GENESIS LIVE

It seems a quaint idea, that a live album would be made up of the most appealing forty-five minutes of a two-and-a-half hour concert. Today we often think of an ideal 'live album' as a maximally faithful reproduction of a single concert. But I guess that in the past, albums and singles marketed as 'live' were sometimes just studio recordings with audience sounds dubbed in later. In the case of jazz and classical recordings, there might not have been any meaningful distinction between 'live' and 'studio' versions of a given piece. But as time went by, the distinction became more important in rock music, such that record-buyers were willing to purchase a 'live' version of a studio recording they already owned. It seems that by 1973, there was enough value added in the recording here on Genesis Live to justify a commercial release (for which the record company was rewarded with a top-ten hit in the UK).

Genesis Live is comprised of two songs which originally appeared on Nursery Cryme (1971), two from Foxtrot (1972), and one from Trespass (1970). None of the versions here diverges significantly from its studio versions, although 'The Knife,' the oldest song on Genesis Live and the only one originally recorded by a different lineup of the band, has some noticeable changes, and 'The Knife,' along with the two Foxtrot songs ('Watcher of the Skies' and 'Get 'em Out By Friday') is extended from its studio version.

Much has been made of the exclusion of 'Supper's Ready' from this album, and justifiably so. A live version of 'Supper's Ready,' which was recorded and post-produced for radio airplay on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, would have taken up an entire half of Genesis Live, which was probably a factor in its exclusion. This could possibly have been a blessing in disguise, as an incredible version of 'Supper's Ready' was eventually included on Genesis's next live album, Seconds Out - - it seems possible that this wouldn't have happened if the song had already appeared on Genesis Live.

The sound quality of the album is adequate; it seems believable that it was assembled to be heard once on the radio, rather than to be enjoyed repeatedly by audiophiles. Seconds Out, whose postproduction was overseen by the band, is noticeably better (I have the 1994 'Definitive Edition Remasters' of each of these titles - - neither of which is the definitive edition anymore, of course).

The performances on Genesis Live are very good. This is the only live album released before Phil Collins became the band's lead singer, thus abandoning the drumkit during concerts. Genesis's 1970s studio albums have always sounded clinical to me, and those performances - - especially the instrumental performances - - sound detached from each other. This isn't true of Genesis Live, though, so the album's postproduction shortcomings are balanced by the fact that the performances are a little better than their studio counterparts.

But that doesn't make Genesis Live essential. Since the album includes only five of the nineteen songs from Trespass, Nursery Cryme, and Foxtrot, it's not going to replace them. And, in my opinion at least, these songs don't represent the best forty-seven minutes of the albums which preceded Genesis Live; I'd have preferred to have 'Supper's Ready' replace 'Return of the Giant Hogweed,' 'Get 'em Out By Friday' and 'The Knife' - - if that could work.

So Genesis Live is a nice collection, but not quite a four-star album. Definitely recommended for fans, and for those who want to get some exposure to Gabriel-era Genesis.