20 Live Pieces Released in the 1970s

richardh wrote: Logan wrote: ^ Those first three albums you mention I had not heard before, at least in full, and I can't say that I listened to them all as completely as perhaps I should. Only 14 or so were well known to me at any time and other than my top ten I had not listened to the albums (the others from PA's list) in full that I knew for many years. I had heard the GG, but not for almost 20 years. I may not be the biggest fan of ELP, but I loved listening to that version of KE9. It's not a record I had heard before, but that is the one that most stood out to me. Tarkus would have been my other choice, but KE9 got my interest more-so. Were I to try both now for a second listen then I might well feel differently. Yessongs I was a bit slapdash with, and ended up just going with a Yes song that has been one of my very favourite Yes tracks. Fragile was a very important album to me in my youth and I adored Heart of the Sunrise except for the wonky bits. As for Genesis, yeah not the wonderful piano, which is a highlight of the studio album for me. Not sure why I went with that. I don't like that version much or the album much generally. Cinema Show is my favourite Genesis track outside of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (the Lamb is the only Genesis album I ever have really deeply cared about). After quickly going through the album again on youtube (scanning/ scrubbing), my choice is still the one that seems most listenable to me from that album despite preferring the studio version, and I like the energy it starts with with Collins vocals. I prefer Gabriel-era Genesis, and I prefer Genesis Live to this despite missing out on most of my favourite Genesis songs. Collins' era Genesis is often too slick for me, AORish, although I love music off A Trick of the Tail Wind and Wuthering. As for Gentle Giant, I came very close to going with Funny Ways but ended up finding this So Sincere version more interesting at the time. And "So Sincere" has been one of my very favrite songs by Gentle Giant (I like its quirkiness). Those Octupus excerpts have been another standout for me. The album does not connect with me now as much as it used to. Side-note (tangential): When I joined PA I was huge on GG, and I still love the first three albums especially, but very rarely have listened to GG in many years. PFM and Magma took over from My GG obsession back then, and of those Magma is the one that I still really big on. And I discovered VdGG at the same time as GG and used to say that I prefer my GG without the VD, but it's VdGG that I have kept returning to -- has had more staying power for me/ means more to me. But Three Friends and Acquiring the Taste are wondrous and I could very happily play those right now. :) I'm not a big fan of Seconds Out either, generally official live albums by Genesis are not great for me. I only ever go back to Live In London 1980 but that is technically a bootleg but that is the last time I can take them seriously as it comes on the Duke tour and includes the 'Duke Suite' fully intact. That is sweet! Also a rare encore version of The Knife is spectacular ( and without the annoying whistling on the earlier 'Live'). I actually think Genesis became a better live band without Gabriel but that may just be a 'hot take'. I'm being perhaps a bit nitpicky on the ELP and Yes comments but I do prefer the bootleg radio broadcast of them playing Karn Evil 9 1st Impression on the 1973 Italian tour to that from Anaheim that is on the live triple. No drum solo! When they toured later in the seventies the drum solo was put back into Tank and that seemed a better choice (although by that time they were only playing a short excerpt from KE9 and that never changed hence) Gentle Giant are just a very annoying band for me. I love various tracks from them across their first seven albums but they always seem to be a band that doesn't know itself or what it wants to be. In the end they just faded away and without the internet could easily be the most forgotten band of the seventies. When I first started posting on forums ( i guess late 90's early 00's) I just marvelled at where all these Gentle Giant nuts that had seemingly just sprung out of the woodwork. Where were they when the band needed them back in the seventies?! Undoubtedly VDGG should have been a huge band. They were almost too good perhaps. If any band stands the test of time then its them. PFM were great for 3 releases but it seems common now to knock those English language versions of the albums although Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield were fans and genuinely tried to bring them to a wider audience. At least they got played on UK radio and had a small following here. Per Un Amico remains one of the classic prog albums and might even perhaps be the most well known 'Non English' album ever?! Magma? no clue, never went there but I am well aware of the insane talent of Christian Vander. One day who knows

Richard,

I usually agree with many of your takes, but not on this one.

Seconds out is awesome. And the album cover is awesome too.

Love Palmer's solo on KE9 off of Welcome Back. That whole album is great. Wish the Production was better. Aquatarkus off that album is sublime.

Yessongs is great too. Better production is the only thing it lacks. Performances are first rate. Yes was firing on all cylinders. I agree that Yours is No Disgrace might be the better selection, but that is a real nitpick.

I did my part for Gentle Giant, discovering them a year after they called it a day. First bought Three Friends, which has been a top 10 prog album from the first time I listened to that album. Bought pretty much their whole discography in short order. Later in the 90s I bought the CDs to those albums. I only hold Giant for a Day against them ( No I did not buy the CD of Giant for a Day). One of my very favorite bands.

VDGG I have a few albums. I don't hold them in as high of regard as you and many others on this site. I do have an appreciation of the band. Kind of like Zappa. Respect them more than I like them. I can see why they did not make it big and it's not because they were to good.

Rick1 wrote: Very little is mentioned about the Second Impression of KE9; I don't think I have the musical vocabulary to do it justice but the piano trio work is breathtaking - all three on top of their game and it sounded great on the live version (I guess the predominant use of piano makes the overall sound less 'muddy'). On the other hand, it is now well known that Banks did not want any improvisation live and this is why 'Seconds Out' sounds more sterile compared, say, to 'Welcome Back'.  That said, much as I love Collins as a drummer, Chester and Bruford both add something (Banks was not happy with Bruford, allegedly).

Rick,

I am a big fan of the 2nd Impression too. Taken as a standalone track, it's one of the best 4-5 pieces of music that ELP did in their career.

Bruford has commented on his time with Genesis. I'm paraphrasing here, but Bruford has stated he should have played Genesis more as it was done on the studio releases, which is what a true studio musician would have done. Bruford was being Bruford during his time with Genesis.