Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Musical Box, Part III, November 23, 2008
So, we finally come to it at last: the third & final Genesis box set in the band's box set trilogy. And this time, we're going all the way back to the band's beginning! "Genesis 1970-1975" is the Peter Gabriel era, the early days of the band when Phil Collins stayed behind the drumkit (or, in the case of "Trespass," wasn't even in the band yet), and Peter Gabriel was the frontman, dressing up in all of his wild, wacky costumes. Five albums included here: "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," "Foxtrot," "Selling England By The Pound," and "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," all remastered and remixed by producer Nick Davis, with lots of fantastic early concert footage, and insightful interviews with the various bandmembers, recorded in 2007 (NOTE: the group's 1969 debut album, "From Genesis To Revelation," is not included in the box set for legal reasons). The box set also comes with an exclusive bonus disc of rare tracks and exclusive footage, and a handsome 42-page booklet. All five Genesis albums featured here are 5-star classics in my book, and the sound quality and remixing on all of them is nothing short of superb (thank you, Nick Davis!). Like the two Genesis box sets before it, Davis has once again brought the vocals more up front, as well as some of the instrumentation, so you can now hear notes & passages played & sung that were previously buried. "The Lamb," in particular, is a whole new album! I heard stuff on this new version of "The Lamb" that I've *never* heard before (there's even a few more seconds added to Steve Hackett's mystic strumming on "Fly On A Windshield"---I never knew the track had been edited!). The bonus disc of rarities is a real treat---most of these rare cuts have already been issued on the "Genesis Archive 1967-1975" box set, and they're all fabulous (including the phenomenal "Twilight Alehouse"), but the main attraction here is the previously-unreleased 15-minute tape called "Genesis Plays Jackson," a never-finished soundtrack the band recorded for an aborted BBC documentary about the painter Michael Jackson, and the band would later raid some of this material for "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," and "The Lamb." It is *very* fascinating stuff to hear. And the video content on this box set is sensational, with lots of amazing vintage concert footage of Peter & the boys in action, including the priceless, rare 1973 concert film shot on the "Selling England" tour (it's about an hour long), and equally-priceless TV performances recorded in 1971, '73 and '74. And listen to this: while there is no "proper" footage included from "The Lamb" tour---regretfully, the band never filmed the "Lamb" show in it's entirety---the 5.1 DVD of "The Lamb" offers an outstanding, visual reconstruction of the concert, including the band's original slides from the show, bootleg footage, and photos. It is absolutely breathtaking to watch, and probably the closest we'll ever get to an actual film of Genesis performing "The Lamb" themselves. And the 2007 interviews with all the guys are terrific, very informative and insightful. The *only* debit I can think of about "1970-1975" is the unfortunate omission of "From Genesis To Revelation," but I won't deduct any stars from my rating for it. Besides, "From Genesis To Revelation" IS available if you want it. It's not the greatest album Genesis ever made, but it's very good and you should still get it, AND you can complete your Genesis studio-album collection with it, too. I'm thrilled beyond words---my all-time favorite band have finally been honored in a huge, huge way with these three box sets. Pick up "Genesis 1970-1975" right now, and, as Peter Gabriel sang on "Cinema Show," take a little trip back with Father Tiresias. Thank you, and long live Genesis!
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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better sound but different....., November 12, 2008
There is a lot to like about this box set. The videos are great. Overall, the sound is improved but at a cost. Whenever, there is a remix, there usually is a departure from the original soundscape of what the artists intended. For instance, the organ in the "You stand there with your fixed expression" section of The Musical Box is now mixed way down and Gabriel's voice is the only prominent instrument. I feel some of the power in the piece has been lost due to the choice of remix levels. In some cases, instruments once heard in the mix are now almost inaudible. Were members of Genesis involved with the remix? Regardless, it is a treat to hear these masterpieces of prog in somewhat better sound however, I will not give up my recordings with the original mixes.
I am sure most reviewers will say the new mixes are better because there are instruments they never heard before that are now clearer. The reason for that is now the mixes are different and not necessarily from improved sound. Regardless, I will still listen to the new remixes and delight in them like everyone else. I just wish that the mix levels were closer to the original productions.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"It's Been A Long Time...Hasn't It...." But BOX 3 Is Good Only, When It Could Have Been Great, December 23, 2008
Five albums are featured in this 3rd and last Genesis box set [Virgin CDBOX 14], each pumped up into a double issue, while the double "Lamb" is now a 3 Disc set ("Lamb" is in a Book Pack while the other albums are 2CD jewel cases). Disc 1 of each issue is the SACD and CD Remaster of the album with both mixes encoded onto the disc, while Disc 2 is a DVD with 5.1 Surround Sound with extras tagged on at the end of each. The sixth and final double is called "Extra Tracks 1970-1975" and features singles, demos and BBC Sessions - again both in Audio and DVD. "Extras' is housed in a 48-page hardback book with an essay, band contributions, photos and celebrity reviews...
NICK DAVIS prepped the 5.1 Surround Mixes and Stereo CD mixes with the remastering carried out by TONY COUSINS at Metropolis Mastering. Both of these guys handled the preceding box sets to both applause and derision in equal measure. While I admittedly don't have a Surround capability at home, I find the sound quality on the Stereo CD mixes to be GORGEOUS - a revelation. "Trespass" & "Nursery Cryme" are hissy in places, but still so much better sounding than the crap 1994 Virgin remasters we've been lumbered with all these years (which in turn were supposed to replace the dire 80's issues). But the great news is "Foxtrot", "Selling" and "Lamb", each of which is now an absolute blast. At 8:15 minutes into "Supper's Ready" on Foxtrot when the acoustic guitars kick in, I was in floods, huge sound filling my room... We've been waiting 35 years to finally hear these great works in DECENT AUDIO.
Here's a detailed breakdown of the sets:
Disc 1 (42:33 minutes) is their 2nd album "Trespass, originally released on LP in November 1970 on Charisma CAS 1020 in the UK and Impulse 9295 in the USA (the original UK issue had the 'Pink Scroll' label design and the CD reflects that). The DVD Audio version also has a 'reissues interview from 2007'.
Disc 2 (39:36 minutes) is their 3rd album "Nursery Cryme", originally released on LP in November 1971 on Charisma CAS 1052 in the UK and Charisma 7208 552 in the USA (Pink Scroll Label also). The DVD audio version also has the 'reissues interview from 2007'.
Disc 3 (51:20 minutes) is their 4th album "Foxtrot", originally released on LP in October 1972 on Charisma CAS 1058 in the UK and Charisma 7208 553 in the USA (changes now to the `Mad Hatter' label design for 3, 4 and 5 reflecting the original vinyl). The DVD Audio disc has 3 extras - reissues interview 2007, Brussels, Belgium Rock Of The 70's 1972 clip and Rome, Italy, Piper Club 1972 clip.
Disc 4 (53:39 minutes) is their 6th album "Selling England By The Pound", originally released in October 1973 on Charisma CAS 1074 in the UK and Charisma 7208 554 in the USA. (Their 5th album, "Genesis Live", was released in July 1973 on Charisma CLASS 1 in the UK; it was an official release and no explanation is given for its no show in this box set). The DVD Audio version has 3 extras, reissues Interview 2007, Shepperton Studios, Italian TV, 1973 clip and Batacain, France, 1973 clip.
Disc 5 (45:38/48:51 minutes) is their 7th album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", originally released in November 1974 as a 2LP set on Charisma CGS 101 in the UK and on Atco 7599 122 in the USA. The DVD has all of the slide show that accompanied the stage shows offering both Surround and standard stereo versions.
Disc 6 "Extra Tracks" (46:44 minutes):
Track 1 is "Happy The Man", a non-album 7" single issued in the UK on May 1972 on Charisma CB 181 ("Seven Stones" is its B-side - a track off "Nursery Cryme")
Track 2 is "Twilight Alehouse", the non-album B-side to "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" issued on 7" single in May 1974 on Charisma CB 224
Track 3 is "Sheppard (BBC Nightride 1970)"
Track 4 is "Pacidy (BBC Nightride 1970)"
Track 5 is "Let Us Now Make Love (BBC Nightride 1970)"
Track 6 is "Going Out To Get You (Demo 1969)"
Tracks 7 to 10 are called Genesis Plays Jackson. Michael Jackson was a painter who put music to a silent film of "Metropolis" and invited Genesis in to score it. Some tracks were done, but the full project was abandoned. These tapes have only recently come to light and the four tracks are; "Provocation", "Frustration", "Manipulation" and Resignation" - "Frustration" would later turn up as "Anyway" on "Lamb" and "Manipulation" became "The Musical Box" on "Nursery Cryme".
While the DVD and Audio elements are fantastic and the extras fascinating - I find the packaging naff (typical of all things Virgin). The box lid won't close no matter what you do, the individual booklets are simply the original artwork restored, but again they're too small to read and massively underwhelming compared to the beautiful event feel of the original vinyl gatefold sleeves (especially "Lamb"). And with no new essay, no new photos, nor nothing of their history - when they're released as stand-alone CDs, fans are going to feel mightily short-changed - again! And why no "Live" set - nor the 1975 single edit of "Carpet Crawlers" - or its unique b-side, the live in the USA (Evil Jam) version of "The Waiting Room"? And then of course is the price - £90! And with the boys now individually credited as Limited Companies on the rear sleeve - the whole thing smacks a little too much of corporate greed instead of musical celebration.
Wonderful in some respects and yet strangely disappointing in others, this eagerly awaited box is 4-stars when it should have been six. I can't help but feel that many would be better off waiting for the individual issues.
Good then, when it could have been great.
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