Customer Reviews

Turn It on Again: Tour Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When it comes to classic rock today, it really has made a great comeback to the stage. With great and well-dedicated reunions from British Rock dominating this past year, like The Police, many have really been welcomed to a whole new audience. That also has been the same with the surprise reunion of Genesis, who earlier this year performed during VH1's Rock Honors benefit. Undoubtingly, for Genesis who just saw the success of their Phil Collins' era re-released from Rhino, a celebration of songs came around, with another greatest hits album. This time, its definitely worth turning onto the songs again, with a great reunion tour, and a chance to re-introduce the songs that made them legends.

The 2007 Genesis Turn It On Again The Hits: The Tour Edition expands and improves well from what was left put from the 1999 single disc edition of Turn It On Again. The double album contain 34 great Genesis tracks, spanning the groups three decades of Rock & Pop music. When you hear this collection, you're really reminded of how well Genesis crafted their sounds brilliantly. The collection has been remastered very well, and improves from what was mostly left out from the groups two previous hits records, 1999 Turn It On Again, and the 2005 Platinum Collection. The collection includes all of the tracks from the original Turn It On Again like Invisble Touch, Abacab, Hold On My Heart, and Throwing It All Away. Also, it expands nicely by bringing in a lot of the overlooked songs from before during the groups 70's era like Trick Of The Tail, Your Own Special Way, Counting On Time, and Many Too Many, as well as some of the 80's tracks that were left out before like the haunting Duchess, the upbeat Paperlate, the somber Man On The Corner and No Reply At All. While not every hit was highlighted on the album though. The collection does overlook a few songs like The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Ripples and the dark and haunting Home By The Sea, in favor of lesser-known tracks like Tell Me Why from We Can't Dance and Piegons.

Still, Turn It On Again The Hits: The Tour Edition from Genesis is a much better hits record than the previous two because it is well-dedicated to more of the major hits that were overlooked before at a well-affordable price. If you're a die hard fan of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford & Tony Banks, and all those great songs, or if you haven't even yet heard the Genesis experience, than I really recommend you buy this album. You can definitely say I Can Dance to this great album.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B+

Price: B+

Remastering: A-

Overall: B+

Track List Disc 1: Turn It On Again, No Son Of Mine, I Can't Dance, Hold On My Heart, Jesus He Knows Me, Tell Me Why, Invisible Touch, Land Of Confusion, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, In Too Deep, Throwing It All Away, That's All, Mama, Illegal Alien, Abacab, No Reply At All, The Carpet Crawlers (1999 recording)

Disc 2: Paperlate, Keep It Dark, Man On The Corner, Duchess, Misunderstanding, Follow You Follow Me, Many Too Many, Your Own Special Way, Afterglow, Piegons, Inside & Out, Trick Of the Tail, Counting On Time, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Happy the Man, The Knife Part 1, Congo (from the groups 1997 final studio album Calling All Stations).

Great remastering though. I would say it's a big improvement over both the original "Turn It On Again: The Hits" collection, and the triple "Platinum Collection". If anything, the only glaring ommissions are 1983's #50 charting "Taking It All Too Hard" from the "Shapes" album and the final single from 1991's "We Can't Dance" called "Never A Time", a #21 charter. Sure, it doesn't have the title track from "Lamb" or "Home By The Sea" or "Supper's Ready" or "Behind The Lines", but those are not as glaring as the tunes missing from "The Platinum Collection".

This Tour Edition is a very good hits collection...it has the single versions as well, so it works as a companion piece to the albums and doesn't have too many duplicate versions. PLUS, being it has rare singles and EP tracks like "Paperlate" and "Pigeons" as well, people who don't have the "1976-1982" box, just the deluxe reissues of the 5 albums included, need this too, and won't have to shell out the buckos for that box for those songs.

I also like the fact it finishes with "Congo", their lone hit from their final album, 1997's "Calling All Stations"...if people find that album unnecessary to own (no Phil, instead then-new replacement singer Ray Wilson) and just want that song, there ya go, problem solved...I might be in the minority, but I LOVE "Congo"...it's got a GREAT chorus, cool atmospherics and 3rd world touches...doesn't really sound like GENESIS per se, but I love that new sound they were trying to achieve 10 years ago...Ray sounds like the late great Paul Young (from Mike's sideband Mike & The Mechanics), and the song is sorta Peter Gabriel-ish...so in a way, it does, just in a long-way-around way...

Anyhoo, I'm babbling...this is a great collection, so is that "1976-1982" box (it's really necessary if you're a Genesis fan), and I'm waiting for the next 3 boxes ("1983-1998" and "1968(7)-1975" and "Live 1967-2007").

For those of you contemplating whether to purchase the 2-disc Turn It on Again: Tour Edition or the 3-disc Platinum Collection, these are what songs are exclusive to each:

Turn It On Again:
Tell Me Why
No Reply At All
Man On The Corner
Pigeons
Inside And Out
Happy The Man
Congo

Platinum Collection:
Home By the Sea
Second Home By the Sea
Calling All Stations
Behind the Lines
Undertow
In That Quiet Earth
Ripples
Los Endos
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Firth of Fifth
Cinema Show
Supper's Ready
Musical Box

In my opinion, the Platinum Collection is the better deal, and is the one that I bought.

After having just seen Genesis for the last World Tour, I couldn't resist buying this CD and I was not disappointed. It is a nice compilation of the songs that they did in concert although it is not a "live" version of the concert. But as far as I can remember, they did all these songs at the concert...

So, if you want to have a good selection of Genesis hits (and some songs that never made it to the Top of the Charts...) this two-disc collection is a good choice. You get a really nice selection of songs... well worth having in your collection of Genesis CD's...

I know what I like... and I like this set!!!!

When it came to great classic music from last year, there were a few delightful acts that reunited for the first time in years. While some feel like it was a real waste of time like Foreigner without Lou Grant as the lead, others like The Police returning fo the fiorst time in years, felt like it really was worth the ticket. That also can really be said as well with Genesis. For Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, the trio returning again really proved to be well worth its while not just on stage, but their catalog got a whole new makeover, as their albums from the Mid 70's, all the way to 1997's final album Calling All Stations were re-issued in Dolby Digital sound, and feel better than ever. That also can be said in stone with a more-rounded greatest hits album as well.

The 2007 Turn It On Again: The Hits (The Tour Edition), takes what was left from Genesis and their single disc 1999 edition of Turn It On Again, and expands it into a better hits album. Unlike their other hits record, the 2005 Platinum Collection, this one appeals mostly all the way through, by focusing in on the main tracks as hits, and not going into the lesser-known ones. The collection includes a lot of classics including all the original tracks that were released from the original Turn It On Again like their classic dance tunes like I Can't Dance and their only #1 smash Invisible Touch, to somber ballads like In Too Deep and Throwing It All Away, to innovative beats like the heart-pounding Mama and Land Of Confusion. The collection also works well by bringing in a lot of the hits that were overlooked from the previous hits collections, especially the tracks overlooked from the Platinum Collection like No Reply At All and Man On the Corner from Abacab, as well as classic gems like Illegal Alien and the somber Afterglow. Still, there is one disadvantage to this album, the collection does overshadow tracks from the Peter Gabriel era, when he was the lead of Genesis in the late 60's and 70's, as tracks like The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway weren't highlighted as well as other greats like Home By The Sea and Anything She Does, in favor of lesser-known singles like Tell Me Why from We Can't Dance.

Overall, there really have been many different Genesis hits' collections. But when it comes down to it, Turn It On Again: The Hits (Tour Edition) is about as close as possible to being the most definitive reflection of what Genesis brought to the table in way of great pop music for nearly 5 decades, and taking what was a fair single disc collection from 1999, and expanding it so well to appeal to anyone who hasn't heard a Genesis album before. I absolutely recommend the 2007 Turn It On Again: The Hits (Tour Edition) as a must have for your MP3 library.

Songs: B+

Price: A-

Remastering: A

Overall: B+

Genesis' October, 1999 release Turn it On Again - The Hits was re-released in time for the band's 2007 reunion tour in September of 2007.
The two discs in the set contains 34 songs and all but one of the tracks (the 1999 re-do of Carpet Crawlers) are freshly remixed by Genesis engineer Nick Davis, and features close to two and a half hours of music.
It also contains a 16-page booklet with a cool looking collage as well as the song titles and writing credits, what songs came from which albums, pictures of the album covers and thank you's.
Disc 1 is their most recent stuff from 1980 to 1991. We start with the 1980 album Duke's most famous track and this compilation's title cut "Turn It On Again". then we have five tracks from the 1991 US Top 5 album We Can't Dance (No Son of Mine (edited), I Can't Dance, Jesus He Knows Me, Hold on My Heart which were all the big hits from the album and the album cut "Tell Me Why"). Then we have five tracks from 1986's Top 3 album Invisible Touch (the album's chart-topping title cut, Throwing It All Away, Tonight Tonight Tonight(edited), Land of Confusion and In Too Deep all of which were singles). Then there are three tracks from the 1983 Top 10 self-titled effort a/k/a The Shapes Album (the atmospheric "Mama" (here in edited single form with some bits I don't think I ever heard on any version prior to this), the US Top 10 hit "That's All" and Illegal Alien (remixed for this collection)). Then we have two tracks from the first Genesis album to reach the US Top 10 called Abacab (first is the album's title cut (here in single edit form) and then "No Reply at All"). The first disc ends with the 1999 re-recording of the 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway's classic cut "The Carpet Crawlers" dubbed "Carpet Crawlers 99" and is a nice, unique re-recording of the classic Lamb Lies Down album track (this is the only piece on this compilation which was NOT remixed).
Disc two covers 1970-97. We start with "Paperlate" from the UK 3 X 3 EP and the original US edition of the Top 10 album Three Sides Live. Then we pick up with two more tracks from 1981's Abacab ("Keep it Dark" and "Man On the Corner"). Then we have two more tracks from 1980's Duke ("Duchess" and the US Top 20 hit "Misunderstanding"). The band's first US Gold selling Top 20 album, 1978's And Then There Were Three is represented by two tracks ("Many Too Many" and the US Top 30 hit "Follow You Follow Me"). 1977's Top 30 charting Wind and Wuthering is represented by "Afterglow" and "Your Own Special Way". Next is two tracks from the 1977 UK released EP called Spot the Pigeons. First is "Pigeons" and then "Inside and Out" (the only other way to get these tracks is to buy either the Genesis 1976-82 6-CD/6-DVD box set OR buy the Genesis Archives 2 1976-1992 box set). The band's first US Top 40 album A Trick of the Tail is represented by the album's title cut. Then 1974's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is represented by the full version of "Counting Out Time" (the remixed version on Platinum Collection was edited by 10 seconds). 1973's Selling England by the Pound is represented by "I Know What I Like". Next is the single track "Happy the Man" (which was not on an album and is only available on the Genesis archives 1967-75 box set so this is a nice taster of the rarities on the Gabriel years box set). The 1970 album Trespass is represented by the first half of the centerpiece "The Knife". We close things with the track "Congo" from the band's poorly received 1997 album Calling All Stations (which featured Ray wilson in Phil Collins' microphone stand).
This is another great start point for those who want to either discover Genesis or rediscover them in a new light. Or if one chooses, start with The Platinum Collection (which is now out of print in the US so try and find it). Turn it On Again The Hits (2007 Tour Edition) trumps the 1999 single disc dreked version and, like The Platinum Collection, is a stellar look back on one of rock's best bands.
RECOMMENDED!

This is has to be the best Genesis greatest hits cd period , to tell the truth this tour edition is a whole lot better than the original , this has a whole lot more hit songs than the other one. highly recommended.

I have always liked the music of Genesis, as I grew up hearing their 80's and 90's songs often on the radio. However, I knew the band had a history of making great music from the late 60's through the 70's as well - music that is really not played that much on even the best `classic rock' stations.

Wanting to have a collection that included most of the songs I grew up with, starting specifically with `Misunderstanding', I've also really wanted to hear some of the earlier music, going back to the Peter Gabriel days and the first few albums with Phil Collins on lead vocals. Of the half-dozen or so `best of' CDs and box sets out on the market, this collection of songs is by far the best for those wanting both eras, and without having to pay a lot for a large box-set. Also, it gives a great sampling of their earlier music focusing on generally at least one song from each album, as well as rare EPs and singles.

There are some similarities with previous collections:
- Generally, it follows a reverse chronology as some of the other collections have, playing the more recent songs first on disc one, and then venturing to some tunes not commonly played on radio from disc two. Disc one highlights the albums `We Can't Dance', `Invisible Touch', `Genesis', and `Abacab'; disc two also highlights more songs from `Abacab', and songs from these other albums: `Duke', `And Then There Were Three', `Wind and Wuthering' `A Trick of the Tail', `The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway', `Selling England by the Pound', and `Trespass'. To make it even more interesting, the first and last song on each of the discs is somewhat out of sync with the whole reverse chronology. Initially, I was only really interested in the better-known songs on disc one but after a few listens of disc two, I've found I like those songs now just as much, and now I actually go out of my way to listen to these hidden gems.

- It is somewhat of a condensed version of "Platinum Collection", with a simpler two-disc collection rather than three, yet offering some great tracks here not offered on "Platinum"; `No Reply at All', `Man on the Corner', `Duchess', `Pigeons', `Inside and Out', `Happy the Man', and `Congo'. This collection really expands upon the `Turn It on Again: The Hits', which is a one-disc compilation of only the very most popular songs and almost nothing from the earlier years.

- Each song has been carefully re-mastered, just like most of the other `best of' collections. The listeners opinions of the remastering seem to be divided; they either really like it or detest it. Those who really like the new remastering state that it sounds more balanced and are able to hear instrumentation that was buried in the mix on original offerings of the songs. Those who do not enjoy the remastering state that the producers have betrayed the original integrity of the mix (for example, bringing too much focus on the vocals in the foreground.) While I see both points of view here, I have to be on the side of those who enjoy the remastering; the sounds seem very warm, crisp, clear, and balanced. The fantastic sound quality really draws the listener in, even if they are not initially interested in some of the tunes offered here; you almost feel as if you're in the studio with them. Also great is that there is exceptionally little tape-hiss here, making this remastering job top notch!

In summary, this is a great 2-disk collection for a number of reasons:

- it covers most of the key songs people have known and loved from the band over the years while showcasing some lesser-known songs at the same time
- the sound quality is phenomenal, due to the re-mastering (perhaps sounding the way Genesis really intended the songs to be heard)
- you really get your money's worth because it gives people a chance to hear earlier tracks by the band that unfortunately do not get enough airplay, if at all
- the track layout progresses backwards in time, leaving the most familiar tracks to disc one while giving an excellent introspective view of what made Genesis a band of legend in the first place
- it is somewhat of a condensed version of "Platinum Collection", with a simpler two disc collection rather than three, yet offering some great tracks here not offered on "Platinum"; `No Reply at All', `Man on the Corner', `Duchess', `Pigeons', `Inside and Out', `Happy the Man', and `Congo', all great songs that make this collection that much more special
- it gives a great sampling of their earlier music focusing on at least a song from almost each album, Eps, singles

If you've been looking for a great best-of collection for Genesis, look no further; this is it!

I've been a Genesis fan since I first heard "Mama" way back when. I retroactively collected the entire discography, and fell in love with the progressive rock era Genesis, and was a fan through high school and college. Eventually, I branched out into enough other music that Genesis took a back seat. I recently started reviving these old interests (along with Rush and They Might Be Giants -- two other teenage favorites), and saw this album while looking around for current information online.

I actually bought it because I thought it was a live album of their recent tour. That was my mistake, but I'm still not clear as to why it's called "Tour Edition." So if you're suffering the same misconception, let me clear it up with the statement that this is a greatest hits package.

That being said, I sure do enjoy having an album in rotation that "summarizes" Genesis without dedicating 12 hours or more to the entire catalog.

I found the song selection somewhat peculiar, as well as the sequencing. The sequence is such that songs are presented newest first, with the exception being that the first song is from Abacab, an album squarely in the middle of their discogrpahy, and the last song if from Calling All Stations, their most recent studio album (the one without Phil Collins, which to be honest I was never interested in for that reason). I get that you'd want to start things off with the album's namesake song, but why end with the most recent song in an otherwise reversed chronology? I don't get it. It feels really out of place, as the regression through time has a nice pace to it, then after you get to the one song from the earliest album (interestingly, the other album without Collins), you jump some 30 years in songwriting, production technique, and style to "Congo."

The song selection itself is generally good, and for the most part probably represents what I would pick if I were putting together my own 2.5 hour playlist of Genesis songs, although i'd go lighter on the newer hits and heavier on the older "art pieces." It's weird to me, though, that of the 34 songs on the collection, 4 of then (Paperlate, Pigeons, Inside And Out, and Happy The Man) are B-Sides...not exactly hits, that I know of. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have some rarer material in my collection, I'd just love to have sat in on the meeting where they decided which songs get on this release.

All in all, I enjoy having this album as it's a good summary. I suspect if someone were interested in Genesis but didn't know where to start, this would also serve as a good introduction.

I bought this album almost 2 years after I bought "Turn it on again" in anticipation of this album having live content I was disappointed to listen to tracks I already had, but never the less, I was impressed, and It's a must have for any serous Genesis fan, young and old. It's well worth the 16 bucks I paid, since it's a double disk, and well, the music is jsut as fine as they where in the 80's and 90's. I give it a high 5!