GENESIS LIVE

And it shows. By the high standards of the band Genesis Live is a misstep.

According to Mike Rutherford the album was management's idea in order to keep product out while the band was working on their next studio album, the classic "Selling England by the Pound." The budget priced album sold quite well and was appreciated by rabid fans, being the only live Gabriel era document to be officially offered until over two decades later. It was recorded in England in February 1973 during the Foxtrot tour. But rarity doesn't equal quality and almost any way you slice this thing up it appears pretty anemic, aside from the pure nostalgia factor many prog fans have for it. From a competitive standpoint, their peers in Yes put them to shame with an epic 3-lp recording allowing a sensible retrospective, amazing artwork, and spirited play. By comparison this recording is far too short, horribly designed, and lackluster. It is the last issue that really presents the problem. The songs simply have nothing new to offer us other than a less dynamic version of the fine studio work. With a dampened, poor production and an uninspired performance by the group, the effect is to lose the very fine stitching that makes the studio work so elegant and appealing. Some of the lovely guitar doubles are missing, beautiful flute parts can barely be heard, the mix itself if often unquantifiably odd somehow. The bass, while well played by Rutherford just has the most awful cold sound. Having compared the two versions recently (studio vs. live) it is amazing how much character and detail seems lost to me here. Still, the material here is hard to argue with and on its strength I can't give the album 2 stars. But certainly this is not the place to start your Genesis adventure. This should be the last Gabriel era release to check out, along with their first Genesis/Revelation album. 5/10, rounded up for the strength of the songwriting only.

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