Customer Reviews

Genesis (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I rather focus in the recording technology than the music itself.
This is not a new band, so, if you are looking to buy a Genesis album, you already know what you are going to get.
Instead, I want to let you know details about how it sounds.
The main reason I bought it, is that the DTS 24 bit / 96 khz, you have to look hard to find that information. It is write in small prints in the back.
When you insert the DVD you get a 2 options menu, asking if you want the DTS 24/96 surround encoding or Dolby encoding.
The DTS version sound superb. Amazing details. You won't be disappointed. The bottom end is really good, it will shake your room, (if you have a proper 5.1 setup).
Rhino should advertise the 24/96 encoding in a better way. It is very important information and is as they almost forgot about it. They do not even include a DTS 24/96 logo!
Same for Amazon, there are, out there, many audiophiles that are willing to put money in a high-resolution audio album. Include that info in the webpage! (For any other 24/96 album...!)
Bottom line: If you have a home theater, and you like Genesis, you have to have this one!

This past year has proved to be a banner year for the nostalgic British Rock group. With a surprising 2007 reunion tour, Phil Collins and his partners in crime Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks have proven even with time, they still have the strength to perform great songs together. That has proven well with Rhino records re-releasing the entire Genesis catalog from top to bottom, and a remarkable set of reintroductions of what made the classic sound still survive today. With Phil's solo success on the rise in the 80's, so did a new commercially successful sound proved to bring the hardship of what innovative music really was like to so many folds, and that can be said with this self-titled re-release.

The 2007 re-release of Genesis, the self-titled album of Genesis, proved the songs had more hype, and the continuing vibe Genesis was feeling. After the success of Abacab, and Phil's solo albums Face Value & Hello, I Must Be Going, the songs delivered with a bit more rhythm, as was with he stamina of the album. The songs have all been remastered on this new edition of the album in 5.1 surround, which gives the songs a new life and a better sound than before. The album includes the classics That's All, the deep and haunting Mama which still sounds edgey today, as well as guilty pleasures like the upbeat Illegal Alien and the deep storytelling Home By The Sea, and the instrumental Second Home By The Sea. The DVD also brings out well to die hard fans, by including the classic videos Mama, Illegal Alien, and many others. It also includes a behind the scenes look at their hyped 1983 Mama tour, which includes behind the scenes performances of cult classsics like The Carpet Crawlers and Eleventh Earl Of War.

All in all, while the self-titled album Genesis didn't have the complete commercial success of their other albums like Invisible Touch or Duke, it still has a distinctive vibe of its own that makes it worth while. It is a great buy for die hard fans, and a great sampler for anyone who has yet to feel the 80's brought to great pop music. I really think this is a good listen to, that's all.

Album Cover: B

Songs: B-

Price: B-

Remastering: B

DVD Extras: B

Overall: B 1/2-

Genesis' self-titled 1983 album has been reissued in a wonderful CD/DVD format that really gives you proof that the band did have a sense of humor, especially when it came to their videos. Their songs on this great album ranged from humorous fooling around ("Illegal Alien") to pure menace ("Mama", "Home By The Sea", "Just A Job To Do") to tales of romantic discord ("That's All", "Taking It All To Hard") to songs of hope that are helping me look good for a number of pretty actresses ("Silver Rainbow", "It's Gonna Get Better"). Some critics were deriding the band as easy-listening lightweights by 1983, but I disagree, and have been watching reruns of the sitcom WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU for a template to take these comments like, as they aren't totally true. The music is harmless, yet never boring. This is a package you must own if you enjoy progressive pop-rock.

It has often been said that Phil Collins moved Genesis from progressive to popular music, but I think the group managed to maintain at least a progressive feel in a lot of their work. I think it is fair to say that they did have many songs which one would not call progressive at all, but at the same time one can't ignore those pieces which clearly aren't pop style songs.

"Mama" opens the album and was released as the first single, but it is hardly a standard "pop" song by any measure. It has a darker sound than one would expect for a Genesis song, though it does fit well with other songs on the album. The song didn't do very well on the U.S. pop charts, though it did reach #4 in the UK. "That's All" comes next and it is more of a standard pop tune, soft and simple and not surprisingly it did better in the U.S. as a result. The last song(s) on the first half of the album is/are "Home By the Sea". Though split into "Home By the Sea" and "Second Home By the Sea" this is really one piece and is a good example of how Genesis still incorporated progressive elements in their songs. The song was played on tour for years after this album and was often a showpiece with its extended instrumental section. The piece also works well with "Mama" in giving the album a somewhat eerie feel up to this point with the exception of "That's All".

The second half opens with "Illegal Alien" a light and humorous piece which suffered from overplay. It was released as a video, but after hearing and seeing it a few times it tends to become annoying. "Taking it All Too Hard" is next and is another typical soft-rock type pop song. Being on the same album as "That's All" and "It's Gonna Get Better" made it somewhat redundant. It was released as a single but didn't do particularly well. "Just a Job to Do" provides a fairly high energy piece in an album which needs something other than "Illegal Alien". It is one of my favorites on the album, though it isn't quite at the level of "Mama" or "Home By the Sea". "Silver Rainbow" is a rather odd piece, especially with regard to the lyric, but perhaps that is why I tend to like it. "It's Gonna Get Better" is another ballad, making 3 of the 9 tracks ballads, and when one considers that "Home By The Sea" is really one piece it tends to make the album a bit ballad-heavy.

On the whole, this is a fairly decent album. One can always skip over "Illegal Alien" and one of the second half ballads and have an enjoyable listen. The first half of the album is clearly the strongest part of the album, though other than "Illegal Alien" the rest of the tracks are fairly easy to listen to. The group shares the writing credits for all the tracks with: Phil Collins (drums, percussion, lead vocals); Tony Banks (keyboards, backing vocals); Mike Rutherford (guitars, bass, backing vocals).

Genesis being Genesis 1983 release and their 12th studio album had hits such as "Mama", "That's all", "Illegal Alien" and "Taking It All Too Hard". The second cd is a dvd with a live show from the time, some music videos and we get to see a tour rehearsal. The booklet has a blurred photograph with strange and odd shapes on it. The lyrics are easy to read but we do not get a list of whom plays what and that is a shame. 4/5.

Let me state upfront that I bought the Genesis 1976-1982 box and recently the 1970-1975 box, but I passed on the 1983-1997 box as I simply didn't care for much that much in the later years, except for the self-titled 1983 album. When I saw this reissue for a really good price recently, I snapped it up immediately.

As to the album itself (9 tracks; 46 min.), I must admit that it really had aged quite well. This is now 25+ years since its release and the album plays quite well. "Mama" remains the towering track of this album, and I enjoy it immensely. But the album almost sounds like a mini-greatest hits of that era: That's All, Home By the Sea/Second Home By the Sea (a latter-day Genesis classic there ever was), the funny Illegal Alien, Taking It All Too Hard, etc. One of my favorite moments of the album remains the closer It's Gonna Get Better, with the now kinda eerie, forward looking last line "Cus you know, I know, it's time for a change" (heard that somewhere in the last 12 months or so by a certain politician?).... At 46 min, the album clips by in no time. Well done, Genesis.

As to the DVD, first it brings the album in an outstanding surround sound that you can only appreciate if you have the proper home theatre set-up (which I happen to have). But the video extras are really nice too. It brings 4 music videos (remember, this is 1983, when bands actually did videos), and all of them (Mama, That's All, Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea, Illegal Alien) are fun to watch and sound simply great. The 16 min. reissue interview from 2007 is enlightening (for example, all of them chipping that this should be called the "Mama" album). The Mama Tour Rehearsal is a 60 min. below par quality video/audio recording, nice to see it once, but I'll doubt I'll see it again.

In all, a must-have for most Genesis fans.

I mainly bought this album to fill out my Collins-era Genesis collection and 80s playlist on my iPod (and mostly for "Just A Job To Do", as I had many of the songs from "Turn It On Again: The Hits). I was in for a few pleasant surprises.
First, "Home By the Sea" is a great song that seems to get overlooked. "Second Home By the Sea" is good too, and the two songs are neatly separated before the electronic drum solo which opens the latter track.
Second, the version of "Mama" is not the radio version (as on the hits CD): it's longer and is a bit more interesting. While I will admit it is one of the strangest Genesis songs ever, I actually gave it a second chance due to the album version and the interviews on the DVD.
Overall, the album mastering is fine. It's loud enough without losing dynamics (although this album had pretty flat dynamics to begin with.) The mix is good: Collins's vocals are clear but not overwhelming, and the sound is full. The "surround sound" mixes, however, are awful. Watch the DVD content using a regular 2-channel stereo. The 5.1 mix is stupid, and sounds like the annoying artificial stereo experiments of the 1960s. Why would you place the drums and other instruments behind the listener? Just because it's "surround" doesn't mean it should be taken literally. A better approach would be to have the sound mostly in front (left, right, center), and use the rear speakers in the mix to simulate reverb in a small room.
Despite not having a concept or theme, as with other Genesis albums, it's a good collection of songs. Yes, it's more pop-oriented, and feels mostly like a collection of singles, but it's still good. It hangs together better than the following two albums: "Invisible Touch" and "We Can't Dance".
It's really the last album that has this sort of great Genesis sound to it also. Musically, it fits with the last three albums. I wonder if some of the material was written for earlier albums. For instance, spy thriller "Just A Job To Do" would fit in perfectly with the "Abacab" album's play on reality, while (thematically) "Mama" would suit "Duke" (the wanting at a distance what you can't have theme is similar to "Turn It On Again" or even "Behind the Lines").
"Silver Rainbow" is caught in the middle. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's a subtle and mysterious song (probably) about the loss of one's virginity. It doesn't stand out, but is far from forgettable.
The weakest songs on the album are "Illegal Alien" and "It's Gonna Get Better". The latter is somewhat vapid lyrically and neutral musically. It also seems odd, considering the anger in "Land of Confusion" in the next album "Invisible Touch". It also seems odd, considering the content of "Illegal Alien." No way would "Illegal Alien" be made now (and they did a music video of it with the band dressed as Mexicans!) This song is incredibly catchy, though, so it'll be in your head all day, even though you probably won't remember the words.
Overall, the album is more than filler and a decent showing by the band. It's worth it to get the DVD content as well.

English art rockers Genesis released their self-titled 12th studio album (which the band affectionately refer to as The Mama Album to this day) in October of 1983.
The album was the band's first new studio effort since the monster selling 1981 album Abacab and first all around relase since 1982's Three Sides Live album.
Singer/drummer Phil Collins, guitarist/bass player Mike Rutherford and keyboard player Tony Banks in the interim between Abacab and Genesis released their second solo albums Hello I Must Be Going, Acting Very Strange and The Fugitive respectively. In the spring of 1983, Banks, Rutherford and Collins went back to their own studio dubbed The Farm in Surrey, England with co-producer Hugh Padgham to work on another album. Would the final result be another winner or a loser, read on and find out (as I did in September of 1997 when I first bought the album on cassette and then on CD two months later).
We begin the album with the album's biggest hit in the UK and a rock radio staple here in the US called "Mama". The music is haunting and revolved around a drum machine and the lyrics tell of one's desire for a prostitute or a mother-like figure. The guitars and keyboards are haunting but superb. Also, the maniacal laugh is amazing and it was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's The Message where it had a maniacal laugh so rap did influence Genesis. great number. Next is the album's biggest hit here in the US called "That's All" which reached #6. This piano-driven number is a great song and its video was humorous depicting the lads as homeless hobos was a lighthearted look at the homeless problem. The lyrics are quite superb and the melody is very catchy. We end the album's first half with the two part epic "Home By The Sea" and "Second Home By The Sea". The former is a ghost story with a great melody and then segues into the latter which is keyboard and guitar soloing with electronic drums that manages to not get boring. The drama of the piece increases towards the end as Phil repeats the final lines of 'Home By The Sea' in an extremely emotive way.
The album's second half starts with "Illegal Alien" which is a light hearted poke at illegal immigration! This song (and its video) is extremely fun especially with Phil's failed attempt at a Mexican accent. The three Genesis men looking like Mexicans was hysterical, especially when Phil took his fake wig off in the video while getting his green card (LOL!). Nest is the ballad "Taking It All Too Hard" which is a great number. Next is the rocker "Just A Job To Do" which is a great rocker. The song was used as a theme song to a short live US ABC series and is a cop-and-robber chase song but a great one. "Silver Rainbow" follows and musically sounds like The Beatles circa 1967-1968 psychedelia only with synthesizers and electric drums replacing orchestras and regular drums. While it sounds dated today to many, it's a great song! We end the album with "It's Gonna Get Better" which is a great piece of music with lyrics providing optimism to maybe a disheartened listener after being alone and/or in despair.
The self-titled Genesis album reached #9 on the Billboard album chart and has sold 4 million copies to date in the US.
In 2007, the album was re-released in a re-mixed/re-mastered version with a bonus DVD. The DVD contains videos for the album's first five tracks plus interviews with the members of the band and also unearthed rehearsal footage of the band running through songs that the band would play on The Mama Tour. Also, it includes the tour program that was sold at shows on the 1983/84 tour.
Recommended!

Armed with such classic tracks as the dark,haunting "Mama","Home By The Sea","Just A Job To Do" as well as such hits as "That's All",the tounge-in-cheek novelty "Illegal Alien" and the limpid ballad "Taking It All Too Hard","Genesis"(a.k.a the Mama album) rose to #9 on the Billboard album chart and sold 4 million copies in the USA.Being a child of the 80's,this was my first exposure to this legendary band(yes,I admit it!)and it still holds up 25 years later.This CD/DVD edition,thanks to Nick Davis's brillant remixing and remastering,is a huge leap in sound quality over the flat,weak old intial CD.It sounds deeper,cleaner,crisper-even the lesser songs like "Silver Rainbow" and the aftermentioned "Illegal Alien" sound improved while the rest("Mama","That's All","Just A Job To Do")sound as wonderful as ever.The DVD also includes the complete album in fantastic 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS Surround sound,plus the famous music videos,an informative,entertaining interview with Phil,Mike and Tony,a photo gallery and a tour rehearshal video(the only disappointing feature here).Highly recommended and that's all(no pun intended).

Much has been said about Genesis "selling out" and becoming more commercial, especially citing this album and Invisible Touch as the
main evidence. I'm not so sure about that. Of course Genesis changed
after the Gabriel & Hackett years, but this change may have been coming anyway. Judging from some of thier output, post Genesis, Gabriel and Hackett were certainly not opposed to making money from thier music.
Just think back to MTV and Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer", and then try to recall Steve Hackett's work with GTR. Very commercial and lucrative, indeed. I do recall a time when the top of the charts were dominatesd by all five members of the "classic" Genesis lineup. It may well be that had Gabriel and/or Hackett stayed with Genesis they would have gone along with the more upbeat, commercial sound of the band. Selling records and making money are not bad things. You can make money and art at the same time. The self-titled Genesis album was very good in it's "own special way", and shouldn't be dismissed as a purely commercial piece of music.
Songs like "Mama" and "Home by the Sea" are pure Genesis. But then so are "Illegal Alien" and "That's All".
Look at the Moody Blues and Yes, not to mention ELP. All these bands had hit singles, sold tons of records, and played before thousands. As I recall, they were all on MTV as well. Why pick on Genesis? All bands have to adapt to stay afloat.