Genesis (1967-1998, 2006-) Influential English Progressive Rock Band Currently with Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins

[Pool Boy]

This, this is what my musical identity is rooted in.

Los Endos (live)

And studio

Progressive 1970s rock. And yes, that is Bill Bruford in 1976 touring with the boys. And no, I was 9 years old so I did not get to see it. But MAN!

[Tweaked]

Definitely one of my favorite bands.  Seen them twice live.  Their reputation has been sullied by their 80s pop phase, but if you go back to the 70s they were really an innovative band and helped shaped big "stadium" concerts.

[DonRocks]

Their reputation has been sullied by their 80s pop phase, but if you go back to the 70s they were really an innovative band and helped shaped big "stadium" concerts.

One might say they were the Genesis of big stadium concerts.

[Pool Boy]

I saw them several times, 1983 Mama tour (Cap Center in MD), 1986/7 Invisible Touch tour (twice I believe) (pretty sure these were both at RFK in DC), once in 1991 or 1992 for the We Can't Dance tour (again RFK I think) and again in 2007 for their what the hell let's try to get Pete and Steve to join us but oh yes that will never happen (except the one time in 1982) tour (Verizon Center, DC)

But I am not mentioning the best time I saw them. 1982. They'd already toured for Abacab. They'd just released 3 sides live, but had not finished the Mama album. But they toured anyway. Merriweather Post in Columbia, MD. I was still a gabriel-era neophyte, but I knew Trick & W&W and some of the better bits from before due to the Seconds Out live album. I mean, playing Whodunnit was pretty stupid, but whatever. Most of it was good to great. But when they played Supepr's Ready, I crapped my pants. And then, after all of what they played, they did an encore of Lamb-into-Watcher of the Skies. WOW.  And this was so visually amazing to. They were the second band ever (ZZ Top was first) to use vari-lights. But the *way* they used them was stunning. A brilliant show.

[Tweaked]

I went to the We Can't Dance tour and their last tour at Verizon, which I went to by myself because no one else wanted to go to a Genesis concert, but damn it I wasn't going to miss it.

[Pool Boy]

Steve Hackett's solo 'Spectral Mornings'.

[Pool Boy]

Can Utility and the Coastliners - This is just genius. Especially the musical bit from about 1:40 to around the 4:00 mark -- listen to each instrument. I mean, the drumming on this is insane. Collins was using a 4 or 5 piece kit - that is it. Incredible.

[Tweaked]

Pool Boy, have you been to either:

Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited concerts.  He played the Lincoln Theater a year or two ago, and I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't go.

or

The Musical Box tribute band concerts, which it's my understanding have pretty much got the official Genesis blessing, to the point of Genesis providing them props, slides, projections etc.

[Pool Boy]

Pool Boy, have you been to either:

Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited concerts.  He played the Lincoln Theater a year or two ago, and I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't go.

or

The Musical Box tribute band concerts, which it's my understanding have pretty much got the official Genesis blessing, to the point of Genesis providing them props, slides, projections etc.

Steve Hackett was indeed here about a year ago and I totally farted it up and forgot. From what I have seen of tour footage it was amazing! He was near Philadelphia on Thanksgiving week - I would have gone there if it was a week or two earlier or later. DANG IT!

And The Musical Box is great. Their lineup of members was better in 2007 than today (I prefer the old 'Tony Banks' and I really prefer the old 'Phil Collins'), but they still put on a really good show.

[Tweaked]

SET LIST FOR THE STEVE HACKETT GENESIS REVISITED
USA TOUR 2013

• WATCHER OF THE SKIES
• DANCING WITH THE MOONLIT KNIGHT
• FLY ON A WINDSHIELD
• BROADWAY MELODY OF 1974
• THE LAMIA
• THE MUSICAL BOX
• HORIZONS
• BLOOD ON THE ROOFTOPS
• UNQUIET SLUMBERS FOR THE SLEEPERS
• IN THAT QUIET EARTH
• AFTERGLOW
• FOUNTAIN OF SALMACIS
• I KNOW WHAT I LIKE
• DANCE ON A VOLCANO
• SUPPER'S READY
• FIRTH OF FIFTH
• LOS ENDOS

[DanielK]

Too bad Hackett is still bitter about the GTR project. Would be cool to see this in a setlist.

[Pool Boy]

SET LIST FOR THE STEVE HACKETT GENESIS REVISITED

USA TOUR 2013

• WATCHER OF THE SKIES
• DANCING WITH THE MOONLIT KNIGHT
• FLY ON A WINDSHIELD
• BROADWAY MELODY OF 1974
• THE LAMIA
• THE MUSICAL BOX
• HORIZONS
• BLOOD ON THE ROOFTOPS
• UNQUIET SLUMBERS FOR THE SLEEPERS
• IN THAT QUIET EARTH
• AFTERGLOW
• FOUNTAIN OF SALMACIS
• I KNOW WHAT I LIKE
• DANCE ON A VOLCANO
• SUPPER'S READY
• FIRTH OF FIFTH
• LOS ENDOS

OMG. Wow. Just wow.

Too bad Hackett is still bitter about the GTR project. Would be cool to see this in a setlist.

I did not realize he was sour grapes about it all. Saw them play twice. Went for the second time with my brothers because they simply did not believe me that he played After the Ordeal at the show.  It gave the two guys a platform for a short time to play some music to their fans in a larger format than they could have done as a pure solo act.

[Pool Boy]

For an exceptional look at 1978 era Genesis, as taped and lovingly restored by a fan with soundboard quality sound - Indulge in this for an hour. If you love their catalog of music up to that point, you will pretty much crap your pants.

 

[Pool Boy]

On 4/17/2015 at 11:01 AM, Tweaked said:

Pool Boy, have you been to either:

Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited concerts.  He played the Lincoln Theater a year or two ago, and I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't go.

or

The Musical Box tribute band concerts, which it's my understanding have pretty much got the official Genesis blessing, to the point of Genesis providing them props, slides, projections etc.

I saw him now do a similar setlist i think in late 2015 or 2016 at the lincoln. Wiw. I would have paid 50 bucks to. See shadow of hierophant alone.

[dcs]

No Gabriel + No Hackett = No Genesis.

[Pool Boy]

On 8/25/2017 at 4:51 AM, dcs said:

No Gabriel + No Hackett = No Genesis.

I generally agree. There was still greatness in A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering, though. I even like elements of later albums (Duke in particular, and stray songs further after - mostly the Banks written material).

The tension of those 5 guys was lost when Pete and Steve gave up fighting with Tony (who was relentless, but also a genius). Mike and Phil are much more agreeable folk, so they could roll with whatever happened to the band.

[Tweaked]

Genesis off-shoot alert:

Daryl Stuermer at Rams Head on Stage.  Wed Oct. 25, 2017 (who knew he's had 9 studio releases)

Mike + The Mechanics at Rams Head on Stage.  Wed March 28, 2018 ($85 to hear "The Living Years" and "All I Need is a Miracle")

[Pool Boy]

An interesting cover of Firth of Fifth. A little too fast, but an interesting piano only arrangement that is fascinating.

[Pool Boy]

On 4/17/2015 at 6:07 PM, Pool Boy said:

For an exceptional look at 1978 era Genesis, as taped and lovingly restored by a fan with soundboard quality sound - Indulge in this for an hour. If you love their catalog of music up to that point, you will pretty much crap your pants.

Sweet jeebus I had forgotten how good this footage was. Wow.

 

[Al Dente]

I finally got a Spotify account. Man, the rabbit holes I get lost in. Anyway, I was checking out some albums that I listened to a lot back in college and came upon Seconds Out. It's amazing how well I'm remembering it-- despite over 30 years and all the bong hits. 

Firth of Fifth from Seconds Out.

Another cool version of Firth of Fifth.

[Pool Boy]

3 hours ago, Al Dente said:

I finally got a Spotify account. Man, the rabbit holes I get lost in. Anyway, I was checking out some albums that I listened to a lot back in college and came upon Seconds Out. It's amazing how well I'm remembering it-- despite over 30 years and all the bong hits. 

Firth of Fifth from Seconds Out.

Another cool version of Firth of Fifth.

That is an amazing, amazing song. I remember my oldest brother passed dwn on a heavily played copy to me when he upgraded to a Japanese virgin vinyl version. I'd been exposed to Abacab and Genesis more recently, but remember making fun of him cranking A Trick of the Tail.  When I finally expressed some interest, it was revelatory.  Away went all of my first interests, some of whom I will not mention, but Styx seemed so simplistic when I compared Genesis to those guys. I remember deep diving in to the back catalog of these gents from the mid 80s to around 1990. They are still in heavy rotation when I want something that is technical, melodic and with some feel to it (that is not melodic progressive death metal, that is).

That second link is a nice find.

[DonRocks]

On 11/10/2017 at 10:47 PM, Pool Boy said:

An interesting cover of Firth of Fifth. A little too fast, but an interesting piano only arrangement that is fascinating.

This is really funny: I had never heard of "Firth of Fifth," but I knew about "Firth of Forth" because I saw it on a map once, and it was such a cool name that it has always stayed in my memory - I guess Genesis was making a pun.

(A "firth" is an estuary - where the river meets the sea. In this case, it's the estuary of where the Forth River empties into the North Sea.)

[Al Dente]

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

This is really funny: I had never heard of "Firth of Fifth," but I knew about "Firth of Forth" because I saw it on a map once, and it was such a cool name that it has always stayed in my memory - I guess Genesis was making a pun.

(A "firth" is an estuary - where the river meets the sea. In this case, it's the estuary of where the Forth River empties into the North Sea.)

I'm curious-- what do you think of the music?

[DonRocks]

22 hours ago, Al Dente said:

I'm curious-- what do you think of the music?

I almost hate to say this, but I haven't listened to it yet.

I *did* listen to the Brahms Violin and Cello Concerto today, FWIW.

---

ETA: I just heard it (your very first link up above). I really liked it - it reminds me of something Rick Wakeman might have done, but this is better.

[Pool Boy]

On 11/14/2017 at 8:39 PM, DonRocks said:

I almost hate to say this, but I haven't listened to it yet.

I *did* listen to the Brahms Violin and Cello Concerto today, FWIW.

---

ETA: I just heard it (your very first link up above). I really liked it - it reminds me of something Rick Wakeman might have done, but this is better.

Wakeman is fine and certainly has his moments, but Banks is, as my oldest brother put is to me always, a purveyor of 'The lord's chords'. His sense of chords and notes and progressions that work is kind of mind blowing.

Here's one off of 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. It's one of my favorites of that double album - The Lamia.
 

 

[Al Dente]

Happy Friday!

Today's Genesis performance!

 

[Pool Boy]

Nice!

Here's a gem.
 

 

[Pool Boy]

THis is another gem of a find - lovingly put together - good bits in there.

 

 

[Tweaked]

The concert footage used around the one hour mark is available as a stand alone concert video on youtube. It's very good. I'll see if I can dig it up.

The skinny Gabriel years were excellent. 

[Tweaked]

Personally, I think this is one of the best, if not the best, restored concert footage of the classic Genesis lineup.  At least what I've come across anyway.

It's known as:

Genesis: Live 1973 - First time in HD with Enhanced Soundtrack

Shepperton Studios, UK: 30/31 October 1973

 

Watcher of the Skies (0:00) Dancing with the Moonlit Knight (8:36) I Know What I Like (17:40) The Musical Box (24:00) Supper's Ready (37:10)

The notes on YouTube explains the process that was used to transfer and restore the audio and video. 

 

[MsDiPesto]

I wish I had seen the earlier, prog rock version of Genesis live. Kevin Gilbert and Giraffe performed great covers. There's one of them playing Lamb Lies Down at the '94 Progfest. However, that's been removed in order to package it and the rest of the songs they did from the album for sale. There is one crummy quality tape on YouTube that skips over most of the wonderful entrance during which Kevin comes on stage as Peter Gabriel, holding a boombox. Kasey Kasem is heard on the boombox about to play a Genesis song...which turns out to be Invisible Touch. Gilbert throws the boombox in a trash can and pounds it with the end of a broom handle. Then walks over to his band and they go right into "Lamb". 

[Pool Boy]

8 hours ago, MsDiPesto said:

I wish I had seen the earlier, prog rock version of Genesis live. 

Same - the closest I came was the 1982 and 1983 shows - 1982 had the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in to a Watcher of the Skies finish - it was fantastic - and full length Supper's Ready (they had rehearsed it a lot because of the one off concert to help Gabrial out of the WOMAD debt, so why not?). Incredible.  And 1983 was no slouch when they dusted off the extended medley they did there - finishing later with a full bore Los Endos.

2007 had some nice bits and the music was solid, but Collins's voice had faded a lot.

The closest I get these days is The Musical Box - great cover band putting on replica concerts - really good. I saw them in 2007 or 2008 and at the time they had incredible musicians filling the Phil Collins and Tony Banks roles. Ufortunately, they were really good and moved on soon after. The overall group doing it still is quite good. Those guys and then the legi Steve Hackett - he not only plays great pieces frm his solo catalog, but he's done large swaths of the Genesis catalog from 1971-1977 period he was in the band - he's got a lot of good folks i his band too.

[MsDiPesto]

There was a band that would perform Genesis material out in Fairfax a couple of times a year named "Selling Fairfax By the Pound". Always meant to catch one of their shows, but life got in the way.