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4.)-Old
Medley (A collection of 8 older Genesis songs: (Dance On A Volcano,
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, The Music Box, Firth of Fifth, I
Know What I Like, That's All, Illegal Alien, Follow You, Follow
Me) |
4.)-Domino |
| The
Review |
Say what you may about the Phil
Collins dominated version of Genesis from the 80's and early
90's, nobody can deny that they were still pretty entertaining
and musically solid, as this 2-disc set proves. Live is where
their pop leanings and progressive bravado collide for a powerful
mix of the two. This was filmed live during the 1992 tour
for WE CAN'T DANCE, the very last outing for Collins before
they aquired Ray Wilson and a more modern rock, eventually
and undeservingly going down the tubes. But this is a live
doccument of Genesis still on top. This was a major moneymaking
tour with all the trimmings, utilising the large Jumbotron
video screens. The videos and images shown during these songs
further enhanced the material and brought greater understanding
to what some of the songs were about. I'm sure the fact that
HOME BY THE SEA was about a haunted house and that TONIGHT
TONIGHT TONIGHT was about a heroine addict probably escaped
a lot of people who were either distracted by the snappy beat
or complaining that it wasn't like RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED.
The video images added to the emotional impact of these. ***
Phil and company are musically
tight. The combined powerhouse drumming of Phil and Chester
Thompson and the ridiculously professional chops of Daryl
Stuermer are anything but plastic and contrieved. Stuermer
can handle anything thrown his way, no matter what genre.
Collins is a finer showman than many give him credit for,
and works better in the context of Genesis. Sound and picture
are tops, and the concert can be viewed at multiple angles,
in surround, and with or without commentary from the band.
Extras include interviews and a photo gallery. One drawback
is the interviews do not run continuously, you have to click
on each question. Also the 'commentary' - it's hard to understand
these guys joking around and talking fast during this feature,
though I'm not sure who would listen to this over top the
live performance. ***
The songs included make up for
a cohesive show. Of course it would have been great to have
more earlier material, the fact that Genesis chose to perform
10 minute newer songs like DOMINO and HOME BY THE SEA instead
of a few radio hits like IN TOO DEEP, THAT'S ALL or NO REPLY
AT ALL says something for them. The 'OLD MEDLEY' of 70's material
is always a spellbinding high point in a Genesis show, and
in an act of good taste, Genesis perform their best epic from
their commercial years in its entirety, which is of course
FADING LIGHTS. I suppose they performed what they felt made
up a solid show. There's of course the DRUM DUET which confirms
that both Collins and Thompson are two of the best drummers
in rock or fusion. And even 'commercial' songs such as THROWING
IT ALL AWAY take on a different feel. If you thought you hated
the later Genesis, you may begrudgingly give this set the
thumbs up. If you saw that tour like I did, it serves as a
decent souvenier.
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