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Agreed - the 5.1 mixes by Nick Davis were really well done. The mastering, on the other hand..... !
If we're talking about the compression issues, I really only hear that in the stereo mixes of the blue box albums. The red box and green box albums didn't suffer to nearly the same degree.
I've not done an A/B listen in years, but at the time I didn't notice much of a difference between the original mix and the 2007 mix of Calling All Stations.
I didn't notice a difference in We Can't Dance either. Both of those albums were recorded and mixed in the same studio by the same guy using the same equipment and being the most recent albums already had (imo) pretty much flawless production the first time around.
I'm assuming we're talking about the stereo mixes. The surround mixes of both were nice and put a little more air and separation into the sound that brought a fresh take to albums that I nearly wore out when they were first released.
Of the four red box albums both Genesis and (especially) Invisible Touch were the most noticeably and dramatically improved.
Mike actually proposed to take Paul Young and Paul Carrack as new Genesis singers, which Tony opposed of because that would have become a Mechanics feat. Tony Banks project.
Tony's not wrong about a Paul AND Paul situation, but I DO think Paul Carrack would have been a good choice to bring in.
Obviously that PC didn't have quite the same level of exposure as the PC he was replacing, but I think Genesis could have benefited from having a singer people would have recognized.
Thanks for posting! It's always fun to see the songs that were short-lived and missed being professionally released!
Hearing that, I'm not surprised at all that was the last time it was performed. That song is quite a workout vocally and Phil was already making a lot of choices designed to make sure he could get through it, but it was still pretty clear even with shortening the song and dropping a few high notes down it was too much for a long tour.
I agree it would be nice if they'd just re-release the previous sets. The Lamb especially had a lot of nice content.
I'd love to see some kind of anniversary release with new content but I'm not sure what more could be done...realistically.
A new remaster of the original stereo mix?
Am I remembering correctly that a different (and complete) live show multitrack was discovered since the Archive 1 release? My only hope there is that the band would deem any live versions good enough to release without feeling the need to re-record things as was done for Archive 1.
The only way to make the band (or record company) understand that there is a market for more releases is to support what they do put out.
For everyone that takes the high road and doesn't purchase a particular item it makes it even less likely that whatever "perfect" release you're holding out for will actually be considered.
I also recall how many people loudly let everyone know how they passed on the 2007 boxed sets for similar "not perfect enough" reasons. I guess they're the ones now paying four or five times the original price for them because they didn't, for whatever reason, get them back when they were $50...I have no doubt this BBC box will have a similar trajectory.
One thing I will ask is what does 2nd Home By The Sea sound like to anyone else. Specifically during Mike's guitar solo. Can't make my mind up if the CD is glitching, if there is a glitch on the recording or there was glitching as Mike performed the solo?
Gave it a listen, and I hear what you're hearing.
It sounds to me like Phil is either trying out some fills he usually doesn't play or (more likely) his electronic kit is mis-triggering in a couple spots, making some hits sound out of time.
The lengthy introductions to songs was always something I found strange. They could have played another track (or two) instead indeed!
Something a lot of folks don't realize is that those bits of banter give everyone a minute or two to catch their breath, take a sip, and get ready for the next song. Those little gaps are a necessary part of managing stamina and endurance to play through a show like theirs.
I have mixed feelings about all of this. On the one hand, sure, I've absolutely enjoyed the heck out of seeing this old footage. Living Forever is one I was especially surprised didn't make the final setlist on the Dance Tour. The whole song seemed custom made to be played live, right down to the short break between vocals before the drums came in. Being able to finally see and hear that they did intend to play it live is incredible.
The bigger chunk of 1992 rehearsal footage was also interesting to see as well. But none of this seems (to me at least) to be material worthy of an official release or paying for it.
So when it comes down to it, I'm fine with these bits being unofficial bootlegs. I fully understand why Phil, Mike, and Tony don't want to put an official stamp on this kind of stuff. The fact that it isn't immediately getting pulled off of You Tube means that there is at the very least an intentional blind eye from the band allowing it to stay up. Which seems like the best of both worlds to me.
I do feel like someone connected to the band is watching activity on YouTube... The current weekly releases of songs from Phil's No Ticket Required and now the Serious Tour means someone has been tasked with increasing their online profile. It may point to nothing, but it also may be how they will gauge how much interest there is in Phil/Genesis and guide what/if something moves closer to becoming an official product.
I really think that in spite of what we, as fans, may think are viable products for release that the metric that the band and/or record company follow is significantly different.
There are also VERY different reasons at play for what does and doesn't get released. It is VERY clear that the band really has absolutely no desire to release anything for the sake of completeness. It either meets their definition of quality or it doesn't get released, and with at least three or four members having veto power we've seen a lot of things get the axe or seemingly never be considered.
But the final arbiter really is the record company. They are the ones paying for the work and expect to see a profit on any release, and the budget set might not even quite match the amount of material the band is willing to release. That is exactly the situation with the '07-'09 boxed sets, where the white and black boxes had significantly smaller budgets because the the blue/red/green boxes had underperforming sales.
That's why I'm a little frustrated by some of the comments I've read here about the upcoming BBC box set, how many are going to skip it entirely because it doesn't quite live up to their "throw the archive doors wide open" expectations.
The way I see it is (1) many fans don't have the same exhaustive collection of bootlegs, and that official set is still a significant release, in spite of the number of "would be nice" songs that aren't in it. And (2) EVERY chance of more Genesis releases is based on how well the last Genesis release sold. So every "huge fan" that doesn't buy an official release is directly affecting how large the budget is for the next release, or even deciding if there is a next release.
Now there is a new owner of the publishing rights for the whole catalog they might be more motivated to try more releases to try to make that investment earn them some money, but I'm afraid if the more "fan friendly" releases (of which I'd put the BBC box firmly in) don't do well, we are a lot more likely to see just re-release and re-packaging of the same studio albums over and over again and fewer (if any) odd bits from the archives.
Great write up and it's nice to see what we're getting in context with what there is available.
To one point:
QuoteWhy they didn't just make a decent box set with all available recordings and complete shows remains a mystery.
I'm certain the answer comes down to the budget for the project and the desired price point. Even though it's far from complete, five discs is still a lot of content. I'm sure the record company also sees $60 as a tipping point. That price and volume of content will appeal to a wider array of buyers. I'm sure they're correct to believe that if they had pushed the price up to $100 and included 8 or 10 discs the sales would have seen a sharp drop.
Very cool!
It's impressive just how clear their live sound was given the circumstances of that filming. I'm also impressed just how good Phil sounds too.
Come on, you could at least relearn to play the drums left handed. It's the little things that make all the difference.
But Seriously (apologies), nice one mate. I have a Roland Kit and I have nothing but respect for anyone who plays drums.
I have been playing guitar for decades, I have more expensive guitars than is sensible for someone of my talent. But if I could play one instrument REALLY well I would choose the drums.
Thanks!
Though since I'm the Chester of the band I'm totally fine playing right handed, I'll mention it to our singer he might want to flip things around as soon as he can... 
So since creating this thread I've joind a Phil Collins tribute band, and I'm performing the Chester Thompson part of the band. We played a show last month and I got a few pics of the kit and the stage to share. 
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Thanks for looking!
Invisible Touch for me. I was aware of Genesis from around the time of the Mama album, and was one of the 17 million people that bought No Jacket Required in 1985. I was eagerly awaiting the new Genesis album when it was released.
Like any playlist/setlist, there's bound to be some quibbles, but I'm a little surprised to see less obvious choices in a couple places. Like Dancing With The Moonlit Knight instead of I Know What I Like or Back In NYC instead of Carpet Crawlers or Hold On My Heart instead of No Son Of Mine, but I think they chose a good selection of songs that represent shifts in their sound as opposed to simply following the hit singles or the usual "best of" tracks.
They might mean the Peter Gabriel version of "really soon"!
Yikes! I hope not!
When I first listened to We Can't Dance I instantly thought this song was destined for being played live. I was surprised it never was so it's really nice to finally hear it live, if only 30 years late.
