Customer Reviews

Live Over Europe

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

For those of us who missed the opportunity to see Genesis in 2007, we thankfully have this excellent live recording of the European tour. The song mix is excellent, with a real good representation of both classic Genesis and the pop stuff. The music is noticably keyed lower, to accomodate Phil's aging voice box, but is excellent on all counts. The sound quality of the recording is also impecable, and the whole package is nothing less than we'd expect from a top flight band like Genesis. My hope is that the boys will see that the demand is still there for their brand of music, and hopefully we'll see a studio album from them in the future. 5 stars!

First off, before I get labeled a hater for daring to write a critical review of this set, let me make it clear that I have been a big Genesis fan for a number of decades now. I was very interested when I heard that the band got back together, if a little dubious at the prospect they were just touring their old stuff, with no new tunes. Still, live Genesis is about as good as it gets, so my hopes were high.

However, when playing this set, I was a bit disheartened when, after a rousing rendition of Duke's Intro, the band then launched into a version of Turn it on Again that sounded like it was coming from a record that was playing too slowly. The pitch was decidedly lower than what I was used to, and consequently the song was much less spirited than past recorded performances. I forwarded to No Son of Mine - same thing. Wondering if I was remembering correctly, I broke out my old Genesis CDs and compared: sure enough - out of the twenty-one songs on this set, no fewer than twelve have been transposed to a lower key. I can only presume this is because Phil Collins can no longer hit the high notes the way he used to, and the songs were lowered to save strain on his voice. I can certainly sympathize; these guys aren't spring chickens any more, and time does take a toll, especially given the way Collins used to sing. Still, there is a sense of loss in it. More importantly, the key in which music is written has everything to do with the mood of the piece. Changing the key changes the impact of the music. In many instances, these songs simply do not hit with the kind of intensity or vigor that they should. Moreover, their arrangements are about as predictable as a plot in a James Bond movie; they play these songs the same way (not counting the key changes) they've always played them in concert. Considering how many live Genesis albums are already out there, it begs the question, why do we need another set, especially one where they have to alter their performances to account for technical shortcomings in the band members? On the whole, I got the sad feeling I was listening to a once-great act that is now just going through the motions.

On the plus side, the band is as tight as it has always been, and this is without question the best recorded live Genesis set I have heard. It also presents the greatest range of material we've yet had on a Genesis live album, although material from Abacab is notably lacking. For people who don't mind the key changes, or just love the band no matter what, these qualities will be sufficient to make the purchase worthwhile. However, when I think of their great live records of the past, or the excellence of their studio albums, I have to concede, reluctantly, that this set just does not meet the same standard.

These guys just keep on going! I had the privilege to see them in San Jose during the TIOA tour and they displayed just as much power and majesty as ever before. This newest live album, which is culled from various European gigs, shows just how incredible the guys are, and although they're getting on in years (aren't we all?) their sound is still energetic and timeless.

Notable highlights are Gabriel-era classics such as "In the Cage" and "I Know What I Like", and mainstream hits like "Land of Confusion" and "I Can't Dance." There are even snippets of "Duke's Travels / Duke's Ends" scattered throughout a couple of the medley songs, which was a personal treat for me since "Duke" is one of my favorite albums. The mix is spot on (good rich bass and keys) and Phil's vocals sound as crisp and clear as ever. Tony's keys are still swirling and thundering, and we all know how Mike and Daryl can crank out the guitar magic. Pay close attention to Chester's drumming during "In The Cage", he's hitting those toms like a mad man!

The tour itself was quite magical, as Genesis sold out many dates in Europe and packed houses in the states as well. I'm not sure if we'll see a "Live Over America" album or not, but for those who witnessed the tour this new live album will bring back tons of memories. 2007 has been a great year for Genesis fans: a new tour, this new live album, Encore CD releases, the first of three boxsets released, new books, etc. Hopefully Phil and company will realize the demand for their music is as high as ever, and perhaps another album and / or tour will occur in the future.....:-)

This album is a perfect representation of the music from the last tour. Every song played on the tour is included here and sounds great. Anyone complaining about songs not on the CD did not see the show live. The set list was the same the entire tour. It is presented here in the exact order. No songs from Abacab were performed live this tour. Get the album. It's great and might be the last time Genesis will be recorded live. A must have.

Genesis have been my favorite band since 1983, so here goes-----
I have all 22 of the European concerts (limited edition-not bootlegs, Google it!!!)from this tour, and the song list was EXACTLY the same for all the shows, and this release as well. I also have many shows from all their tours, and this is probably the best song selection ever, taking into consideration the variety of material available. Sure, the Gabriel material is better, but it would be ridiculous to lean toward that material in 2007. The last thing I want to hear the band playing is Trespass material with Phil singing in 2007! At least the Phil-altered live lyrics to "Invisible Touch" and "I Can't Dance" are still there!!

Yup..they still got it after all these years. But ANOTHER live Genesis release ! We had "Genesis Live" , "Seconds Out" , "Three Sides Live" , "The Way We Walk , Volume One : The Shorts" , "The Way We Walk , Volume Two : The Longs" and there was a live disc in each of "The Archive Series" boxes. (2 in the Gabriel-era box , as it was a live performance of "The Lamb")....So exactly WHAT is so special about THIS live release. Absolutely nothing. It is an awesome sounding , stunningly performed slick package of some older stuff , mostly newer stuff from guys who know what they are doing. Special ? No. Worth buying ? Put it in your cart now.

Please let me preface this by stating that I have been a drummer and Genesis fan since Trick of the Tail. I have had the privilege of seeing Genesis 9x between 1980 and 2007. I enjoy listening to every album, era and musician involved with this great band.
Yes folks, some of the songs are tuned down a step or so. Do you know what this is called? A natural combination of maturity and usage. Lest we forget, 1) Mr. Collins will turn 57 years next month (and, thanks to clean living is in excellent health) and 2) for our benefit (the fans), Phil was also Mr. Nonstop Machine from 1980-1992, executing albums and tours - both Genesis and solo - at a peerless pace. Unless your name is Michael Jackson, your voices deepen as you age and use it - ask any professional vocalist.
Personally, I think Phil's voice is rich and sincere throughout the performance, as are the contributions from Mike, Daryl, Chester (rock solid as always, still an immensely underrated drummer) and especially Mr. Banks of the keyboards. I caught the same tour in Denver and all the highlights are here for me. This pass on the In The Cage Medley was the best yet, with Tony and Phil locked on a brilliant Cinema Show and trascending to a gorgeous Afterglow. Nice to see Phil get out the brushes on Follow You Follow Me, which led to a rousing Firth of Fifth/I Know What I Like.
Disc Two is the definite jewel in this case. Ripples is played beautifully, Domino is the classic 80s-era epic, and the Drum Duet/Los Endos contains the same fire and precision as it did thirty years ago. The best lies at the end - an absolutely sublime Carpet Crawlers.
The band and instruments sound fantastic. Phil and Chester add some new fills here there, Tony's keyboards are thick and dynamic, and Mike and Daryl's playing is superb. Mike even busts out the old Taurus Pedals a few times - how cool is that!
I saw three of the big "reunion" shows this past summer - The Police (so-so), Van Halen (awful - if you want to talk about poor vocals, look at Mr. Roth)...and these gentlemen, who were superb as always. A great live souvenir of a triumphant tour. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Gabriel and Hackett get into the mix in 2008 for another historic year in the book of Genesis!

As a fan of Genesis, I was eager to hear the first new album with Phil Collins in the lead in over a decade. I thuroughly enjoyed this live album. Even though it was recorded over multiple dates to get the best performance out of each song, it sounds like it was a continuous recording. Kudos to the engineering crew.

I liked the fact that they played different songs on the record. Except for Abacab, there is at least 1 song from every record starting with Selling England By The Pound (1973). So there is more of a "timeline" feel to this collection.

My only complain, I suppose, is Father Time. A lot of their songs were played on a different key and at a slightly slower tempo than in years past, partly due to Phil Collins' aged vocal cords. But musically, they haven't missed a beat.

So for any true Genesis fan, especially for those who grew up with Phil singing lead, I would say that this is a must.

I recently picked this up. No I didn't download it or anything. I figured I'd give some of these later Genesis songs a chance via live exposure. I may have done better getting some of the older live albums (that can be found anymore anyway) but this one is certainly decent.

The Good: Excellent sound quality, if a bit too slick.

Even better: Song selection EVENLY split between old Prog era material and the "Michelob years" era Genesis (cmon, the picture in the new Genesis book of Banks wearing a Michelob shirt is priceless, hehe). Its as if the band has taken a look at all their strengths and tried to even it out for both periods. Now some of the prog era material is still "medley-fied" but they do a lot more of it than any album since the "second edition" of Three Sides Live. Firth of Fifth is actually made an instrumental, and a damn good one at that, having Daniel Stuermer update the solos to almost shredder level (i.e John Petrucci, etc).

The Carpet Crawlers (full song, vocals included) is another Highlight as it takes us back to the Peter Gabriel years. "Mama" sounds as good if not better than the album, and so does "Domino". Another highlight is big chunks of the "Duke suite" thrown in for good measure. Considering its likely my favorite Genesis album its a welcome surprise. "Land of Confusion" rocks harder than ever as well.

The Bad: Phil Collins' vocals are in a very restrained mode (think Tarzan soundtrack) and lack the energy and grit of previous live performances and albums. Also, some songs fall flat compared to the albums. "Tonight Tonight Tonight" (hence the Michelob reference) sounds as flat as ten year old soda, as does "Throwing it All Away" and "I Can't Dance". Of course, i'm not a HUGE fan of those songs (though Tonight is growing on me certainly, especially the full 11 minute one) but nevertheless they sound phoned in.

The Ugly: Yes, as some reviewers have it, SOME of the songs are played a bit slower. Its not a full scaling back of bpms but its certainly noticable. Another irking element is definitely the downtuning, can't singers just sing an octave lower and not try so hard because they can't hit the pitch anymore, instead of having to downtune the whole song, making it sound a lot different? This isn't an issue with the medley songs or even some of the other ones, but on some of the "brighter" hits (example: Invisible Touch) theres just "something wrong" seemingly. In fact, some of the prog instrumentals mostly avoid this (I think some may be just a half step or standard tuning for ya music theory geeks out there, I'll have to listen again).

This isn't enough to kill the album, but its not always pleasant.

Overall, because this is a GREAT gesture to recognize much of their prog past (they even play "Ripples" from Trick of the Tail), and it features some really good performances (example: Firth of Fifth, etc), I'll have to award it 3.5 stars.

With this live set from their 2007 tour, Genesis confirms that even though they took very bad decisions commercializing their music, their superb musicianship cannot be denied. Genesis has always been an imaginative band from a musical point of view, and here, with outstanding performances on tracks like IN THE CAGE, SECOND HOME BY THE SEA, and FIRTH OF FIFTH, to name a few, nothing can be said on the contrary. The mature sound they deliver with their acute mix and stage sound cohesion confirms their consciousness on plasticity. Genesis has always been a theatrical band, even in their more commercial stage, and the theatrics not being only on the level of performance and lyrics. The musical arrangements, effects and selection of colors of their instruments and sounds, all form part of the Genesis style and blueprint. For example, on the instrumental passages of their classic era songs, Tony Banks retains the essentials and original sounds on his keyboards, but upgrading them to fit the crispness and clarity delivered through 21 century technology. The result: a powerful, organic and rounded cluster of synthesized sound, interwoven with an up-to-the-face percussion ensemble via Chester Thompson and Phil Collins, and colored all up by Rutherfords and Stuermers playfull and inventive guitars, basses and bass pedals. With this record, Genesis proves that a new Genesis era of studio recordings would be up to the challenge, and would deliver great new songs, sounds and tapestries. Imagine what could happen if Gabriel and Hackett hop on the ride: As sure as eggs is eggs...Heaven.