Posts by StillCan'tDance

    The Nick Davis mixes are definitely the way to go. You say you've got cash to throw around so you won't object to the ridiculous prices being offered on eBay :)


    The earlier back you go with the mixes, the better they sound. They really only did the albums from 83 to 97 for completeness because those albums already sounded the way the band wanted them too. You'll notice little differences, though: more vocals during the closing section of Since I Lost You and Anything She Does, extra percussion on Hearts On Fire and some nice effects on On The Shoreline.


    Nick also remixed the live albums and they are significant improvement over the original mixes. Seconds Out really shines but the standout is The Way We Walk.


    I have the 1994 remasters (definitely an improvement over the original mixes) and the Nick Davies remixes of all the studio and live albums. It's nice to compare the two but, on the whole, I prefer the Nick Davis mixes.

    15. From Genesis To Revelation

    14. Trespass

    13. Nursery Cryme

    12. And Then There Were Three

    11. Calling All Stations

    10. Foxtrot

    09. Wind And Wuthering

    08. Abacab

    07. Selling England By The Pound

    06. Mama

    05. A Trick Of The Tail

    04. We Can't Dance

    03. Duke

    02. Invisible Touch

    01. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

    I remember the old Yahoo vine group, waiting anxiously for a package to arrive and then making copies for another three fans and sending them off. Happy days. Torrenting has made everything much easier but waiting for a show to download doesn't match the mounting anticipation of waiting for the postman to come.

    My first time was Roundhay Park in 1992. My memory is pretty clear of that day. We drove down (having got coaches to gigs before I knew all-too-well that we'd be right at the back of the park if we entrusted the driving to someone else) and there was definitely a buzz about the town as we walked to the gig. We got a place near the front of the stage with a clear view of the band. Lisa Stansfield was the opening act and she was pretty good. Still, I cheered louder when I saw the legendary Geoff Banks come on stage!


    It was still light when Genesis came on and they really delivered. Phil looked a bit distracted during No Son Of Mine as he sat on the monitor. I wondered what must be going through his mind (if you've read his autobiography, you'll know the answer to that). After the second song, he said it was nice to be back in England, "even if it is the North!" cue some good-natured boo-ing from the crowd. The old medley sounded amazing, Phil sang some failsafe notes during Hold On My Heart, Domino really kicked and the drum duet seemed to go on forever. Highlight of the show was I Can't Dance, by which point it was fully dark and we could appreciate the dazzling Vari-lites. When they played Turn It On Again, the show seemed to be over too soon. Never mind, I would see them again two days later at Knebworth.


    Speaking of Knebworth, I have an older cousin who regaled me with the tale of when he saw Genesis's sole British date in '78. He grew misty-eyed when he spoke of the medley of Dance On A Volcano and Los Endos, experienced through a haze of what he referred to as "Bob Hope"!

    Daryl has played on all but two of Phil's albums, Mike's Acting Very Strange and Tony's Still and The Fugitive. Obviously, Daryl has been a long-serving member of Phil's touring band, too and Chester has performed on all but three of his tours.


    Phil played on Peter's third album but he also joined him on stage during his second tour while Peter sang on Take Me Home on No Jacket Required. I wish Peter and Phil had collaborated more but there you go. Together they helped invent the gated drum sound that became "the" drum sound of the eighties (kudos to Nick Launay, Steve Liliywhite and Hugh Padgham) so that alone has proven to be the most significant of all the collaborations outside of Genesis.

    The Lamb, Duke and Invisible Touch.


    The Lamb remains their most beguiling work. Ahead of its time and so far removed from what everyone else was doing at this point. Genesis never did anything like it before or since; the music has real bite. Yes, the concept is flawed - Peter Gabriel is a singer, not a novelist, and this is the damning proof - but that seems to be part of its charm.


    Duke. I may have voted in haste here because I could easily lose Alone Tonight off this album. That said, the album is more than a sum of its parts. The three-man lineup found their feet here and this marks the beginning of a new era for the band. Undoubtedly, Chester and Daryl's playing had a positive effect on the way the band wrote their music. They're looser, much more open to different styles of music and there's an appealing immediacy to the songs that doesn't feel like a compromise.


    Invisible Touch. This is where I came in so, even if it wasn't the slice of perfection that it is, I'd still vote for it on the grounds of nostalgia. Every track on this album works. From the unashamed r'n'b of the title track, through the dense soundscapes and mounting drama of Tonight Tonight Tonight to the brilliantly catchy Throwing It All Away. Too young to go and see them on tour, I heard their triumphant performance at Wembley Stadium as broadcast on Radio One (this was back in 1987, when that station still played music) and it introduced me to a whole host of other tunes from their past. Phil Collins availed himself as their perfect front man during that show: self-effacing, unpretentious and a consummate performer.