b o b

This is possibly my favorite Genesis album. They picked most of their best early material to include (about the only track I'd get rid of is "Hogweed"), and the performances are even stronger than their studio counterparts. The light bits sound more delicate, the heavy parts really thunder. This band definitely knew how to control their dynamics on stage. The presentation manages to be very dramatic without slipping over the edge into melodrama, which is where most neoprog bands that try to imitate Genesis go wrong. I've read rumors that this was originally supposed to be a double album, with the second disc containing a live version of "Supper's Ready", and possibly other tracks. It's a shame that didn't happen - I'd gladly reduce all the other live Genesis albums to singles to make this a double. For those new to the band, this disc gives a good overview of Genesis in their prime. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

j a c k

This is extracted from a live performance recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show on their Foxtrot tour. This is basically the whole set, minus "Supper's Ready," and most of Peter Gabriel's in-between-song banter. The sound quality on this isn't necessarily all that great, but considering it was 1973, it's pretty good. The vinyl copy I have is pretty noisy, but the CD remaster sounds much cleaner. Personally, I think the noisiness adds a lot to the performance. Genesis has said that they were much more "gutsy" live back then, and it shows on this album. The quiet parts are very pretty, though tense, and the loud parts get very intense when the whole band kicks in. Excellent dynamics. Steve and Tony play off each other very well in the instrumental passages. Steve and Phil make "The Knife" rock like it's supposed to. I enjoy all of these performances more than their studio counterparts, but highlights for me are "Hogweed," "Box," and "Knife." It's fun hearing Tony screw up too — listen at around 3:05 in "The Knife." :-) review by Jack Hesse — undated —

s e a n

The first Genesis live album is notable not so much for what it is, but for what it could have been. The album was created using material from the Foxtrot tour, and contains two songs from that album (but no "Supper's Ready"). In addition there are two tracks from Nursery Cryme as well as "The Knife" from Trespass. The most notably different track is "The Knife", due mainly to the change in guitarists from Ant Phillips to Steve Hackett. The former's evil, crunchy parts are replaced by Hackett's more stereotypical playing. The notable improvement in drumming (Mayhew to Collins) almost entirely makes up for this, though. The sound quality and performances here are certainly good. What is unfortunate is that due to the timing of the release much of the band's strongest material (from Selling England...) is omitted, and had to wait 25 years for a box set reissue. Tragically, no Gabriel-era version of "The Cinema Show" is available. And once more, the omission of the band's epic "Supper's Ready" is almost unforgivable. Surely with the amount of good material the band had at the time, there was enough for a double-LP. This is a worthy representation of the Genesis live sound, but fans wanting the whole story are going to want the box set as well. Good, even if it fails to totally slake one's thirst. review by Sean McFee — undated —

e r i c

The main interest in this release is that it is the only available live release with Gabriel live (outside of bootlegs) before the box set. Although the performances are average, we get to hear classics such as "Return of the Giant Hogweed" and "The Knife", for example, that we can't get anywhere else. Although the sound quality is lacking we have to be happy for the excellent song selection. review by Eric Porter — undated —