SECONDS OUT

Seeing this concert in Houston at the Sam Houston Colliseum was one of the hightlights of my early prog concerts. Then when they came out with the double album I had to buy it. First the sound. The vinyl was lush with deep bass, crystal highs and solid midrange. The live concert and vinyl were almost identical to each other. I could not believe they could capture that sound and record it. I too wish they would have put in more of W & W on the album but it still is a great. Robbery was tight with the keys just running up and down the register. Afterglow is just incomplete, but it is a nice sample. Firth is good and the guitars are just right along with the keys. Musical Box ended with some of the deepest bass I had ever experienced. What an ending that was.

Now Suppers Ready. Many people prefer Gabriel over Phil but in this setting it was just right. The dynamics of this song goes from 0 to 11, especially at the end. It is just overly bombastic with no compression what so ever. Cinema Show is not one of my favorites but it still comes off on the album played with great precision. Dance on a Volcano going into Los Endos was the perfect ending for one of the best recorded albums at that time. Wore that one out and bought 2 more. I have a CD version by Atlantic and it is just as good as the vinyl. Very little compression but nothing like the vinyl. Just wish they could find some film of this concert, synchronize the recording and come out with a full version of this. I would not care if the video was subpar, but the sound and music would be fantastic.

Of all the concerts I have been going to, this has to rank in the top 5 of all time. And with an album that conveys the sheer power of Genesis at the time this was recorded, I would have no problem rating this a 5.