Genesis - Genesis Live (1973)

 (U.K 1967 - Present)

Genesis Live is the first live album released by rock group Genesis in 1973. It was the band's first top 10 hit in the UK, reaching No.9 and remaining on the charts for 10 weeks.

In early 1973, Genesis allowed the taping of a couple of live shows for broadcast in America as part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour syndicated radio show -- most of their current set, drawn from their albums up through 1972's Foxtrot, was represented. A few months later, Tony Stratton-Smith, the head of Charisma Records, to which the group was signed, approached them about allowing him to fill the extended gap between Foxtrot and their next album, Selling England by the Pound, by releasing a live album from this same taped performance. The bandmembers, who now say they were somewhat distracted at the time by their work on the new album, agreed to it.

L-R: Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, Phil Collins

And the result was Live, which was originally the only official document of the group in performance with Peter Gabriel in the lineup. And it's not just the singer, but everyone who shines here -- it's doubtful that anyone ever got a richer sound out of a Mellotron on-stage than Tony Banks does on this album, and Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins' playing is all quite amazing as a whole unit, holding together some very complex music in a live setting. And on that basis alone, this album was an essential acquisition for fans of the group, as well as a key link in solidifying their growing popularity -- the intensity of the performances on "Watcher of the Skies," "Get 'Em Out by Friday," "Return of the Giant Hogweed," "The Knife, and, especially, "The Musical Box," easily transcend the work (superb though it was) on the studio originals, and is an in-your-face presentation of the theatrical intensity that Gabriel and company brought to their work on-stage.

Genesis 1973

What's more, the very fact that the band could pull some of what they do on-stage -- and this was in an era where other prog rock bands, such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, were running up against a brick wall in terms of re-creating their complex studio sounds in concert -- is mighty impressive.

Additionally, in the case of "The Musical Box" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," both songs originally recorded on Nursery Cryme, the versions here documented this lineup's true approach to these pieces -- at the time when Nursery Cryme was recorded, guitarist Steve Hackett had barely joined the group (and fragments of music composed by his predecessor, Anthony Phillips, still exist on the album), and most of the guitar parts there were actually the work of bassist Mike Rutherford (who did, in fact, take over most of the group's guitar chores after Hackett's departure in the late '70s).

Foxtrot Tour Stage Costumes

Peter Gabriel is probably at his peak as a singer, and his vocal performances sound remarkably bold and confident. He was known for wearing elaborate costumes during their concerts and making it seem like they were in woodland fairy plays. If that were me in his shoes, I would have felt like a complete idiot, but all that nonsense seemed to empower Peter Gabriel! It's easy to fall in love with his vocal performance in “Get 'Em Out By Friday,” where he does the same amount of play acting as he did in the studio version and perhaps with even more gusto. Gabriel was having so much fun at the time that he even cracked a joke at the beginning of “The Musical Box.” That is amazing since I didn't figure that Gabriel was the sort of person who usually cracks jokes.

Foxtrot Tour Program

So what we hear on this album, which has now been upgraded on CD at least twice, once in the '90s and again in 2009 as part of the Genesis Live 1973-2007 box set, are the definitive interpretations of these pieces by this version of the band, more so than the studio originals. And one also gets to hear the classic version of the band tackle the oldest part of their repertory, "The Knife," which went back to their first Charisma album -- and it's a killer compared to the original. And one could say that about the whole album, as well as being the best representation of this version of the band at this point in their history, but for one glaring flaw -- the original King Biscuit broadcast included the epic "Supper's Ready" from Foxtrot, which Stratton-Smith was compelled to leave off of the album, rather than face the economic challenge of issuing a three-sided double-LP. That flaw aside, this is about the best single-LP representation of what this band could do on-stage, and to the surprise of a lot of people, it actually won them lots of new fans ahead of the release of Selling England by the Pound.

Genesis were persuaded by their label, Charisma Records, to release Genesis Live as a budget-priced title to mark time while the band recorded Selling England by the Pound in mid-1973. (Contractual obligations to Charisma's North American distributor, Buddah Records, may also have been a factor, as Charisma would move its distribution to Atlantic Records shortly before Selling England's release.)

The tracks on the album were recorded at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, England by the Pye Mobile Recording Unit, engineer Alan Perkins, on 25 February 1973 except for "Return of the Giant Hogweed", which was recorded at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England on the previous day, when the band was touring in support of Foxtrot. These recordings were originally made for the US radio show King Biscuit Flower Hour, although they were never broadcast.

A handful of early radio promotional double-LP test pressings by Philips/ Phonogram Int. B.V. (actually PolyGram at the time) were created which included a 23-minute version of "Supper's Ready" from the Leicester show. This pressing's running order was "Watcher of the Skies - "The Musical Box" - "Get 'Em Out by Friday" - "Supper's Ready" - "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" - "The Knife", and included between-song patter by Gabriel.

'Whether this test pressing was intended to be released as the actual album is unknown. In any event, "Supper's Ready" was not included, even though the front cover photograph was taken during a live performance of "Supper's Ready" (with Gabriel donning the "Magog" mask). Excellent digital copies of the double-LP test pressing are readily available. (A live recording of "Supper's Ready" from the following year's tour was released on 1998's 4-CD boxed set, Genesis Archive 1967-75. However, Gabriel re-recorded some of his vocals before allowing release.)

Rolling Stone gave the album a brief but positive review, commenting that "this album goes a long way toward capturing the gripping power and mysticism that has many fans acclaiming Genesis as 'the greatest live band ever.'"

Peter Gabriel features in his Magog Mask

A retrospective review by Allmusic was also resoundingly positive. They remarked "it's doubtful that anyone ever got a richer sound out of a Mellotron on-stage than Tony Banks does on this album, and Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins' playing is all quite amazing as a whole unit, holding together some very complex music in a live setting." They judged all the recordings to be far superior to their studio originals.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my prized vinyl, puchased back in the mid 70's from K-Mart in Geelong. I had not heard of Genesis at the time, however I chose to purchase the album for 2 reasons - firstly, its eye catching cover and secondly the budget price it was being sold for. No details on the back to indicate the artist names but I was able to ascertain they were a British band based on the recording details. And so my life long association with this brilliant band had started.

 Full album artwork (for both CD and vinyl) is included, along with label scans and all photos featured in this post.  

As a BONUS, I am also including a rip of the original King Biscuit Flower Hour (KBFH) broadcast that contains the missing "Supper's Ready" recording. The only downfall is that the recording is in MP3 (160) format and consists of a single file (no song separation), but beggars can't be choosey I guess. So folks, Supper's Ready. Enjoy !

Track Listing

01. "Watcher of the Skies" 8:34
02. "Get 'Em Out by Friday" 9:14
03. "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" 8:14
04. "The Musical Box" 10:56
05. "The Knife" (Banks, Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, Rutherford) 9:47

Personnel:
Tony Banks – Hammond organ, Mellotron, Hohner pianet, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Phil Collins – drums, backing vocals
Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, flute, tambourine
Steve Hackett – lead guitar

Mike Rutherford – bass, bass pedals, 

12-string guitar, backing vocal

Genesis Live Link FLACs(256Mb)

KBFH Broadcast MP3 (55Mb)

Genesis - Live In Chicago, 1978 (1997)

(U.K 1967 - Present)

Recorded near the start of their 'And Then There Were Three' tour Genesis played at the Stadium in Chicago. They were unhappy about their sound at the Stadium and so returned to play the smaller venue the Uptown Theatre by the end of the tour. WXRT in Chicago broadcast the concert on the air that night and the two and a half hour show ended with a seven-minute interview with Phil Collins discussing the tour and the broadcast.

The broadcast resulted in a great sounding early release on vinyl called From The Mouth Of The Monster on Atlantis (GTT 78), a ninety-minute recording spread over two LPs. Compact disc releases include Follow You Follow Me on Great Dane Records (GDR CD 8918), Live In Chicago 1978 on Golden Stars (GSCD 2104/1-2), Live and Alive with Genesis and Phil Collins (IMT 900.019/20) on the infamous IMTRAT label, Live at Uptown Theatre Chicago International Pop (INP023, INP024), and the 2nd half of the show by AMCOS (EML 136) under the title Genesis (featured here).

A source that claims to be from the WXRT reels, including the post-concert interview, surfaced and was released on Master Of Chicago (HL446/447) on Highland.

Between 1976-1981 Genesis were almost always on the radio with each tour producing at least two or three excellent quality broadcasts. This is one of the best concerts from the “interim” period between the “progressive” Gabriel and the “eighties pop” Collins eras. They have always excelled in narrative song writing and they sing about a whole host of interesting characters and take the audience through several different vignettes.

Phil Collins goes go great pains to teach the audience when to cheer and boo to his pantomimes before “The Lady Lies” (“People are going to think we’re not going down well!” he quips).

“The Cinema Show” segues seamlessly into “In That Quiet Earth” which runs into “Afterglow” as per the studio version. The majestic “Afterglow” is followed by the Brazilian beats of “Follow You Follow Me” which was their big hit of the day. The finale begins with an aggressive version of “Dance On A Volcano” where Collins really spits out the lyrics (“Holy mother of GOD!) and leads into the drum duet between him and Thompson. This feature does not translate well on boomy audience recordings with the duet becoming lost in the general mush of sound.

But the clarity of this recording offers a detailed glimpse into Thompson’s and Collins’ contribution. This leads into “Los Endos” and “I Know What I Like”, which includes the “Stagnation” interlude, is the encore [extract from classicrockreview.wordpress.com]

Genesis 1978

Chester Thompson (Drummer)

When Chester Thompson joined Genesis as a drummer for the Wind and Wuthering tour in 1977, he had every reason to think it would be a short-term gig. He’d recently wrapped up stints with Frank Zappa and Weather Report that lasted about two years each, and Genesis’ previous touring drummer, Bill Bruford, bailed after just four months on the road.

But not only did Thompson stick with Genesis all the way through their Turn It On Again reunion tour of 2007 — Collins also brought him over to his solo career in 1981 and used him for nearly all of his tours between 1981 and 2010. During this time, the drummer somehow also found time to tour with Santana and the Bee Gees and maintain a solo career.

Chester Thompson 1978

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Thompson recollects when he first joined Genesis in 1977:

Andy Greene: Did you take a crash course in Genesis before you went in?

Thompson: They sent over some cassettes. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didn’t get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. Unfortunately, they never really had to change drummers before. They brought in Bill Bruford for that one tour [in 1976], but it was a fairly short tour. Apparently Phil and Bill grew up near each other and knew each other fairly well. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly you’re doing something different.

Chester Thompson 1977

Bill knew that world. He didn’t know all the tunes, but obviously he was pretty familiar with the whole prog-rock thing. They didn’t find out until pretty late in the game that Bill wasn’t going to do the next tour. They kind of assumed that he would. By the time they reached out to me, they allowed 10 days for rehearsal and it was a two-and-a-half–hour show. Basically, after the first day, I was like, “The only way this is going to work is if you give me a list of which tunes you want to go over the next day — I’ll have them ready.”

Basically, I literally transcribed everything Phil played on those early prog-rock albums. I’d come in and read it down the next day, which was pretty new to them because none of them read [music] at all. They felt that was pretty interesting, but it was the only way we got through it. It was another situation of me not getting any sleep since I was up all night writing charts.

Genesis-1978-Phil-Mike-Tony

Andy Greene: Did they audition you?

Thompson: No. When Phil called, the first thing he said was, “There’s no audition. I’ve already played stuff for the guys. If you want the gig, it’s yours.”

Andy Greene: How was it for you culturally? For lack of a better word, they are really, really British.

Thompson: Oh, my goodness! Where do I start

Andy Greene: And they’d never had an American in their ranks.

Thompson: Right. And much less, a black American. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. It was quite an adjustment for me. It was the biggest adjustment I’ve ever had to make, musically and culturally.

Andy Greene: How did you manage to bridge that gap culturally?

Thompson: I just basically kept my mouth shut and my eyes open. [Laughs] It’s interesting, I probably absorbed more of their culture than they did anything I grew up with because I was really uncomfortable. The very first tour was a tour of England. You have four guys with British accents [Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Steve Hackett], and there was tour management and a couple of other guys, all with British accents.

L-R: Thompson, Hackett, Banks, Collins & Stuermer

Every night after the show we’d hang out. It was really disturbing because for the first two weeks. I could not follow a single conversation. I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. There were all these conversations going back and forth that I’d try to track. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. It was a weird, lonely feeling to be in the room with people that supposedly speak the same language and not be able to understand what was going on.

Andy Greene: When Daryl Stuermer joined in 1978, did you have a compatriot that was a little more like you?

Thompson: Well, yeah. And I’d known Daryl for years. He was part of a band in Milwaukee that played a place that was the place to stop and jam when you were on tour. There was a lady with the band I kind of had a crush on and we were very much in touch. And so, we had met and played together on a few occasions.

Andy Greene: It’s an interesting gig musically speaking. Much of the show is just you playing drums, but during a lot of the instrumental breaks, Phil would come back and play along with you. Was that a challenge for you?

Thompson: Not at all. Phil and I, from the very first rehearsal when he sat down and we started jamming together, we just locked. It was just there.

And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. He was into a lot of the American jazz drummers. The difference being I wasn’t so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately.

Andy Green: After 1978, this must have felt like a long-term gig.

Thompson: I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. I certainly never dreamed it would go on and on like it did.

[Interview from Rollingstone Magazine, Feb 4, 2021]

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my AMCOS CD Bootleg and includes full album artwork. I have also included the front covers of other releases of this concert. This particular release is the 2nd half of the Chicago show.

Track Listing

01 Squonk

02 Say It's Alright Joe

03 The Lady Lies

04 The Cinema Show

05 In That Quiet Earth

06 Afterglow

07 Follow You, Follow Me

08 Dance On A Volcano

09 Los Endos

10 I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

Genesis were:

Bass, Guitar – Mike Rutherford

Drums – Chester Thompson

Bass, Guitar – Daryl Stuermer

Keyboards – Tony Banks

Vocals, Drums – Phil Collins

Genesis Live Link (361Mb) New Link 22/12/2023

Genesis: Live - Not Authorised (1993) Bootleg

(U.K 1967 - Present)
.

This post features a live soundboard recording and "Radio Broadcast' of Genesis – Live At The Uptown Theatre from October 13, 1978 during their World  “And Then There Were Three” Tour. It was recorded at the Uptown Theatre in Chicago, Illinois and is the second half of the concert.  This is confirmed during the intro to "Say It's Alright Joe", when Phil Collins refers to having been in some of the seedy bars in Chicago, while chatting with the audience

When Genesis revisited Chicago on their extended “…And Then There Were Three” Tour, it was decided to play at a smaller venue with better acoustics and the Uptown Theatre was chosen. Local radio station WXRT received permission to record the show for broadcast, one of only three radio recordings made during this tour.
.

The quality is very high and a lot of fans seem to rate this bootleg among the top for this tour. The volume level is somewhat low, but besides  that there is little bad to be said about this one.
In fact, I believe this is Highland's version of the famous Uptown Theater show, one of the most famous recordings from their world tour. This one claims to be "straight from the reels," and though I know nothing about that, I do know that this is a very nice version of this show. If you only want a few Genesis bootlegs, this one should  probably be on your list!
.

The Uptown Theatre
"The Uptown had been showing second-run movies when rock consortium Jam began booking rock shows there. The list of performers is impressive: The Grateful Dead for six three-night stands between 1978 and 1981; Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for three shows in 1978 and 1980; Bob Marley and the Wailers for dates in 1978 and 1979; Frank Zappa for four visits (and five shows) between 1977 and 1981; Cheap Trick opening for the Kinks in 1977; Genesis and Peter Gabriel playing six days apart in October 1978; and Prince opening for Rick James in early 1980 and headlining later that year.

Even now, one of the well-worn seat backs in the dusty auditorium boasts a Grateful Dead bumper sticker that reads, “Warning, I Brake for Hallucinations.” In the oval ladies lounge, these words remain scrawled: “Springsteen is God.”

Genesis's performance literally blew the roof off the Theatre !

But the rock bookings and movie screenings couldn’t keep the theater — owned by the Plitt movie theater chain and, for much of Jam’s time there, a local theater operator named Rene Rabiela — from falling into disrepair and eventual insolvency. The heat was shut off, and in winter 1982 the pipes burst, flooding the basement and causing extensive damage to ceilings, walls and staircases that has yet to be repaired.” [Chicago Tribune, October 11, 2011]
.
Concert Review I
(From collectorsmusicreviews.com)
Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL – October 13th, 1978

Disc 1: Intro., Eleventh Earl Of Mar, In The Cage, Burning Rope, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight/The Musical Box, Ripples, Deep In The Motherlode, One For The Vine, Squonk

Disc 2: Phil talking, Say It’s Alright Joe, The Lady Lies, Romeo and Juliet story, The Cinema Show/In That Quiet Earth, Afterglow, Follow You Follow Me, Dance On A Volcano (with drum duet), Los Endos, I Know What I Like, After show interview with Phil Collins.

Near the start of the And Then There Were Three tour Genesis played at the Stadium in Chicago. They were unhappy about their sound at the Stadium and so returned to play the smaller venue the Uptown Theatre by the end of the tour. WXRT in Chicago broadcast the concert on the air that night and the two and a half hour show ended with a seven-minute interview with Phil Collins discussing the tour and the broadcast.

From The Mouth Of The Monster

The broadcast resulted in a great sounding early release on vinyl called From The Mouth Of The Monster on Atlantis (GTT 78), a ninety-minute recording spread over two LPs. Compact disc releases include 'Follow You, Follow Me' on Great Dane Records (GDR CD 8918), Live In Chicago 1978 on Golden Stars (GSCD 2104/1-2), Live and Alive with Genesis and Phil Collins (IMT 900.019/20) on the infamous IMTRAT label, and Live at Uptown Theatre Chicago International Pop (INP023, INP024).

A source that claims to be from the WXRT reels, including the post-concert interview, surfaced and was released on Master Of Chicago (HL446/447) on Highland. The final note of “Ripples” is missing and the complete source on Follow You Follow Me was used to complete the track. Two fan-based releases on SAB and BURP also exist and circulate among Genesis collectors and Sirene most likely is a copy of SAB 05 volume 2.

Between 1976-1981 Genesis were almost always on the radio with each tour producing at least two or three excellent quality broadcasts. This is one of the best concerts from the “interim” period between the “progressive” Gabriel and the “eighties pop” Collins eras. They have always excelled in narrative song writing and they sing about a whole host of interesting characters and take the audience through several different vignettes.

“Eleventh Earl Of Mar” is a high-energy opener followed by a frenetic “In The Cage”. “Dancing With The Moonlit Knight” makes a brief return to the set and is edited into the closing heavy section of “The Musical Box.” Phil goes go great pains to teach the audience when to cheer and boo to his pantomimes before “The Lady Lies” (“People are going to think we’re not going down well!” he quips).

“The Cinema Show” segues seamlessly into “In That Quiet Earth” which runs into “Afterglow” as per the studio version. The majestic “Afterglow” is followed by the Brazilian beats of “Follow You Follow Me” which was their big hit of the day. The finale begins with an aggressive version of “Dance On A Volcano” where Collins really spits out the lyrics (“Holy mother of GOD!!!) and leads into the drum duet between him and Thompson. This feature does not translate well on poor audience recordings with the duet becoming lost in the general mush of sound.

But the clarity of this recording offers a detailed glimpse into Thompson’s and Collins’ contribution. This leads into “Los Endos” and “I Know What I Like”, which includes the “Stagnation” interlude, is the encore. The interview is interesting with Phil explaining the came back to Chicago because they were not happy with the sound mix at the Stadium, their impending first ever tour of Japan, and plans for recording the new album.

Concert Review II
Radio Chicago - David Dunnington
Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL – October 13th, 1978

Genesis at the Uptown in Chicago 1978 manifestly deserves its place in the hall of fame: the recording is a veritable case study on everything that makes bootleg material so precious to connoisseurs of live music. For starters there's the sheer extra ordinariness of the event, a bonus theater show to compensate faithful Chicago for a bad gig earlier in the tour. Genesis hauled their spectacular show of lasers and mirrors around the stadiums of the world from March until the end of the year to much acclaim, but were very unhappy about their sound at the Chicago Stadium (now long gone) in early April.

Chicago was an important stronghold for rock music in general and for Genesis in particular, the main "underground rock" station WXRT having provided the band with plenty of exposure in the years before they began to churn out hits. So from the moment that news broke about a special additional show at the comparatively small Uptown Theater, WXRT fed the frenzy with plenty of hype; excitement was riding sky high in the run up to the concert. To cap it all, following the inevitable instant ticket sell-out, WXRT announced they would be broadcasting the show live on the air.

Which brings us to the second ingredient of a classic bootleg: amazing sound fidelity. Radio engineers produced a nice crisp quadraphonic mix from the Uptown which captured both the superb detailed musicianship from Genesis and the cosmic atmosphere in the venue from the rowdy and adoring crowd Vocals and guitar were high in the mix, drums and keyboards well represented, bass somewhat less distinct (compensated for in this release). Interrupted only by the occasional radio ID between songs, WRXT caught the entire 2.5 hour event from their own opening concert introduction through to the completion of John Platt's post concert interview with Phil. The ensuing double LP bootleg release "From The Mouth Of The Monster" helped inspire a generation to collect and trade unofficial live recordings.

In part the electric atmosphere was generated by the presence of concert hardware desired to wow stadiums, now crammed into the confines of this 4400 capacity theater venue. Rotating mirrors, suspended and operated by chain motors, reflected lights and lasers from the floor, the rig and extras suspended 10 feet in the air. Accompanying this spectacle was the buzz generated by a pervading feeling that the show was a gift from Genesis to their fans in Chicago.

And what a show! Seven months' practice on the road allowed plenty of time for the material to mature and develop and to integrate new guitar/bass player Daryl Stuermer. During an outstanding performance Genesis displayed the full gamut of their repertoire, from a dizzying and frenetic rendition of "In The cage" to the tender and poignant stirrings of "Ripples". But the song that sent shivers down the collective spine of those present and of fans listening to this recording through intervening decades, was the grafting together of "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" with the closing of "The Musical Box".

An eyewitness account does justice to the moment:
"...Phil is talking to the audience about how much they have enjoyed playing in Chicago over the years, and how their shows have sold consistently well in Chicago ... then lie says 'This ones for you...' and then he sings 'Can you tell me where my country lies..-'. Well the place went nuts! You really couldn't hear the next line or two because of the cheers. We all felt that they picked a song we all knew and loved, that had not been played in years and dusted it off just for us. And then to end it with the last part of "Musical Box", well, people were just melting in their seats with joy."

Together with a great recording of a powerful, energetic virtuoso performance we also have this fascinating, unique set variation: the final and conclusive hallmark of a truly classic bootleg.

.

This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my AMCOS CD and includes the usual 'generic' artwork produced by this Australian Bootlegger.  Quality of the recording is pretty damn good - I'd give it a 9/10, but its a shame that the interview with Phil Collins is not included in this release.

.

Track Listing

01 Squonk (8:29)

02 Say It's Alright Joe (9:04)

03 The Lady Lies (with the Story of Romeo and Juliet)  (10:23)

04 Cinema Show / Riding the Scree (6:54)

05 In that quiet earth (4:31)

06 Afterglow (4:49) 

07 Follow You Follow Me (4:32)

08 Dance on a Volcano/Drums (5:46) 

09 Los Endos (6:26)

10 I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe) (9:15)

Genesis were:

Lead Vocals, Drum, Percussion – Phil Collins

Bass Guitar, Guitar, Backing Vocals – Mike Rutherford

Drums, Percussion – Chester Thompson

Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar – Tony Banks

Lead Guitar, Effects – Daryl Stuermer

.

Genesis Live - Not Authorised Link (143Mb) New Link 02/09/2025

.

Tony Banks - The Fugitive (1983) + Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1967 - Present)
.

This 2nd album by Genesis's keyboard player 'Tony Banks' hit the shops in June 1983, a few months before the eponymous Genesis album, and  some hints of what was to come can be heard here. It was the first album that Tony provided all the vocals for, cruelly he places his voice in a register between Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) and Louis Armstrong, I would say that overall his voice is closer to Al Stewart / Stephen Bishop with a hint of Julian Lennon, so in reality, not that bad at all. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd swear you were listening to an Al Stewart album if you only listened to the last track "Moving Under",  which by the way is my favourite track on this album.

Cover image based on this photo

The opening track "This is Love" has some quite heavy moments indicating to me at least that perhaps some of the heavier Genesis riffs may not be the domain of Mike Rutherford. It is labelled as ‘Rock’, and with those elements of guitars, bass, and drums, not being dependent on the Banksian keyboards it does deserve to be placed in that musical genre.

It has its moments too, the instrumentals Thirty Three’s and Charm clearly demonstrating Tony’s flair for composition. Thirty Three’s is more structured and traditional, Charm is quirky and experimental. Charm for me was the piece of choice for filling up the space on mix tapes, perhaps also showing why he was in demand for a few soundtracks around that time, sadly it’s a case of nice tunes but the wrong films. In a moment of daydreams it would have been nice to see what he would have done with Ladyhawke; nice film, very cheesy soundtrack.

It was the eighties though, and instruments of the acoustic variety are noticeable by their absence which is a shame given their use by Genesis in the early days. Guitars and bass are the constants, provided by Daryl Stuermer and Mo Foster respectively; drumming comes from three sources dependant on the sound Tony was trying to achieve; Tony Beard, Steve Gadd and Andy Duncan, all renowned drummers in their own right.

Tony Banks - Early Genesis

In the pecking order of Genesis solo albums, Tony comes last. Unjustly, but last nonetheless. With compositions on a par with erstwhile members Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett, he deserves more recognition. Taken out of the band, had he been the leaver rather than any other member, the sound that was/is Genesis would have been lacking. Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins have produced some great pop singles and albums, but that sound, the central core is Tony, and this album really does reveal that.

Soppy and sentimental? Probably, but he can rock when he wants, and with a significant edge; when pop-like the tunes have enough complication or depth to raise them above chart material, and perhaps that is the problem. They are tunes that require a listen rather than being 3-minute background noise, the hooks are there but are not in your face. Tony’s Al Stewart/Julian Lennon voice is fine, likeable even, but like Julian, Tony’s output is lost in the beast that is Genesis (John being Julian’s shadow caster).

The video of "This is Love" is a fun if historic item, it is okay and contains the ubiquitous iguana that appeared in so many video’s of the era; the iguana is believed to have retired to the Galapagos Islands with a hefty pension. Warning: it also contains that rare sighting of a laughing Tony Banks. Rumours of grumpiness may be overstated.

Tony Banks 1983

There are a number of guest musicians on the album. Daryl Stuermer, (live) guitarist with Genesis and Phil Collins, plays the guitar. Other musicians involved are Mo Foster (E-bass) and Tony Beard, Steve Gadd and Andy Duncan who all play the drums on different songs. Tony produced the album himself, with Stephen Short as a co-producer. Short had previously been involved with the production of Wind & Wuthering. The Fugitive is a pop / soft-rock album almost throughout.

I like this album, but some of that is down to nostalgia. It deserved better, though of Tony’s solo output I prefer A Curious Feeling.

Tony Banks Today

Like his later solo albums, The Fugitive was not a huge success, though it definitely had potential. Neither the album nor the singles entered the charts. As with many of Tony's solo projects the problem is that they are too cramped. He should have written music for the old Genesis fans and pay some attention to the taste of the masses... Most songs have not aged very well. Though the reviewer likes Tony's voice, he does not think it always fits the songs. The album is still worthwhile listening to, and along with his more recent 1991 album Still, it is a good point at which to start exploring  the solo oeuvre of Tony Banks.
.
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my pristine vinyl, purchased in amongst a collection of Genesis albums at the Geelong Bazaar. Thankfully the price tag on this wasn't anything like the Genesis albums. I suspect the seller didn't have a clue and I already had the Genesis LP's.  It is interesting to note that Banks recorded on Atlantic and not with Genesis's Charisma label.
This is an enjoyable album to listen to and as already mentioned, one would be forgiven thinking they were listening to an Al Stewart album, rather than a key member of Genesis.
Full album artwork and label scans are included, along with two bonus tracks, sourced from the CD release.
.
Track Listing
01. This is Love (5:17)
02. Man of Spells (3:48)
03. And The Wheels Keep Turning (4:48)
04. Say You’ll Never Leave Me (4:35)
05. Thirty Three’s (4:43)
06. By You (4:33)
07. At The Edge Of The Night (6:02)
08. Charm (5:27)
09. Moving Under (6:04)
10. K2 (4:02) Bonus Track
11. Sometime Never (3:42)  Bonus Track

Musicians:
Tony Banks – Keyboards & Vocals
Daryl Stuermer – Guitars
Mo Foster – Bass
Tony Beard – Drums
Steve Gadd – Drums
Andy Duncan – Drums

.

Tony Banks FLACs Link (315Mb)

New Link 02/01/2024

Genesis - I Know What I Like (1992) On Stage Bootleg

(U.K 1967-1999, 2006-Present)
.

THE LAMB STANDS UP AGAIN
(Article from New Musical Express, Feb 1976)
Genesis haven't bothered to recruit a replacement for Peter Gabriel when he left the band last year - they've just brought Phil Collins out from behind the drum kit to handle the vocals on their new album, 'Trick Of The Tail'.
Casual fans might find it difficult to notice the difference. Collins' voice is unnervingly like Gabriel's. But critics have found the new album more accessible than the complex 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway'.
'I think there was less friction between vocals and instrumentals,' explains Mike Rutherford. Peter's going has made us more of a band.'
They've also nailed the misconception that Gabriel wrote all Genesis' material. Rutherford and Tony Banks now have their contributions individually credited instead of being under the group banner. And they've already got a pile of material prepared for another album.
But first they'll be going on the road, adding ex-Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, so that Collins can divide his time between drumming and singing.
.

Marketed under the title 'I Know What I Like', this CD is a bootlegged release of Seconds Out minus the tracks "Supper's Ready" and "Cinema Show." Most likely, the two were not included in order to accommodate a single-disc package (Seconds Out is a double disc). Released in 1992 on the Italian 'On Stage' label, I Know What I Like has superb sound quality. The performances, recorded in Paris in 1976 and 1977, feature Collins in the role of lead vocalist for the first time on a live tour. While his voice excels on "Afterglow" and even on Gabriel's "Musical Box," it is barely adequate on other Gabriel classics, most notably "The Carpet Crawl" and the title cut. Despite these shortcomings, the music is always majestic. Chester Thompson, a one-man powerhouse, handles drum duty throughout. He and Collins double up on "Firth of Fifth," "The Musical Box," and, of course, "Los Endos." Collins also performs a keyboard solo on "Robbery, Assault and Battery." As always, Tony Banks' keyboards are the dominant force in the music, the backbone of the Genesis sound. The compositions on "I Know What I Like" are superior to anything the band accomplished thereafter.
.

The post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from CD and includes full album artwork. I have also included a scan of the 'The Lamb Stands Up Again' article and the NME chronicle from which it was taken.
I must admit that when Gabriel left Genesis back in 1975 I lost a little interest in Genesis, and focused more on his solo efforts, but one still has to give credit to Phil Collins for being able to pick up the pieces with the lead vocals and kept the band alive well into the 90's before leaving the band himself.
.
Tracklist
01     Firth Of Fifth    
02     The Carpet Crawl    
03     Afterglow    

04     I Know What I Like    
05    Robbery, Assault And Battery    
06     Squonk
07     The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
08     The Musical Box (Closing Section)
09     Dance On A Volcano 
10     Los Endos

Genesis were:
Tony Banks – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Mike Rutherford – bass, guitar, backing vocals
Steve Hackett – guitar
Phil Collins – vocals, drums, percussion
Bill Bruford – drums, percussion (supporting)
.
Genesis Link (140Mb) New Link 16/11/2024
.

Genesis - Live Unapproved (1993) Bootleg

(U.K 1967-1999, 2006-Present)
.
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently consists of its three longest-tenured members - Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherford (bass, guitar), who were founder members; and Phil Collins (vocals, drums), who first joined in 1970. Past members Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute), Steve Hackett (guitar) and Anthony Phillips (guitar), also played major roles in the band in its early years. Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time, with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide.
In 1968, they signed to Decca and, with help from producer Jonathan King, they recorded their first two singles, and the album 'From Genesis to Revelations' (Chris Stewart had been replaced on drums by John Silver) but were generally unsuccessful.

In 1970, the band came to the attention of Charisma, and with producer John Anthony they began to work on 'Trespass', a cult success.
After having replaced Phillips and Mayhew with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, the classic Genesis line-up was in place, and the band went on their now legendary 1971 tour, a colourful line-up of strange performances.
It was with 'Foxtrot', however, that Genesis scored their first major critical success, followed by 'Selling England by the Pound' in 1973. It soon made number three in the UK charts, gave the band a reputation in America, and also provided their first UK hit-single.
A year later, Genesis (now big-time rock superstars) released the concept double album 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. This album was also the last one to be made by the 'original' Genesis line-up.
In May 1975, Peter Gabriel announced his departure, and, almost two years later, Steve Hackett also left to embark upon a solo career.

In 1978, Collins, Banks and Rutherford moved from their prog-rock origins towards a light rock sound of the type that would dominate the worldwide charts in the 1980s. This resulted in their first top 40 single in the US with "Follow You Follow Me", their first number one album in the United Kingdom, Duke, and their only number one single in the United States, "Invisible Touch".
But when, in March 1996, Phil Collins suddenly announced that he had left the band, the Genesis-era finally ended.
.
Judging by the track listing on this live release, these recordings were  made while the band toured during the  'Invisible Touch' tour (1986-87). Further investigation has brought me to the conclusion that these recordings may have come from 'The Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Dec 19, 1986'. This is particular likely as the MOJO bootleg label is Australian and most of the concerts selected for release by this Bootleg label originated in Australia.
.

.

The Invisible Touch Tour: September 1986 – July 1987
With the enormous success of the Invisible Touch album, Genesis embarked on one of the largest tours of their career, playing in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Japan, and culminated in 4 nights at Wembley Stadium in the UK, capping one of the most successful tours in the history of Genesis, and documented on the Live at Wembley DVD.
For the full listing of Invisible Touch Tour Dates - see suppers-by-the-sea website
 .
Since the completion of the Mama tour in February 1984, Phil, Mike and Tony had gone their separate ways with various solo projects. Inevitably, press reports suggested the split of the band following Phil's solo success and continued session and production work. However the fans need not have worried as studio work began in the autumn of 1985, with premiers of the new material first on the B.B.C. TV's Old Grey Whistle Test programme on 17.12.85. As well as the first single "Invisible Touch", parts of another track were played under the title of Monkey Zulu, subsequently being titled "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight".
Undoubtedly the most commercial album to date Invisible Touch produced an incredible 5 singles, which all charted in North America although not reaching similar success in Europe. Assisted by the video promos by Jim Yukich's team, the band's popularity in the states reached an all time high, and inevitably the subsequent tour was scheduled to begin in the USA in September 1986. There were various attempts to take the tour further around the world than previously, with suggestions of concerts in communist China and the USSR. In the event however these plans failed to materialize, but Genesis did at last achieve the long promised trip to Australia and New Zealand, and in addition made the trip across the crumbling iron curtain to Hungary.
.

.
Tour rehearsals took place in Dallas and several reports credit rehearsals of old favourites like "Carpet Crawlers" which unfortunately never made the tour set. Apparently the non album track "Do The Neurotic" was rehearsed as a possible set closing number but eventually the old favourite Los Endos was retained. Backed by the refined light show, the tour began as scheduled in Detroit under the official title Invisible Tour. Due to huge ticket demand, only stadiums and outdoor arenas were considered, and this as well as mixed feelings over some of the shorter singles from the latest album continued the erosion of some of the bands older fan base, being more than replaced, in numbers at least, by many new fans. At least the introduction of near perfect video screens assisted the view at some of the larger venues. As well as live prospects of the band on stage, the video promos were played on these screens with the Benny Hill appearance on Anything She Does greeting the audience prior to the opening number of the set.

In a radio interview, towards the end of the tour, Mike Rutherford gave the total of shows played as 112 in 59 cities, frequently with 3-4 concerts per town.

With such a tightly organized schedule it was perhaps inevitable that the set should remain largly standardized. Three variations were played, as follows:

North America, September - October:
Mama, Abacab, Land Of Confusion, That's All, Domino, In To Deep, The Brazilian, Follow You Follow Me, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Australia / New Zealand, November - December :
Mama, Abacab, Domino, Your Own Special Way, In Too Deep, The Brazilian, That's All, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Remainder of tour:
Mama, Abacab, Domino, That's All, The Brazilian, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Afterglow, Land Of Confusion, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Throwing It All Away, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley
.
During the Australian tour the medley changed with the return of In That Quiet Earth and Afterglow in the place of Unquiet Slumbers and Supper's Ready sections, which provides even more evidence to support the source of this MOJO bootleg recording as Australian (Sydney).

Other set changes were fairly minor. Due to fighting in the crowd at Rotterdam, the "Turn It On Again" medley was cut short for safety reasons. The main alternation was the occasional omission of "Tonight Tonight Tonight", particularly at indoor stadium gigs, due to problems with Phil's voice caused mainly by the amount of smoke build up from the audience. These problems would return during the next tour in 1992 as we shall see later. Close examination shows that in some of these problem venues, slight variations were made in other numbers of the set to assist in high note sections.
Of particular note in the Australian tour dates was the return of "Your Own Special Way" for the first time since 1977. Australian regulations apparently insist on involvement of local musicians in all live concerts and an eight piece string section was therefore added for this track and In Too Deep. Apparently the same musicians had assisted Phil's solo band during his 1985/86 tour dates which no doubt resulted in their selection here.
Other sections of the sets were subject to slight changes. Phil's audience participation time before "Home By The Sea" was retained, but with the climax amended to the levitation of the arena during the contact with the other world. Audience participation was also sought during the introduction to "Domino", and the closing introductions of the "Turn It On Again"  medley. The composition of this medley also standardized after the 1983/84 tour experimentations.
.
In retrospect therefore, what were the most memorable moments of the tour? Working screens and expertly handled lightning compensated the problems of massive venues to a great extent, and the official tour video and Visible Touch promo documentary gave a good moment of the tour itself (both have been combined on one release on the DVD Live At Wembley Stadium in 2003, which is also part of the Movie Box, released in 2009). The reduction of classic tracks in the set caused some ill feeling amongst older fans and in retrospect it might have been better to remain the original medley for the European dates. Overall however the tour was a complete success, for both old and new fans.

Unusually, Genesis re-formed twice for single events over the next three years, and as the make up for the sets were obviously influenced by the Invisible Touch tour sets it is worth mentioning them here.
Firstly, the band appeared at the Atlantic Records birthday party at Madison Square Gardens on 14th May 1988. A condensed set included portions of solo members material: Turn It On Again, That's All, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Land Of Confusion, Mama, Invisible Touch, All I Need Is A Miracle, You Can't Hurry Love, Shortcut To Somewhere, Turn It On Again - reprise
Finally the band regrouped at Knebworth on 30th June 1990 for a charity concert and played Mama, Throwing It All Away and the Turn It On Again-medley together with Phil's solo band which had played an earlier set [extract from www-genesis.com]
.

This post consists of an MP3 rip (320kps) taken from CD and includes album artwork for the MOJO release and alternative artwork for the Live at The Sydney Entertainment Centre title (see below).  The quality of the recording is excellent and would give it a 9 out of 10 rating.
The track listing on the MOJO is incorrect however, and so I have also include an edited version of this generic cover with the correct listing (see tracks 4, 6 & 7). All photos from the above article have also been included for your reference.
One bit of trivia I read recently (quite by accident) is that the term 'Invisible Touch' is another name for Cocaine, so listen to this bootleg in moderation please! 
.

Track Listing
01 - Instrumental Intro / The Brazillian (05:21)
02 - In The Cage / In That Quiet Earth (12:31)
03 - Afterglow (04:20)
04 - That's All (04:37)
05 - Abacab (08:30)
06 - In The Glow Of The Night (04:19)
07 - The Last Domino (06:42)
08 - Throwing It All Away (06:51)
09 - Invisible Touch (05:20)

Tour Band Members:
Phil Collins – drums, electronic percussion, lead vocals
Tony Banks – keyboards
Mike Rutherford – lead guitar, bass guitar+, bass pedals, backing vocals, Moog Taurus
Backing Musicians:
Daryl Stuermer – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, Moog Taurus
Chester Thompson – drums
.
Genesis Link (137Mb)
.