slightly off piste but some xmas humour ...watching School of Rock for the umpteenth time yesterday..laughing when Jack Black hands out the CD in class referencing Rush,Floyd and the keyboard solo on Yes's Roundabout....can just imagine TB choking on his popcorn when he saw that 😂
If you look at the blackboard when they go over "rock history", you will see Genesis prominently featured under the "prog rock" branch lol.
Well not all of them, as Hackett has made clear.
I love I&O and think it's one of the best things they ever did. It does have a different feel compared to the album material but that's one of its strengths in my view. The dynamics of the instrumental are very different from usual Genesis, and it's their oddities that so often appeal to me as is the case with this one. The run-out section when the drums go to half-tempo with Hackett's big ringing discords is wonderful - a great antidote to all the lush swirly Genesis-y stuff on the album. Maybe it's as well it ended up on the EP as it's too good for the album.
Hackett wanted Please Don't Touch on W&W; which they did rehearse. I think that song would have been awesome to include as the rest of the band would have put its touch on it (it would have sounded different from what ended up on Hackett's second solo album). It certainly is/was as strong as Wot Gorilla, for example.
PG won't appear at the final London show.
I'd love it to happen, I'm scheduled to attend that gig and of course I'd love him to appear. But it won't happen.
... then you may be very pleasantly surprised :). I still think that something will happen given that it's the absolute last hurrah. We'll see....or rather, you'll see.
…and I’ll add my thanks as well!
That was a very welcome read. It was perfect to read while “Duchess” is playing in the background (yes, it really is)!
P.S. The bit that made me smile the most was the “merits of ‘Man Of Our Times’” comment.
I’ve always really liked that song, despite many not rating it very well. (I am now listening to this very song - can you tell I’m listening to Duke?)
It's a Rutherford song... typical (Man of Our Times. Listen to Moonshine on Smallcreep's Day. Heck, it's even a "descendant" of Squonk to my ears. Heavy chords, Taurus pedals... it has Rutherford written all over it
Me too. Actually, I even understand why they left out Inside and Out. The overall sound of the song is completely different from the rest of the album. To me it belongs more to ATOTT...
A bit of context... Mike wrote it right after the got married in the late summer of '76 for his wife Angie so yes, it is a love song. I actually think it's cool that Banks used a Fender Rhodes on that song, which he never did, I believe, either before or after. And yes, I agree reading Inside and Out; it does have that ATOTT vibe to it.
I was thinking the same thing. Could you imagine Peter coming to the front of the stage for the encore signing "Can you tell me where my country lies?" then continuing to sing Carpet Crawlers with Phil as a duet? That would be the perfect end to the last show. I know it's unlikely, but we can dream...
Not sure why this sounds so far fetched? It's the end of the band and the last show is in their hometown. Gabriel and Hackett were critical parts o the first incarnation of the band. Why wouldn't they join for a 1-2 song encore? Gabriel sang the intro to DOWTMK in Edmonton 5 years ago and it sounded fantastic (way more emotional than when Phil sings it - sorry). Same for Hackett; he'd probably jump at the chance. I can understand their reticence in revisiting their '70s catalog in the '80s but 50 years later? Come on, give me a break!
If not for “Your Own Special Way” it would rank right up there with SEBTP and ATOTT for me. It’s easy to see why Tony loves it so much (though it is interesting to me that Mike ranks it below ATOTT).
Mike is a "rocker", don't forget. He wrote Squonk (or co-wrote) as an ode to "Kashmir" which he heard while driving with Tony in 1975. Banks is the romantic one so no surprise in regard to his love of W&W. I actually don't mind YOSW though I realize that it was the first of the pop love songs. Inside and Out would have been better but it may not have been written (or fully finished) that early on.
Isn’t debating “until we are blue in the face” about such things one of the most enjoyable aspects on this board?
Yes, indeed :).
It's my personal all time favorite release by the band.
Agree with Mark. I can still listen to it 45 years later and hear subtleties that I missed. I've played that entire album live and it is a beast (I've dissected every 4/8-string bass parts, 12-string parts and Taurus parts). It is so incredibly dense and emotional.... It was tough for them to play live (I saw the '77 tour) for a number of reasons including the lack of an acoustic piano, the huge number of overdubs (OFTV in particular), etc. But I remember listening to that record and thinking that it stacked up favorably against any Gabriel-era album.
We can all argue until we're blue in the face with respect to what they could have played. The reality is that they were dealing with a major limiting factor (Phil) so they picked the songs (even ratcheted down 1-2 steps) that Phil could somewhat handle. That has to have been the main factor that determined the content of the setlist. Plus, this is the "trio" version of the band so I would have been a little shocked to hear Harold the Barrel lol. That being said, minor tweaks could have been made the setlist a bit more rounded in terms of their history (this is the last hurrah after all). Yes, I think it's a shame that none of Supper's Ready was included - that is their calling card. Could they have done the instrumental section (only) from the end of Willow Farm to the beginning of As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs? Yes, probably, though Phil would have been twiddling his thumbs for 10+ minutes. One thing I really wish they would have done is the intro/outro of Watcher of the Skies as they did in '76 (never liked the '82 version as it's in "E" - way too low compared to the original F# key) as an opener, as opposed to the omnipresent Behind the Lines. Also, 1 song from Trick. Again, it is what it is but I think they could have done a tiny little bit better, even acknowledging the tight parameters within which they were operating.
Display MoreI too have always liked IY very much. But -
- I mean, come on... While I prefer his voice from Duke onwards I totally get why some go for the softer earlier style. But surely you can see "screechy screaming howl ALL THE TIME" is a massive over-exaggeration!
It came up before that it's such a shame the original ending of IY was lost - I'm not misremembering that am I? The fadeout pretty much ruins it for me. The second section, like The Waiting Room, stands out so starkly against their other work.
There's not much I like from the 76-78 phase but this one is up there.
Hi Backdrifter. That's your opinion and you know what they say about opinions.... All kidding aside, his voice drastically changed from those early couple of post-Gabriel years to the "80s voice". Live, it was most noticeable. I have a cassette recording form the Duke tour that I attended and it was pretty much a screech fest form beginning to end (and very different for the '77 and '78 shows I attended). Some people love that voice, some people hate it. Whatever, I wasn't trying to convince anyone, just giving my opinion... and you know what they say about opinions. Peace.
Everything is see what happens. I'm glad they are in the cusp of finishing this US tour at least, quite an accomplishment given the time of year.
Thinking about the symmetry with finishing in Biston as it was the first place in America they played.
That's true isn't it? Warm up gig at Brandeis before the "big" NYC Christmas show of 1972.
Why bother with such a long breakdown? All you need to do is go to setlist.fm pick your concert date and scroll down to "Songs on Albums" to see the graphic and songs from each album:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist…l-qc-canada-338a7821.html
Invisible Touch was the highest with 5 (not my most liked album unfortunately) followed by Genesis Mama and Selling England with 4 each.
I would much prefer looking at "time spent" playing songs from various albums in the current setlist as this is a much better indicator of representation. Three brief snippets from SEBTP aren't even close to 4-5 full songs from '80s albums.
Let me preface my comments by saying that I have the ultimate respect for what The Musical Box does. There is no band like them, period. I actually view them more as a Broadway show (think Beatlemania) as opposed to a "tribute" band since they literally, down the nth degree, recreate certain Genesis tour shows (with the exception of the Extravaganza). However, after watching videos of this latest show, I'm beginning to wonder whether they're sort of reached their end? It's one thing to do a Lamb show, for example, when you're 30 years old. In that instance, you're actually fairly close to how old Genesis actually were at the time (they were 24-25 years old). However, TMB members must now be 50+, I would think, given that they started nearly 30 years ago. It looks a little strange, now, to see a heavier, older (50 year old) man traipsing around in a leather jacket on stage. We're all older (I'm almost 10 years older than them) so this isn't aimed at them from that perspective. I'm just wondering whether paying tribute to the music, without trying to recreate the world of a 23-25 year old, might not be better suited to their current reality? Another option, which would definitely be worth pursuing, is to get younger musicians to keep doing these faithful recreations. That certainly would fit with the spirit of Beatlemania which had several touring band members. Just some random thoughts.
agree. I have posted before that i really like the first part of the song..although it does seem a little disjointed as moves into los endos part.
For me, around this period Phil's vocal was at his best , especially on this track and always love listening to...is the subject about lost love or PG leaving, we can but wonder
Agree completely Simon about your comment regarding Phil's voice. I know there's a lot of love for the '80s stuff on this board but to me, Phil's voice was at its best between 1976-78. I really started to dislike his voice with Duke when it turned to this screechy, screaming howl all the time, including in songs like Afterglow (live 1980-post). That "pure" voice he had on Trick & Wind is hard to beat in my book. As far as It's Yourself goes, that trippy part sure reminds me of the end of Dancing Out from SEBTP. I think the working title of the latter was "Disney" which seems fitting here too. In fact, that song (and others on ATOTT) seem like a much more natural progression from SEBTP rather than LLDOB which was a real departure for them (stating the obvious I know). I love the instrumental section of Robbery (I played that beast numerous times live on bass and it is a bitch) but the verses and chorus are "underwhelming". I wonder what the album might have sounded with It's Yourself instead (probably too slow, hence the decision to include an up tempo song like RAB). Take care, Andre.
I've always loved this song (it was a B-side twice in '76 and '77) but I've never heard the full version. Think about how incredibly creative and productive Genesis were in '76. This song never made it onto ATOTT. It's one of the prettiest, trippiest songs Genesis ever wrote. The 12-string guitars, the Taurus pedals, Phil's vice.... perfection.
And several times I smelled weed
I'm sorry Genesis78 but this made me laugh. For anyone who's seen Genesis in the 1970s, you know that the entire arena was engulfed in pot. It's funny to see how things have changed with shows more generally since then. Now, you actually notice it because it's so rare. Back then, you either partook (cough, cough) or you needed a bloody oxygen mask lol.
Just to clarify, I quite enjoy each of the bands I mentioned. As for Martin Levac, no doubt he is very talented, but I never understood why he abandoned covering Genesis music. He was spectacular as “Phil” in TMB and I really enjoyed the show I saw his own Genesis band perform in Philly about 12-13 years ago. When he started doing Phil’s solo music instead I emailed his website asking the reason for the change. He was nice enough to respond in person, but his answer made no sense. He said he didn’t feel comfortable as someone in his 40s trying to replicate Phil in his 30s as Genesis singer and drummer. What I didn’t get was why he was comfortable doing solo 30-something Phil? Maybe because the music was less challenging? I dunno.
I had a very brief e-mail exchange with him also many years ago (trying to hire him to do a show with us to be frank) and I would guess (purely a guess) that it boils down to the income he can generate under both scenarios. He could technically do both, i.e., a late '70s/early '80s Genesis show AND Phil Collins solo tours but I suspect that might be a bit of overload for him. Again, this is pure conjecture on my part but I know that he does very well with the Collins solo tours (plays sold-out theaters several nights in a row). But at the end of the day, it's tough since you're recreating someone else's work. It's fun to do but as a long term career plan? Not so sure... That comment also goes for TMB. But what do I know lol?
I've often wondered the same thing. I've seen 4 Genesis tributes bands: The Musical Box; Trespass; Dance on a Volcano/Turn It On Again (Martin Levac's band that did the Three Sides Live Tour; the band changed its name at some point); and The Genesis Show. The one that comes closest to "different interpretations" is The Genesis Show, but that's mainly because the lead singer neither looks nor sounds like Phil Collins. In terms of the music they play it's basically a recreation. Levac is so close in looks and sound to Collins that it's almost creepy, and anyway he switched to doing Collins' solo music over ten years ago. TMB is right on in being a faithful recreation. I saw Trespass 10 years ago and don't even know if they still perform or not. All of which is a long-winded way of saying I haven't found anyone yet who is willing to take a walk on the wild side in terms of creative reinterpretations of the music.
Having been in 2 of the bands that you cite :), I can tell you that the main reason is that people don't want to hear personal "takes" on Genesis music in a tribute band. They want to hear note-for-note recreation as any of these shows are nostalgia experiences for 99% of the people in the audience. And yes, Martin Levac is incredibly talented and eerily similar to Phil Collins.
I have not had a chance to watch the full thing yet, but about a week ago someone posted this video of a full Mirrors Tour concert on Youtube.
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Thanks! Who the heck filmed all of this? Especially in 1978 where these types of videos were still super rare.... Ah, to see Cinema Show again (properly played in its entirety as opposed to those shitty medleys), a song that the didn't play on the previous tour, much to my chagrin. Genesis was such a great band live in the '70s... Thanks again.
