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61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Musical Box, Part III, November 23, 2008
So, we finally come to it at last: the third & final Genesis box set in the band's box set trilogy. And this time, we're going all the way back to the band's beginning! "Genesis 1970-1975" is the Peter Gabriel era, the early days of the band when Phil Collins stayed behind the drumkit (or, in the case of "Trespass," wasn't even in the band yet), and Peter Gabriel was the frontman, dressing up in all of his wild, wacky costumes. Five albums included here: "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," "Foxtrot," "Selling England By The Pound," and "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," all remastered and remixed by producer Nick Davis, with lots of fantastic early concert footage, and insightful interviews with the various bandmembers, recorded in 2007 (NOTE: the group's 1969 debut album, "From Genesis To Revelation," is not included in the box set for legal reasons). The box set also comes with an exclusive bonus disc of rare tracks and exclusive footage, and a handsome 42-page booklet. All five Genesis albums featured here are 5-star classics in my book, and the sound quality and remixing on all of them is nothing short of superb (thank you, Nick Davis!). Like the two Genesis box sets before it, Davis has once again brought the vocals more up front, as well as some of the instrumentation, so you can now hear notes & passages played & sung that were previously buried. "The Lamb," in particular, is a whole new album! I heard stuff on this new version of "The Lamb" that I've *never* heard before (there's even a few more seconds added to Steve Hackett's mystic strumming on "Fly On A Windshield"---I never knew the track had been edited!). The bonus disc of rarities is a real treat---most of these rare cuts have already been issued on the "Genesis Archive 1967-1975" box set, and they're all fabulous (including the phenomenal "Twilight Alehouse"), but the main attraction here is the previously-unreleased 15-minute tape called "Genesis Plays Jackson," a never-finished soundtrack the band recorded for an aborted BBC documentary about the painter Michael Jackson, and the band would later raid some of this material for "Trespass," "Nursery Cryme," and "The Lamb." It is *very* fascinating stuff to hear. And the video content on this box set is sensational, with lots of amazing vintage concert footage of Peter & the boys in action, including the priceless, rare 1973 concert film shot on the "Selling England" tour (it's about an hour long), and equally-priceless TV performances recorded in 1971, '73 and '74. And listen to this: while there is no "proper" footage included from "The Lamb" tour---regretfully, the band never filmed the "Lamb" show in it's entirety---the 5.1 DVD of "The Lamb" offers an outstanding, visual reconstruction of the concert, including the band's original slides from the show, bootleg footage, and photos. It is absolutely breathtaking to watch, and probably the closest we'll ever get to an actual film of Genesis performing "The Lamb" themselves. And the 2007 interviews with all the guys are terrific, very informative and insightful. The *only* debit I can think of about "1970-1975" is the unfortunate omission of "From Genesis To Revelation," but I won't deduct any stars from my rating for it. Besides, "From Genesis To Revelation" IS available if you want it. It's not the greatest album Genesis ever made, but it's very good and you should still get it, AND you can complete your Genesis studio-album collection with it, too. I'm thrilled beyond words---my all-time favorite band have finally been honored in a huge, huge way with these three box sets. Pick up "Genesis 1970-1975" right now, and, as Peter Gabriel sang on "Cinema Show," take a little trip back with Father Tiresias. Thank you, and long live Genesis!
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46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better sound but different....., November 12, 2008
There is a lot to like about this box set. The videos are great. Overall, the sound is improved but at a cost. Whenever, there is a remix, there usually is a departure from the original soundscape of what the artists intended. For instance, the organ in the "You stand there with your fixed expression" section of The Musical Box is now mixed way down and Gabriel's voice is the only prominent instrument. I feel some of the power in the piece has been lost due to the choice of remix levels. In some cases, instruments once heard in the mix are now almost inaudible. Were members of Genesis involved with the remix? Regardless, it is a treat to hear these masterpieces of prog in somewhat better sound however, I will not give up my recordings with the original mixes.
I am sure most reviewers will say the new mixes are better because there are instruments they never heard before that are now clearer. The reason for that is now the mixes are different and not necessarily from improved sound. Regardless, I will still listen to the new remixes and delight in them like everyone else. I just wish that the mix levels were closer to the original productions.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sound engineer's perspective, December 8, 2008
I've been a recording engineer for over 20 years and I'm also a big early Genesis fan. When I first read some of these reviews I was excited to hear good things about the over all sound quality. I then saw some negative reviews citing over compression and bad mastering. I just got the box set a few days ago and these are definitely remixes (not just remasters) and they are MUCH better overall. You will hear different vocal tracks on occasion and the vocals generally louder. The drum sounds, guitar tones, bass tones and keyboard sounds are all much improved. The thing about the original recording of these albums (especially Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot) is they were done on a tight budget and really are very poor mixes. I think anyone who listens to the new mixes a few times and then goes back to the original recordings will realize how much better these mixes are. The DVD's are also great with just about all live footage from that era and great interviews with all band members done in 2007.
A Must Have! for any PG era Genesis fans
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