Customer Reviews

Wind & Wuthering [Bonus DVD]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Music: 5 stars; DVD material: 4 stars

"Wind and Wuthering" is the 2nd post-Peter Gabriel album, originally issued in 1977. It continued the unexpected success of "A Trick of a Tail" album with Phil Collins stepping in for Peter Gabriel as lead singer. I got the 1994 reissue but the temptation of a bunch of DVD bonus materials was such that I did buy the "Genesis 1976-1982" 6 CD/6 DVD set.

As to the CD, "Wind & Wuthering" (9 tracks, 51 min.) remains a fabulous listen 30 years later. From the opening "Eleventh Earl of Mar", the band sounds on top of their game. The 10 min. epic "One For the Vine" is in my book the best track that Tony Banks has ever penned, period. Mike Rutherford's beautiful ballad "Your Own Special Way" was the unexpected hit (in a shortened version), and foreshadowed things to come ("Follow You Follow Me', and others thereafter). "Wot Guerilla" is the "Los Endos" of this album. Other highlights include "Blood on the Rooftops", Steve Hacket's last main contribution before he left the band. The instrumental mini-set of "Unquiet/In That Quiet Earth" is just terrific, before giving way to the catharsic ending "Afterglow", what a way to end the album, wow!

As to the DVD, it first brings the album in a terrific 5.1 surround system, and it sounds fantastic if you have the proper home music set-up (which I do). As to the visuals, the "Reissue Interviews 2007" brings about 20 min. of the guys bringing their perspectives on the album, quite entertaining. The other video materials are somewhat disappointing: a US bootleg of Your Own Special Way and Afterglow (from a TV show) and a Japanese bootleg of several albums tracks, but the audio and video quality leaves to be desired. Couldn't they have found anything better to include here? That said, I saw Genesis on the "Wind & Wuthering" tour in Brussels in 1977, so this has a lot of sentimental value for me.

If you are considering buying any of the reissued CD/DVD albums, you really should look at buying the "Genesis 1976-1982" box instead as it offer far more "bang for the buck" (only $69 here on Amazon), and on top it comes with a bonus CD/DVD of assorted B-sides, EPs and other hard to find tracks from that era.

This was the album that was recorded back to back with 'A Trick Of The Tail'. 'A Trick Of The Tail' was released in something like January/February of 1976 and 'Wind & Wuthering' was released in appx. November/December of 1976. A very colorful, DRAMATIC album of which seems like Banks and Hackett were competing for album space with Rutherford's light and lilting 'Your Own Special Way' kind of sticking out like a sore thumb. The tone of the album seems a bit darker/sad and at times more aggressive ('In That Quiet Earth') than 'A Trick Of The Tail'.

My opinion and take it for what it's worth (my opinion) is musically 'Tail' and 'Wuthering', are FABULOUS/EDGY albums with Hackett still in the lineup, but they really just don't match up to the charm and eccentricity of the 'Gabriel' albums. If you didn't listen to the Gabriel years, you wouldn't know what you're missing and these albums would be the best in Genesis's creativity.

Attention! The buyer who belongs to a place that is not inside the Region 1 will not be able to visualize the DVD.
In our global world serious desirable to end once and for all with these disadvantages.

Genesis' ninth album Wind and Wuthering was released in January of 1977 in the US.
The album is arguably musically more developed and fleshed out than was on its predecessor, 1976's Top 40 charting album A Trick of The Tail, you can sense the band (and drummer/singer Phil Collins in particular) gaining more confidence in their songwriting and performing abilities.
The seven minute plus "Eleventh Earl of Mar" (penned by bass player Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett and keyboard player Tony Banks) starts the album off with a bang and is one of my all time favorite Genesis songs. The next track is the majestic ten minute epic "One for the Vine", arguably Banks' best song for the band. The live version from the reissued Three Sides Live rivals the studio version IMHO. Next was Mike Rutherford's "Your Own Special Way", which was an unexpected modest hit (and would pave the way for the road to superstardom starting with 1978's Top 20 charting And Then There Were Three). The Collins/Banks instrumental "Wot Gorilla" concludes the first half with a bang.
The whimsical Banks number "All In a Mouse's Night" kicks off the second half with a bang. Then, Steve's fingers are all over the Collins/Hackett collaboration "Blood On the Rooftops", with beautiful Spanish guitar solos and superb mellotron sounds. The instrumentals "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers..." (penned by Rutherford/Hackett) and "...In That Quiet Earth" (penned by the whole band) are great. The closing piece "Afterglow" is one of Banks' masterpieces which told of a survivor who had to move on with life sfter losing everything he had and is still a favorite song of mine from the band.
Sadly, this album marked the end of classic prog-rock era Genesis.
Although the band would certainly continue to record prog-rock songs here and there, no album would ever be able to recall the heights of the albums from Trespass to Wind and Wuthering.
Strangely, this Genesis album would prove to be the band's second album to crack the US Top 40 peaking at #26 in early 1977.
I first got this album as a Christmas present from my older brother in 1997 when he bought me the 1994 remastered CD and loved it immediately.
That remastered CD version buried the weak sounding Atco CD issue from the 1980s.
Now in May of 2007, Rhino/Atlantic re-release the album as a CD and DVD set. The album is remixed on CD in stereo for excellent sound (very similar to what was done to The Who catalog in the 1990s). The new mixes are AMAZING and I hear things in the new mixes that I have not ever heard before. Also, it comes with a DVD which has the album mixed in 5.1 plus two bootleg promo TV performances (these are Your Own Special Way and Afterglow from The Mike Douglas Show in February of 1977 (no, it wasn't hosted by the actor Michael Douglas but the talk show host who passed away last year) and Eleventh Earl of Mar, One For the Vine and Your Own Special Way from a Japanese TV show) plus new interviews with messieurs Collins, Hackett, Banks and Rutherford about the making of the album.
Highly recommended!

Released in early 1977,"Wind & Wuthering" was the last Genesis album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett,who departed later the same year.As a result,it sounds like the band's farewell to 1970's English progressive-rock,just as it would be swept away by punk and New Wave.Containing the driving opener "Eleventh Earl Of Mar",the moody yet lovely "Blood On The Rooftops",the whimsical "All In A Mouse's Night" and the bittersweet finale "Afterglow",it ranks as an underrated masterwork.The remixed,remastered CD/DVD(helmed by engineer Nick Davis)is a big improvement over the previous CD issues in many ways than one.I owned the 1980's one,and it suffered from the same problem as most CD reissues of old classic rock albums at that time did-dull-sounding,low in volume,needed improvement.The 2007 stereo version solves those problems,sounding sharp,crisp yet lush and dynamic in all the right places.The DTS/DD 5.1 is even better,bringing the subtlies and nuances that were buried in the original mix,such as Mike Ruterford's bass,Tony Banks keyboards,Phil Collins vocals and percussion work,upfront.Great job,folks!

Gravações muito boas com a remasterização e com o DVD-àudio, o som em DTS ou Dolby 5.1 são melhores ainda. è um disco de rock progressivo muito bom e não pode faltar para quem gosta desta linha de som.

again, this new compression technique is so disappointing. As I stated in the and then there were three review the compression technique that hurt the 1978 remaster actually showed better results in the new wind & wuthering remaster. hackett's guitar parts are more audible than in the '94 remaster (rumor has it that the final three muted him in seconds out & wind & wuthering - debatable). I actually thought the acoustics were better all around but davis seems to mute collins & banks in order to appeal to today's popular mood of guitar-based & subtle drumming technique that just isn't genesis. again, why pretend that genesis wasn't musically proficient? I just think this compression production has undermined the genesis musicianship & production of the 70s & 80s. It was good then. i think the '94 remasters are far superior.

WIND AND WUTHERING, the last Genesis album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett, is also their last with lyrics based primarily on fantasy themes. There is also a great deal of humor here, which I'm learning how to equate teasing with. The only song here that doesn't have lyrics that are humorous or fantasy-oriented is the love song "Your Own Special Way", which really should have been saved for the follow-up, but, as is, became the only hit off this album, and the first single by Genesis to chart in the U.S., even though it was atypical of the rest of the album. This CD/DVD gets five stars for its musicianship, its sense of humor, and the individual players' abilities, making this one a must-own.

Another collection of songs from a great rock group. More complex songs, but excellent listening.

this double disc (cd-dvd) is the weakest of the series for the dvd content,still great interviews with the band on the making of the album but for the rest of the extras it is weak, very bad bootleg tv performances (the quality is very weak) no promo videos! The music is still great this is the last album with Steve Hackett on guitar. Still a must buy for the hardcore fan.