (solo song) / Los Endos


    So, for those seeing future shows, if you are seeing a makeup show, there is no solo set. Of course, this is to keep the two shows equitable time-wise.


    Last night's (i.e., Friday's) show was spectacular (as Steve's shows tend to be)! It was sold out, so the venue was extra loud. This venue always holds the sound well, but even more so when it's sold out. (Coincidentally, the only other sellout I saw here (i.e., The Scottish Rite Auditorium) was Steve's show back in 2018.)


    A few things to point out from the show:

    Instrumentally, they were about as flawless as they could be. They were definitely "on" tonight, as I suspect that they are virtually, if not actually, every night. They all deserve special mention for different parts of the show; however, I really have to give special praise overall to Nad. I always liked the way he sang the Gabriel-era songs - his doing those songs well is almost certainly why Steve gave him the gig in the first place in 2013. However, IMHO, he never quite did equal justice to the Collins-era material on previous tours. Things definitely changed last night - I genuinely enjoyed his singing on "Afterglow", "Robbery, Assault & Battery", on all the Collins-era songs. I have never been able to say that before. Nad was really great for the entire show.


    Roger King was an impeccable "Tony" yet again (he always is). He wore a t-shirt with a Ukranian flag, and he had an extra sticker of the flag on one of his keyboards. It was a nice, subtle touch. Jonas was his customary excellent "Mike" again. He was very active on stage, even joining Craig Blundell on his drum riser for part of one song - that got a nice smiling response for the drummer. That is something I really like about Steve's band overall - there is absolutely no doubt that they are enjoying performing these shows. They just exude it on stage. Rob Townsend (the woodwind specialist who contributes sometimes on keyboards and some percussion as well) is kind of the "secret weapon" of the band. He plays Peter's flute contributions, of course, however he also adds wonderful instrumental color with a variety of instruments in many songs. He even plays some sections of songs that were originally played on keyboards on his array of woodwinds. He really shines on the extended instrumental jam they play at the end of IKWIL. It's really great - and I also am amused at the irony that, were they a Genesis tribute band without Steve's being there with them, they would probably be verbally crucified for it. ^^ I'm glad that Steve allows extra bits to be played on some songs - they work.


    I was sad when I originally heard that Gary O'Toole had to stop touring with Steve's band a few years back. He drummed excellently and contributed very well on vocals too. I thought he would be very hard to replace. Well, Steve did very well in selecting someone to succeed him by getting Craig Blundell. This is the second tour I have seen him on, and he is just jaw-droppingly good. On the last tour, he pulled off a one-handed drum solo on one song that, had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have sworn from hearing the notes could only be played with two hands. Well, I swear he played it for even longer this time. The drum solo at the end of the show sounds virtually impossible to play, but he easily has the skill to execute it. It's hard avoiding watching him play for extended parts of the show; the temptation is just too great.


    ...and then there's the star of the show. How does Steve play as well as he has always played at age 72? He does, he just does. All of his excellent guitar parts from the past were played to perfection, and his new bits are just as impressive. The standout moment for me from him was at the end of "Supper's Ready". He played an amazing extended guitar ending, just as if the original song always had one. And they he played it as if the song had been originally composed and performed on Venus - it simply had this "otherworldly" sound to it. Just amazing. Their break between sets happened right after this song, and they had trouble leaving the stage because the ovation was so overwhelmingly rapturous.


    Well, as you can tell, it was just a fantastic show. My "show-appreciation muscles" were all sore the next day - when you haven't seen a show for a while, you can forget that constantly standing up, cheering loudly for hours, and clapping loudly and incessantly can make you quite achy the next day! ^^ I'm also happy that I know the entire crowd felt the same joyful soreness the next day as I did. I'm already looking forward to his next tour, whether it's the "Foxtrot at 50" one or whatever he decides to do after that. He already knows we will all be there again - and we will. 8)

    It'll most likely be 1) above. I can't see 2) happening because of the travel and tax headaches for just a handful of shows. I can't imagine them not playing the Philly area especially since one of the members is married to a girl from Upper Darby lol (yes, I have a bit of inside info :)

    My intuition tells me the same thing (even without the inside info 😄). The only way the second option would occur is if they were adding even more US shows around those Quebec City shows. I hope we find out this week, but I really thought we would already know by now… 🤷‍♂️

    Further info on prospective Keswick dates…


    The Keswick already has shows scheduled on the 11th and 14th of June - so that June 10-16 gap between the Illinois and NYC shows is now trickier to navigate. This might be why the Keswick shows were not announced up front.


    A set of shows on the 13th and 14th would have been perfect, but the latter date is now unavailable. So, what seems likely to happen is a somewhat awkward 12th/13th pairing (awkward because it’s a Sunday/Monday pairing). They could also try to schedule the shows after the 19th (which is the finale of this leg of the tour in Tarrytown, NY). So, for those wishing to see this tour at the Keswick, those seem to be the most likely windows.

    I guess we’ll find out for sure later this week or next week.

    OK - another update...


    They have now added a date in Cleveland on the 12th of June. So, that pretty much takes away the time frame in between the 10th and 16th for putting on two shows at The Keswick (since the 14th is already taken by another show at the venue - I can't see them shoehorning in shows on the 13th and 15th when they are playing NYC on the 16th and 17th).


    So, at the moment, these are the most likely windows for Keswick shows:


    1) the 20th/21st of June (both available at the venue - it would just mean extending the tour beyond the Tarrytown, NY show)


    2) just before/after their two shows in Quebec City in September.


    3) some indeterminate dates in between ^^


    So, we're still waiting for official info.


    In the meantime, I have decided to see TMB perform "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" on Broadway. If this is the last time there are doing it in full, why not see it there? So, I'm going to the Palladium on the 16th. Of course, I'll still catch a show at the Keswick, whenever tickets go on sale (someday)...

    Midwestdrums , thank you very much for reminding me that I have these 5.1 mixes as well! ^^ See, since I strongly prefer the original CD version (over both the Definitive Edition Remaster and the 2007 remaster) of "Duke" for my personal listening, I sometimes forget that I do have a very good multichannel version of it, both on SACD and DVD. I will make time to listen to the SACD version as soon as I can manage it and see if I can hear Phil in it. (I'm sensing I'll hear him better there.)

    I have now managed to listen again to "Man Of Our Times" (and the rest of "Duke") in 5.1. I'm glad that I did that; it's always revelatory.


    OK - for the lines I quoted in my original post at the top, I have discovered something - there are two voices singing those lines. I now agree with everyone else that Phil is singing the lead vocal on these lines; however, I'm still thinking that the backing vocal for these lines is very likely one of Dave Hentschel's contributions.


    I wonder of Mr. Hentschel did backing vocals with other acts he produced. "Duke" was the only album with Genesis where he is credited with assisting on vocals, so I can't compare with those other albums he did with the band. A quick scan on the Wikipedia page doesn't offer any suggestion of vocals with others. I guess I'll have to pull out some Elton John and Renaissance albums to see if he did any with them...

    Does anyone know if this fantastic bunch of chaps have given up the ghost? I think they went on the time-honoured hiatus after the Lamb tour but it’s gone on a bit. If you’ve gone never to return thanks for all the memories but if there is any chance of making some new ones.... I thought their musicianship and humour made for a great night out and would love to see them again.

    When I was still living in England, I saw them at the Robin 2 in Bilston - this would have been 2013 (give or take a year). I agree with you that they were a great tribute band - I loved the show that I saw.


    (Now, you have me wondering if MAMA are still around. I know the singer (John Wilkinson) used to post here. Anyway, I saw two shows of theirs as well, and they were great too.)

    I haven't read the whole book yet - so far just focused on the Duke & Abacab chapters as part of my research for my current TRO project! I did pick up on some info that I had not read/heard/seen elsewhere in print or online, so it's been good for those purposes. I can't say yet whether the other eras have new gems to be unearthed...

    I will wait for your analysis then. The fact that it has excerpts from Rockline interviews does make it more appealing. I listened to those often back in the day and, as you quoted, sometimes information comes out during them that is difficult to find anywhere else.

    I recently picked up "The Songs of Genesis: A Complete Guide to the Studio Recordings" by Steve Aldous. He cites a Rockline interview where Phil said: "Before I got to know Earth, Wind & Fire and we wanted to get the horn sound on BEHIND THE LINES and TURN IT ON AGAIN, the only way to do it was for me to trigger a vocoder and a synthesizer, and I was fooling around with a duck call, which I played into a microphone, that went through a synthesizer, from the synthesizer to the vocoder. it ended up sounding like a horn section when it wasn't , so we called it the duck." The book says it was Tony's CS-80 synth.


    I think the first point we hear the "duck" are the brass "stabs" in the 2nd verse of BEHIND THE LINES (around 3:30).

    You know, I was going to post a thread on the forum about this very book to see if was worth picking up. I wanted to get people's opinions about it before dropping the hefty sum to get a copy myself (it's about $50 on Amazon...as you now know ^^ I admire your bravery.)


    So, in your humble opinion, is this a book worth picking up? (Yes, I can reallocate funds if it is worth it for a Genesis fan to have, in your opinion.)