Genesis – Genesis Live
“That was an unaccompanied bass pedal solo from Michael Rutherford”
At one point in the past Live albums could serve as a gateway drug to a band’s back catalog. They were put out often as a stopgap between studio releases but very often at a time when the fanbase was growing significantly or the band was at a creative or performance peak at that point in their career. Peter Gabriel Plays Live is one such example. Alchemy by Dire Straits is another as is Supertramp’s Paris or Rheostatics Double Live. More often than not they were abridged and rearranged versions of their live show and usually drawn from different shows but sequenced and mixed to give the illusion of a single event. They are representations of the live experience and the best ones usually incorporate a nice balance of audience chatter/applause as well as stage banter.
Following the release of Foxtrot Genesis set out on a tour between September 72 and May 73 through the UK, Europe and to the US with a spot at Reading Festival in August 73 as well. Originally recorded on February 25 1973 at De Montfort Hall in Leicester (and one song from Feb 24 at Free Trade Hall in Manchester) with the intention to be broadcast on the US radio show King Biscuit Flower Hour, Genesis Live ended up being the band’s first official live album. From what I’ve read the show was never actually broadcast but their label wanted to bridge the time between studio releases with a budget priced release which would capitalize on their growing popularity and recent foray into the US. That being said the band did not want the album released in the US though it would be the following year.
The album itself does a great job of capturing the live essence of the band at this time and was the only official live documentation of this lineup until the 1967-1975 Archive release in 1998. The track listing is basically the songs played on the Foxtrot Tour and from this particular show minus Supper’s Ready, though the setlists from the time seem to shuffle the order around a bit and the odd song added/removed like Twilight Alehouse (more on this next post), The Fountain of Salmacis and Can-Utility and the Coastliners. The overall live dynamic of the band is captured well and there is some very minor talk/introductions – not a lot but enough to make it feel like a live show. The songs themselves are true to their studio arrangements but prove the band was well talented enough to reproduce this complex music on stage. It is also a driving, energetic, powerful album for the most part. I think the album also, as noted above, has acted as a gateway album for many people exploring their early catalog as it contains highlights from Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot.
There seems to be a lot of speculation that the album was originally intended to be a double record. There are a few known test pressings of a double LP which included Supper’s Ready and having Side 1: Watcher of The Skies, The Musical Box; Side 2: Get ‘Em Out By Friday; Side 3: Supper’s Ready (including story); Side 4: Return Of The Giant Hogweed, The Knife. A whole bunch of info about this extremely rare and valuable oddity can be found at http://www.genesismuseum.com/vinyl/livetp.htm – My feeling personally is that it is unlikely to have been a double album release and more likely something that was under consideration/production for the Radio broadcast. Two main reasons I think this is the case are, firstly Charisma had intended the release to be a budget stopgap album which is in contrast with the cost of a double album. Secondly Get ‘Em Out By Friday was only 9:50 long which would have been very odd for that time period to have a full side of an album contain only one song of that length. It does happen now with re-issues and half speed remasters, but I can’t think of a single live album from that time that where something like this was released. We may never know. The version of Supper’s Ready that was released on the 1998 Box Set Genesis Archive 1967-1975 was a different version from the one on the test pressing. Also, Gabriel in a constant battle to out ret-con George Lucas re-recorded some of the vocals on that version. In the end maybe it was supposed to be a double album, maybe just a radio broadcast test pressing – I don’t know if anyone in or around the band has ever confirmed it one way or the other though I’m sure Tony would be correct either way. The funny thing is that the album cover is actually of the “Magog” costume worn during the Apocalypse in 9/8 part of Supper’s Ready – a song which didn’t make the album (though was a part of the show).
Interestingly, the genesis (sorry) of Gabriel’s departure from the band 2 years later actually had its start on this album. Despite being a tight live group, the band members had a longstanding propensity for tuning their instruments between songs. So, to pass the time Peter started making up stories to bridge the time and keep the audience engaged – assuming that fox’s heads and red dresses weren’t enough . The stories he told would be wildly creative and I would describe as Science Fiction from Old England – Like if Charles Dickens and Arthur C Clarke sat down to write a story treatment, they would come up with something similar. Anyway, they say she comes on a pale horse…wait that’s not right…what I meant to say is, on the back cover of this album is one of the stories that Gabriel would tell onstage – you can hear another example here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm-Aa48kpRo. The story eventually caught the attention of movie director William Friedkin who had recently won three Academy Awards for The Exorcist. Seems odd to think that some weird old guy was listening to Genesis in 1973…until you realize maybe it has always been weird old guys (and girls) listening to them. In 1974 Friedkin was working on a think box collective of people to come up with movie ideas and invited Gabriel to participate. It wasn’t the reason he left the band, but it was definitely something that pushed him to consider what he wanted to do – along with other reasons which I’ll talk about when I discuss The Lamb/A Trick Of The Tail albums.
Recommended Listening – Watcher Of The Skies, The Musical Box
If you would like to listen to the Test Pressing version of Genesis Live you can download it here – http://www.darrincappe.com/Genesis/GEN730225TM.zip
