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

Phil Collins - Unlicensed 'Live At The Perkins Palace' (1983) Bootleg

(U.K 1968 – 2011, 2015 – Present)
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Born in West London in 1951, Phil Collins started playing drums at the age of five. His musical career began in earnest when he joined Genesis as a drummer in 1970, later becoming the group's lead vocalist in 1975 when Peter Gabriel departed. In 1981, he launched his solo career, releasing a string of pop albums that catapulted him to the immense profile he enjoys today. Phil Collins has released eight studio albums over the course of his solo career, along with three compilations, two soundtracks and more than forty singles. Of Collins' many releases, his third studio album, No Jacket Required, secured his greatest acclaim. It features notable tracks like "Sussudio" and "One More Night," both of which have received countless pop-culture references throughout the years. Collins is one of the legends of the 1970s and 1980s, a member of the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame and a musical influence to later musicians like Mike Portnoy, Taylor Hawkins, Nick D'Virgilio and many others.

Former Genesis member Phil Collins has achieved a level of solo success few others can claim. Collins' tour dates, such as his 2017 'Not Dead Yet Tour', have seen him travel the United Kingdom. Other tours, like his 1997 'The Trip Into The Light Of The World Tour', his 1985 'No Jacket Required Tour', and 1983 'Hello, I Must Be Going Tour', have taken him throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania. As a solo act, Phil Collins is praised for his brilliant Pop songwriting, laced with elements from the other genres in which he's fluent like jazz, rock and fusion.

His strong vocals, intricate drum parts and generous use of 1980s-style keyboard synths add to the richness of his sound. In concert, audiences can marvel as Collins sits majestically, belting out hits while his large band provides ample accompaniment. Collins' son Nicholas is often present, dazzling crowds with drumming just as impressive as his father's. Phil Collins' music has garnered impressive numbers. His albums have sold more than 150 million units worldwide. He's been nominated for more than 20 Grammy Awards. He's won 7 Grammys, along with various American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Brit Awards (and more) as he continues to record and perform across the globe.

In 2015, Collins remastered his eight solo albums with previously unreleased material and came out of retirement. In 2017, he started 'The Not Dead Yet Tour', named after his autobiography released in 2016. After many tour legs around the world, Collins eventually made it 'Down Under' for 9 dates in January, 2019.
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Bootleg Review
Recorded live on 19 December 1982 during Phil's first ever solo tour 'Hello I Must Be Going'. Portions of this show were broadcast on U.S. FM radio stations in April of 1983.

Phil Collins delivers a well-crafted set during this show from his first solo tour in 1982. Recorded for The King Biscuit Flower Hour, this is one of three performances captured on the tour for the popular radio concert series. Exciting versions of Collins' biggest hits ("In The Air Tonight," "I Missed Again" and "Like China,") highlight this performance. Collins also delivers a memorable cover of the Supremes classic "You Can't Hurry Love" and closes the show with a very strong arrangement of the Impressions standard, "People Get Ready."

Collins had first built his career as the drummer for the popular British art rock band, Genesis. When lead vocalist Peter Gabriel departed for a solo career after 1975's Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour, however, Collins was propelled to the edge of the stage as the band's new front man. It was a role that would come easy to Collins. After a painful divorce led to the creation of several introspective demos in 1980, Collins decided it was time to pursue a solo career outside of Genesis.

There's a somewhat shaky mix of intelligent art-rock influenced by his work in Genesis and Brand X, with his newfound pop sensibility exercised in the surprise mega hit solo album, Face Value. By the time he embarked on his first solo U.S. tour in 1982, he had already amassed a number of hits, including "In The Air," "I Missed Again," "I Don't Care Anymore," "Like China," and "It Don't Matter To Me."

Collins was smart enough to wait until he'd released two very successful solo albums before going on his first solo tour. The audience, as a result, is not only familiar with these songs, but is also genuinely excited to hear them. Needless to say, there are no catcalls for Genesis to be heard. His solo revision of "Behind The Lines" is the only actual link to his work with Genesis.

His band, the Fab Jacuzzi's are just that—fabulous. The musicianship in this group is exceptional, and this show is living proof that Collins had assembled a brilliant lineup for this solo tour. [extract from wolfgangs.com]
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my AMCOS 'Unlicensed' release of this Bootleg which offers excellent sound quality, as you would expect from a King Biscuit Flower Hour (KBFH)  radio broadcast. The only anomaly with this release is the single track format of this AMCOS release which reproduces the 11 song concert performance.  In some ways, the continuity of the concert is maintained by doing this, however, if one is looking for  a particular track then this quite annoying.

To this end, I have broken up the concert into 10 Tracks (You Can't Hurry Love & It Don't Matter To Me are still combined as there is no break between songs) and provided both formats for downloading.

A usual, I am also including artwork for this bootleg, along with artwork for alternative releases of this bootleg (see below), including the KBFH release on vinyl.
Note: that many bootleg releases credit the concert as being from 1983, whereas the concert was in fact recorded in 1982 and aired on FM Radio in 1983. Phil Collins and The Fabulous Jacuzzi’s - Concert Photographs taken by Sean Adams.

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Track Listing:

01. I Don't Care Anymore     (Collins)   06:03

02. I Cannot Believe It's True (Collins)  07:26

03. Thru These Walls (Collins)    05:10

04. I Missed Again (Collins)    03:40

05. Behind The Lines (Banks/Collins/Rutherford)  03:54

06. The Roof Is Leaking (Collins)    03:39

07. The West Side (Collins)    06:09

08. In The Air Tonight (Collins)    05:23

09. You Can't Hurry Love (Holland/Dozier/Holland)   03:26

10. It Don't Matter To Me (Collins)     04:28

11. People Get Ready (Mayfield)   04:04

Phil and the Fab Jacuzzi's:

Lead Vocals, Drums, Keyboards – Phil Collins

Bass – Mo Foster

Drums – Chester Thompson

Guitar – Daryl Stuermer

Keyboards – Peter Robinson

Saxophone – Don Myrick

Trombone – Louis Satterfield

Trumpet – Michael Harris, Rahmlee Michael Davis

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Unlicensed Live  'No Song Separation' Link (306Mb) 

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Unlicensed Live 'With Song Separation' Link (307Mb)

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Phil Collins - Live at the Entertainment Centre, Melbourne (1985)

(U.K 1968 – 2011, 2015 – Present)
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Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much a surprise to him as it was to many others. Balding and diminutive, the Genesis drummer-turned-vocalist was almost 30 years old when his first solo single, "In the Air Tonight," became a number two hit in his native U.K. (the song was a Top 20 hit in the U.S.).

He got his first break in music in his late teens, when he was chosen to be a replacement drummer in the British art rock band Genesis in 1970. (Collins maintained a separate jazz career with the band Brand X as well.)

...And Then There Were Three...Genesis was fronted by singer Peter Gabriel. They had achieved a moderate level of success in the U.K. and the U.S. with elaborate concept albums, before Gabriel abruptly left in 1974. Genesis auditioned 400 singers without success, then decided to let Collins have a go. The result was a gradual simplifying of Genesis' sound and an increasing focus on Collins' expressive, throaty voice. And Then There Were Three... went gold in 1978, and Duke was even more successful.

Collins made his debut solo album, 'Face Value', in 1981, which turned out to be a bigger hit than any Genesis album. It concentrated on Collins' voice, often in stark, haunting contexts such as the piano-and-drum dirge "In the Air Tonight," which sounded like something from John Lennon's debut solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

During the '80s, Collins was enormously successful in balancing his continuing solo work with his membership in Genesis. In 1992, Genesis released We Can't Dance and began an extensive tour. Upon its completion, Collins released Both Sides in 1993, and the record became his first album not to produce a major hit single or go multi-platinum. In 1995, he announced that he was leaving Genesis permanently, and has continued to nurture his solo career ever since.  [extract from allmusic.com]
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The following concert recording made in Melbourne (Australia) was made during Phil's big time 'The No Jacket Required World Tour' which took place between February 1985 to July 1985, in support of his 1985 album, 'No Jacket Required'. The album had been a big international success and the tour concluded with Collins performing "Against All Odds" and Long Long Way To Go at both Live Aid concerts, in London and Philadelphia, on 13 July 1985. the latter, Sting played guitar and sang backing vocals.

A television special was recorded in Dallas and aired on HBO, entitled No Jacket Required... Sold Out. The broadcast was released as a VHS in 1985 with extended footage and the title changed to Phil Collins: No Ticket Required.

Melbourne Concert Review
Recorded At the Entertainment Centre in Melbourne, this bootleg is a nice complete soundboard recording from  the second night show (13th April). What makes this show a stand out is that Collins actually visited Australia before Genesis did! Phil is in fine form, using a lot of the same old gags on the song intros that he had used on the Mama tour, right down to the whole "fugitive from justice" bit that he sticks before "Don't Lose My Number." There is even a presage of his "Throwing It All Away" dee-dah-day singing in "Hand in Hand." The quality is great; the mix sounds a little weird to me, the lead vocals in particular, but sometimes the drums.

It seems in Australia bands performing live have to be backed by a string section for at least a few songs. Phil's band, he explains, is the hot tubs, so the strings are the "nine warm jets." The band introduction track, you'll notice, is incredibly long--but I also found it hilarious.

It is the complete and unedited show in a superb soundboard quality. This tour has no official complete material. This show from Melbourne is the best documentation of this tour which there is currently. I hope you like it [comments by Steve Genzano @ bluesnaggletooth12.com]
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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) taken from a soundboard feed and has been labelled as a Hussey Remaster. (thanks to the original uploader - Cina Najcler). A selection of artwork is included for the various releases for this bootleg recording, all released as a double CD set.  Quality of the recording is a close 10 out of 10.
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Track Listing
CD 1
01.  I Don't Care Anymore 6:25
02.  Only You Know and I Know 5:59
03.  I Cannot Believe It's True 4:30
04.  This Must Be Love 5:47
05.  Against All Odds 3:37
06.  Inside Out 5:18
07.  Who Said I Would 5:11
08.  You Know What I Mean 4:42
09.  If Leaving Me Is Easy 8:24
10.  Sussudio 5:05
11.  Behind the Lines 4:49
12.  Don't Lose My Number 4:28

CD 2
01.  The West Side 8:24

02.  One More Night 5:49
03.  In the Air Tonight 7:45
04.  Band Introductions 8:58
05.  Like China 5:29
06.  You Can't Hurry love 3:01
07.  It Don't Matter to Me 4:23
08.  Hand in Hand 11:01
09.  Take Me Home 8:15
10.  People Get Ready 3:29
11.  It's Alright 2:43 
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Musicians:
Phil Collins : vocals, drums, piano
Peter Robinson : keyboards
Leland Sklar : bass
Daryl Stuermer : guitar
Chester Thompson : drums

The Phenix Horns :
Rhamlee Michael Davis : trumpet
Michael Harris : trumpet
Don Myrick : sax
Louis Satterfield : trombone

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Phil Collins Link (237Mb) New Link 09/05/2021

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Phil Collins - Unauthorised Vol.2 (In The Air Tonight) 1983 Bootleg

(U.K 1968-Present)
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Phil Collins is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboardist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for English progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.
Collins sang the lead vocals on eight American chart-toppers between 1984 and 1989; seven as a solo artist and one with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight", to the dance pop of "Sussudio", to the political statements of his most successful song, "Another Day in Paradise".
His international popularity transformed Genesis from a progressive rock group to a regular on the pop charts and an early MTV mainstay.

Collins' professional career began as a drummer, first with obscure rock group Flaming Youth and then more famously with Genesis. In Genesis, Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel, singing lead on only two songs: "For Absent Friends" from 1971's Nursery Rhyme album and "More Fool Me" from Selling England by the Pound, which was released in 1973. On Gabriel's departure in 1975, Collins became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed, Genesis' first international hit, "Follow You, Follow Me", demonstrated a drastic change from the band's early years.
His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins' total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were 150 million. He has won seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and two Golden Globes for his solo work.

.Phil Collins stars in this live performance, recorded in California, USA in 1983 (venue unknown). Just to show how captivating his music is, I can still remember driving to my first job in 1983 and playing his first 2 solo albums in my car on my trusty tape deck - I haven't stopped listening to Collin's music since.
On his studio releases, his music is rocking, with his amazing drum and percussion ability, and his brilliant vocals. Live, Phil Collins' music is even better and that is what you get on this bootleg, the recording is excellent for a bootleg - definitely a soundboard recording.
If you're not into the loud drums and noisy live music there are still a couple of subtle tracks to keep you happy, along with the great tracks such as 'In The Air Tonight'.
Part 2 of the concert includes two of my favourite Phil Collins tracks, 'You Can't Hurry Love' and 'In The Air Tonight' which you have probably heard and I can guarantee are great renditions on this live bootleg. Other treats and highlights from the concert are the lengthy 'mostly instrumental' tracks "The West Side" and "Hand To Hand"
The only anomaly with this bootleg is the last track "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore", which is not listed on the 'Live In USA 1983' release of this concert (see Suppers By The Sea) from which this bootleg was probably lifted.

The track certainly sounds like it belongs (and sounds very much like an encore), starting with Collins telling the audience that 'they don't know anymore songs' and therefore implying that it would be their last for the night!
The remaining track listing matches the boot "Live in USA" and the recording date is the same, so I can only conclude that they are one and the same thing. I haven't been able to acquire Vol.1 of this Unauthorised release, but an eBay copy's 'track listing' of Vol.1 matches the first half of the 'Live In USA 1983' concert also.

The rip was taken from CD at 320kps and full album artwork is included, along with the front cover for the original 'Live In USA' release (see below). The sound quality of this bootleg is excellent.
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Track Listing
01 - Band Intros
02 - The West Side
03 - In The Air Tonight

04 - Medley:
..... Like China
.......Only You Know What I Know
.......You Can't Hurry Love
.......It Don't Matter To Me
05 - Hand In Hand
06 - And So To F*
07 - People Get Ready
08 - (Encore) Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore?
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Band Members:
Phil Collins (Drums, Keyboards, Vocals)
Daryl Stuermer (Guitars)
John Giblin (Bass)
Don Myrick (Alto Sax)
Peter Robinson (Piano)
The Phoenix Horns
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Phil Collins Link (109Mb) New Link 30/12/2023