Introduction
It’s been some time since Genesis fans had anything new to seize upon. The decent, but restrained, SACD/DVD reissue series lies now in the dim and distant past, with any boxsets still circulating commanding ludicrous prices and, for one of the most commercially successful bands of their era, they have proved surprisingly reluctant to release super-deluxe versions of individual albums. Of course, Genesis fans being a surprisingly volatile bunch, any release is likely to be met with lengthy arguments, ranging from which singer was best, which album was the selling-out point, not to mention endless debates over why x was not included. Indeed, those arguments began the second this sizeable (but incomplete) BBC boxset was announced, and they’re unlikely to vanish now that it has hit the shelves. Nevertheless, with the set now out, let’s see what it has to offer.
The package
Overseen by Tony Banks, BBC Broadcasts is available as a 5-CD or 3-LP boxset. Focusing on keeping the set at a reasonable price point (both versions currently retail at around the £50 mark), the LP version is a significantly truncated take on the CD set (24 tracks to the CD set’s 53), which may prove frustrating to fans keen on the format. Otherwise, it’s a relatively vanilla set, recalling the recent standalone Pink Floyd issues of DSOT and AMLOR re-release in terms of packaging and content.
Open the solid card box, and you’ll find the five CDs housed in a central space, complete with handy ribbon to ease their removal. It’s a small touch, but a nice one. The CDs each have their own themed artwork, which is also a nice touch, and the track listing on the back. The box itself is a little larger than a blu ray case, basically to accommodate the interesting 40-page booklet, which features liner notes from author Michael Hann. It’s a decent enough set (especially given the recent predilection for relatively high-priced clam-shell releases) and, while the artwork is about as lazy as any artwork from a major act could possibly be, the set has otherwise been conceived with a degree of care.
In terms of the track list, the set has already proved controversial, with fans questioning choices and sequencing. To be fair, many of the decisions make some sense. The decision, for example, to leave material out of the 1980 Lyceum show, seems to have been to avoid too much cross over the 1978 Knebworth set. However, for those who prefer to have complete shows at their fingertips it is vexing, and it’s hard not to argue that Genesis fans would, for the most part, prefer to pay more for a couple more discs in the set. .
Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy here and, while there will always be those who disagree with the approach taken, it’s clear that Tony wanted to represent his band in the best possible light, choosing those moments and those shows where everything went right. Moreover, while some may prefer to cling to their aging bootlegs, the decent mastering (courtesy of Nick Davis and Miles Showell at Abbey Road), serves to make everything as clear as it could possibly be given the massive differences in technology available during the various sessions and concerts.
Discs: Contents & notes
CD One: 1970 – 1975. Peel Sessions & In Concert Moments
The most varied disc in terms of source material, disc one jumps all over the place, capturing the band on stage and in session over the course of five years. It’s amazing how good some of these early recordings sound, with the 1970 Nightride show impressive in its clarity. Here, fans get to experience one of the band’s earliest flights of fancy. Tracked a mere few months after From Genesis to Revelation and six months prior to Trespass, we hear a band in transition. Airing three tracks that are on neither record, the band have yet to fully find their feet, sounding caught between the whimsy of Barret-era Floyd and the pastoral beauty of Caravan, but there’s real promise here, especially in the cymbal washes of Pacidy.
Two years later and a very different Genesis grace the BBC with a pair of cuts from Nursery Cryme. Although it’s hard to credit that the album received a mixed reaction at the time, Genesis were still having to fight their critics every step of the way, which probably explains the vigour with which they attack Fountain of Salmacis. While structurally faithful, this is a young, hungry Genesis, playing with jazz-infused fervour and, although the sound quality lacks the punch of the Nightride Session, it’s hard not to get drawn in by Gabriel’s impassioned artistry.
The rest of the disc skips hither and thither, offering single spots from programmes such as Sound of the 70’s and Top Gear, before finally depositing the band in Wembley Stadium for a raucous rendition of Watcher of The Skies in 1975. This is where the curation is at its most frustrating. The liner notes cheerfully allude to the various tracks played at the sessions (even noting how difficult it is to track down a 1972 version of Fountain of Salmacis), without explaining why these tracks are not included here, when the demand so clearly exists.
Nevertheless, for all its flaws, the disc paints a compelling picture of a young Genesis finding their feet, and the decision to include Twilight Alehouse (called “the greatest missing Genesis track” in the liner notes) is a most welcome one.
CD Two: 1978 – 1980. Knebworth 1978 & Lyceum 1980
With Peter having left in 1975, Phil Collins took to fronting the band and this pair of shows find the band in fine form. It has already been noted that not including the complete Lyceum show has had some fans up in arms, and it is rather annoying to hear set highlights condensed for a festival performance and then left out of an otherwise lengthy show. That said, both performances are worth hearing and, for those who don’t have bootleg copies, it’s a pleasure to hear them in whatever form.
Kicking off the disc are highlights from the band’s Knebworth set in ’78. We pick up about half-way through, with a ferocious Squonk, and the band on fire. Strangely, we then shoot back to Burning Rope (played third in a set that included a whole host of highlights, including Eleventh Earl of Mar, The Fountain of Salmacis and Ripples), before getting the finale of Dance on a Volcano (one of the best versions out there), Drum Duet and Los Endos. Sadly, that’s where we end, and the encore of I know What I Like is left off, featured as it is on the Lyceum show.
Certainly, the Lyceum show is a remarkable document, and the band sound in great form. Left largely unedited, the main feature is Duke played in its entirety and in order. While segments featured as part of the DVD features for the Duke SACD release, this is as complete a release as we are likely to get for now and it really is one hell of a show that carries over to the third disc.
CD Three: 1980 – 1987. Lyceum 1980 & Wembley 1987
Completing the Lyceum set, CD three has a number of standout moments, ranging from the slow-burn of Say It’s Alright Joe, all hanging chords and understated piano, to the magnificently over-the-top outpouring that is I Know What I like (In Your Wardrobe). Phil is at his most engagingly theatrical here, indulging a range of accents and singing with a passion and authority that is rarely credited by those who focus on his pop output. Along the way, there is the none-more-beautiful Afterglow (emerging from The Raven) and a dizzying In The Cage. It concludes with The Knife, a remarkable finale to a brilliant show.
Given how well the show is recorded and played, it is a shame to have an incomplete version (even at the risk of the odd repetition), but what we do have is in pristine quality, and it is arguable that discs two and three are more or less worth the price of admission alone.
Rounding out the disc, there’s also the opening pair of tracks from Wembley 1987, annoyingly separated from the remaining eight songs offered from the original, fourteen-track show.
CD Four: 1987 – 1998. Wembley 1987 & NEC 1998
CD four concludes the band’s epic performance at Wembley in 1987. Long available on DVD, it’s nice to have the official audio for the first time (a surprising omission from the live box set), albeit missing four tracks. The band are clearly on the ascent here, and you can feel the tension growing between the growing pop instincts that, by 1992, had taken over almost completely, and the last vestiges of prog that still lingered in the aftermath of their self-titled album. Still, as those who own the DVD already know, it’s an engaging performance and the eight tracks here fly by.
At the end, there’s also a pair of tracks from Ray Wilson’s tenure. Not exactly a generous selection for a singer who spent four, relatively thankless years fronting the band, but it’s nice to have at least some material from this era. Nevertheless, it’s the Wembley gig that will have most fans dropping this disc into the player regularly, even if the omission of the Turn It On Again finale is borderline unforgivable, regardless of whether a version was included from the Lyceum show.
CD Five: 1992. Knebworth 1992
The final disc offers just a small portion of the band’s mammoth 1992 Knebworth performance. Again, it seems that the approach is largely to avoid duplication, with the selected tracks focusing on I Can’t Dance-era material. Nevertheless, this is an impressive selection of material from a band who, by this point, were struggling with the sheer level of fame they had achieved. Despite the retrospective disdain We Can’t Dance has received in some quarters, it should be remembered that it was a global phenomenon in 1992 and this varied selection manages to showcase the band both at their most pop (I Can’t Dance; No Son of Mine) and at their most expansive (Driving The Last Spike, Fading Lights), the latter tracks all too often ignored as detractors fall over themselves to decry the band’s irresistible pop instincts. It’s not all new material either and, at the heart of it all, there’s the old medley, which crams a lifetime into twenty-minutes, reminding us that Genesis didn’t completely lose sight of their past, even when blinded by the limelight.
Conclusion
This is a tough one. The set is sensibly priced, includes some great material and the packaging itself is solid. Moreover, the liner notes (all too often overlooked in sets of this type) are informative enough. That said, the omissions range from the mildly annoying to the frankly egregious, and it’s strange that the compilers have failed to recognise that the majority of fans mind duplication far less than they mind having numbers simply stripped out of much-loved concerts. As a result, the pacing of the shows suffers, with the frankly baffling decision to end Live At Wembley 1987 with Los Endos (rather than the energetic Turn It On Again) a particularly annoying example of the curators’ meddling. Still, for the price, it is a no-brainer for most Genesis fans, and it is likely the best we can expect for the foreseeable future. 7.5/10
CD1
01 Shepherd – Night Ride 1970 (previously released on ‘Genesis Archive 1967–75’)
02 Pacidy – Night Ride 1970 (previously released on ‘Genesis Archive 1967–75’)
03 Let Us Now Make Love – Night Ride 1970 (previously released on ‘Genesis Archive 1967–75’)
04 Fountain Of Salmacis – Paris 1972
05 Musical Box – Paris 1972
06 Stagnation – Sounds Of ‘70 1971 (previously released on ‘Genesis Archive 1967–75’)
07 Harlequin – Peel Jan 1972
08 Get Em Out By Friday – Peel sept 1972
09 Harold The Barrel – Peel sept 1972
10 Twilight Alehouse – Peel sept 1972
11 Watcher of the Skies – In Concert 1975
CD 2
01 Squonk – Knebworth 1978
02 Burning Rope – Knebworth 1978
03 Dance On A Volcano – Knebworth 1978
04 Drum Duet – Knebworth 1978
05 Los Endos – Knebworth 1978
06 Deep In The Motherlode – Lyceum 1980
07 Dancing With The Moonlit Knight – Lyceum 1980
08 Carpet Crawlers – Lyceum 1980
09 One For The Vine – Lyceum 1980
10 Behind The Lines – Lyceum 1980
11 Duchess – Lyceum 1980
12 Guide Vocal – Lyceum 1980
13 Turn it On Again – Lyceum 1980
14 Dukes Travels – Lyceum 1980
15 Dukes End – Lyceum 1980
CD 3
01 Say It’s Alright Joe – Lyceum 1980
02 The Lady Lies – Lyceum 1980
03 Ripples – Lyceum 1980
04 In The Cage – Lyceum 1980
05 The Raven – Lyceum 1980
06 Afterglow – Lyceum 1980
07 Follow You, Follow Me – Lyceum 1980
08 I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) – Lyceum 1980
09 The Knife – Lyceum 1980
10 Mama – Wembley 1987 (previously released on ‘Genesis Live 1973-2007)
11 Domino – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
CD 4
01 That’s All – Wembley 1987(previously released on ‘Genesis Live 1973-2007)
02 The Brazilian – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
03 Throwing It All Away – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
04 Home By The Sea – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
05 Second Home By The Sea – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
06 Invisible Touch – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
07 Drum Duet – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
08 Los Endos – Wembley 1987 (previously released on DVD only ‘Live At Wembley Stadium’)
09 Not About Us – NEC 1998
10 Dividing Line – NEC 1998
CD 5
01 No Son of Mine – Knebworth 1992
02 Driving The Last Spike – Knebworth 1992
03 Old Medley – Knebworth 1992
04 Fading Lights – Knebworth 1992
05 Hold On My Heart – Knebworth 1992
06 I Can’t Dance – Knebworth 1992
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