Invisible Touch (2007 Remaster)

Genesis | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 20, 2007
• Label: Rhino Atlantic
• Copyright: 2007 Philip Collins Limited, Anthony Banks Limited, Michael Rutherford Limited under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world
• Total Length: 41:39
• Genres: Pop/Adult Contemporary, Pop/Pop Rock, Pop/Soft Rock, Rock/Progressive
• ASIN: B00122X2U0
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wondering whether to buy this? Here's your answer...!, March 6, 2010

By 

T. P Roberts "Terry212am" (Tallahassee, FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Invisible Touch (2007 Remaster) (MP3 Download)

I'm writing this review for people who are actually trying to decide whether to buy the album. No doubt, reading the reviews here is confusing because half the people love it and half the people hate it. Genesis is one of the biggest acts of the rock-pop era...and that's without the solo work of its members, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford (of Mike and the Mechanics) and various more obscure projects. THIS album is the band's biggest POP album success. It's got FIVE top 10 singles and two more songs that charted in the top 40. How many albums can you say that about?? So why do some people hate it? Well, Genesis started as a progressive rock band that focused on long (10 to 20 minute), complicated songs that displayed a huge degree of musicianship. Unlike most prog bands, the vocals were always good. Still, the poetic, complicated lyrics about mythical creatures, etc, do turn off general audiences. When Phil Collins took over on lead vocals after the departure of Peter Gabriel (Phil had just been the drummer up to that point), the band stayed prog for a while, but in the 80s, drifted into more melodic, romantic, shorter, and, yes, poppier songs. Some musical snobs pretend that the Gabriel era was all about art and the Collins era was all about selling out. It's just not true. Some of the Gabriel stuff still sounds great, but some of it is hopelessly dated. Gabriel stopped making that kind of music when Genesis did. It ran its course. And make no mistake: EVERY Genesis album, including this one, ALWAYS features great musical playing and some progressive elements (the big prog track here is Domino, a three part song). Not only was Phil a great singer; he was one of the best rock drummers of all time. The title track of this album is a great pop song, but most of the other "pop" songs here have some weird little edge to them or some kind of darkness that make them stand out from other pop songs. Tonight, Tonight is pretty murky for a pop song. The few ballads are about as good as ballads get and deserved their "hit" status. This was actually the first album I bought. I was a radio kid until I heard this album. This was my "gateway album" that steered me from solely radio pop toward more complicated fare. Domino changed my life. I'd never heard a 10 minute song before...with lyrics about melting children, no less! And a whole instrumental track? But the album is so LISTENABLE. It's like a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down--progressive music in a tasty pop frosting. NOTE: If you like this, the NEXT step in Genesis is Duke. That 1980 album had what I consider the best mix of real progressive rock and melodic or pop sensibilities. It's my favorite Genesis album. Best Gabriel album? Selling England By the Pound. Working your way BACKWARDS in Genesis a great way to discover the band for people unfamiliar with progressive rock or technical music. It's a fun band with a diverse catalogue of music. Enjoy!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible! Not just another remaster--this is a better mix of a classic recording., January 16, 2008

By 

Jonathan Fero (Lafayette, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Invisible Touch (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

I can't remember the last time I so well spent $20 on an album. And, an album that I already own and probably could replay in my mind, too!
This isn't just a remastered version of Invisible Touch: it's remixed as well, and listeners familiar with the original 1986 release will quickly notice the differences. In my opinion, Invisible Touch has never sounded better. It's really incredible. I have several copies of the original U.S. release on vinyl, the best of which I keep meticulously clean. Now that I have this CD, I won't be spinning the record anymore, well, that is, unless I want to demonstrate the dramatic difference between the two! I guarantee you will hear notes you have never heard before--partially because of the remastering, but also, I suspect, because the notes were buried in the original release's mix, assuming they were even there.
I read a review of the new box set that said Phil Collins' vocals seemed more prominent in the remix. I don't know about that, but my wife did perceive a lot of harshness in the higher frequencies, and Phil sings fairly high sometimes. The treble range does not seem harsh to me, but I am used to the clean sound that digital playback provides. High frequencies (including the human voice) can be harsh, and there is nothing like vinyl groove noise on a compact disc to smooth them out. When you listen to digital recordings through earbuds or bass-shy headphones, you'll hear what treble sounds like naked, so, it is more important than ever to have high quality, full range loudspeakers. Anyway, whether or not you perceive any harshness, you should still appreciate the benefits of increased dynamic range and detail retrieval--not to mention the convenience of compact discs over LP records. When I can get a treasured analog recording on a convenient, foolproof digital format like the compact disc, and it has been remastered for digital playback, I'll take it.
As for the DVD, it features a great new surround mix of the album. I have only listened to the DTS track, but I found it to create a realistic ambience that the stereo mix could not. However, I was reproducing more bass with a subwoofer on stereo, than in the surround subwoofer channel. After several listens, I don't know which rendition I prefer (nor could I say which is closer to the artists' intent). There are also some videos, with accompanying DTS/DD surround tracks. I found these new surround mixes to match very well with the video--none of the lip syncing issues I've noticed in other remastered concert/video DVDs. The best news about this DVD is that it is a conventional DVD, and not a DVD-A disc. So, you can play it in a standard DVD player.
In summary, this fantastic re-release isn't just a digital clean-up, which alone would have been welcome. This is a new Invisible Touch that in my opinion, was not possible before the digital age. Turn it up loud and re-experience one of the greatest recordings of the 1980s for the first time again!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly A Visible Touch, December 31, 2007

By 

Michael Kerner "Michael Kerner" (Brooklyn, New York U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Invisible Touch (2007 Remaster) (MP3 Download)

When it comes to great music reunions, this past year has shown to really be the best year for it. With acts like Led Zepplin, and The Police which have shown so much promise and delivered on stage again for the first times in years. That also has shown as well for Genesis. With Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks returning to the stage for the first time in over 15 years, the group really showed more promise than they've ever done. It wasn't alone just a live reunion from the VH1 Rock Honors concert, but a reunion tour, and a series of their classic albums remastered and reissued to the public, and it that also includes a new touch to listen to.

The 2007 MP3 edition of the classic Genesis masterpiece, Invisible Touch, brings back the classic sound of a delightful album, to a whole new generation. The songs sound refreshingly great in a remastered 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound, which brings more heart to a innovative album. The album includes a lot of great classic tracks to new life like their only #1 smash Invisible Touch, the innovative Land Of Confusion, the soulful and somber In Too Deep, and many other great songs. While the album shines well, there is one big disadvantage to the MP3 album, unlike the actual CD re-release of the album. The track Tonight, Tonight, Tonight was shortened to the single edition, instead of the near epic 9 minute edition which was highlighted on the re-released Rhino CD/DVD re-release.

Overall, despite that one big flaw, Invisible Touch is a still a great album to listen to, past and present. If you haven't heard any record from Genesis yet, than you should give this one a sampling. Even after all these years, Genesis still the touch to make great music, and that isn't completely something that is throwing it all away for.

Songs: B

Price: B-

Remastering: B+

Overall: B 1/2-