One of prog’s most loved live albums celebrates its 40th birthday this year.
I’m sure I’m not the only one around here who still enjoys second helpings of Seconds Out, so I thought I’d write a little personal overview of the album, looking at why it works, what’s missing and how it fares on its current CD and DVD formats. Hope you enjoy it.
https://momentstransition.wordpress....onds-out-1977/
Perfect timing for an expanded deluxe edition & involve Hackett in the mixing and not Banks!
A nice review! Thank you.Originally Posted by Valen
It was a very important album when released; it heralded Genesis' arrival on the world stage. I had the double-page advert from Melody Maker laminated back in the day and only gave it away about 10 years ago. For those of us that were fans from earlier days, it really was an impressive document of the 1976 and 1977 tours. The loudness of the drums meant that it became my favorite Genesis album to drum along with.
It is still one of my favorites, especially for the inclusion of the Bruford track (as you mention in your review).
My first introduction to prog also and I still love this disc. One of the things that strikes me is the crowd. Love the applause at the end of songs. They sound enthusiastic, supportive and it makes the disc feel like you are there. At least that was always my impression.
"I want to be someone, who someone would want to be." Marillion
The 76 and 77 shows i attended featured very supportive and vocal crowds. But yes, they really have the applause loud on the record. When drumming along I would usually leap from the drums to turn down the volume after a track ended (I love my remote nowadays).
One of the great live albums for me. The audience is definitely part of the appeal- a lot of atmosphere (don't like live albums- including later Genesis ones- which mix the crowd and venue atmosphere out, what's the point of that??). They were on top form in this period...possibly a career peak as far as musicianship goes.
There's two Bruford tracks, and a third appeared on Three Sides Live- 'It/Watcher...'. The latter has one of my absolute favourite Genesis moments, the segue from one track into another is really amazingly done.
There's the Genesis In Concert film too, with this 1976 band.
Last edited by JJ88; 04-13-2017 at 01:10 PM.
I thought there were two but didn't want to look foolish if my memory was incorrect.
I'll take that chanceI thought there were two but didn't want to look foolish if my memory was incorrect.: what's the second Bruford track on SO?
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
My buddies in the Genesis tribute 'Abacab' are playing the entire 'Seconds Out' album in Chicago this year as part of a prog fest.
Speaking about feeling old, I was already getting tired-of/burned-out on Genesis by the time this came out. ffs lol The post PG thrill lasted to about W&W. After that, the only Genesis I knew was from the radio or hearing bits here and there when somebody else was playing them.
Hmm. For some reason I thought he was on 'Robbery Assault And Battery' but apparently not. I think it was that confusingly-worded 'keyboard solo Phil' thing on both songs.I'll take that chance
It was my introduction to Genesis. Still very fond of it.
I never understood what was supposed to be so confusing about those credits. I always understood it meant that those were the songs where Phil played drums.
I have the original CD. Not a huge live album fan but I got it mainly for Supper's Ready. If I get another Genesis album it'll be the first live album. The Knife is on that one, right? Never have heard that first live album.
Me neither. Maybe the center-justified lettering might have caused some people to overlook the "All drums Chester" line. They left-justified the text for the CD.
I'll take the 40th anniv mini-Lp expanded edition
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
If i was to pick only two albums to take with me in the afterlife, I would take Seconds Out and Yessongs. Seconds Out is probably my favorite album (live or studio) with W&W only micrometers behind.
The first live album is also brilliant and indeed includes The Knife, but there is a boot version out there on the web with Suppers Ready from the same time included, which completes it. Search that out if you want to listen first.
For me the definitve versions of "Supper's Ready" and "The Cinema Show" are on this. Which means it's absolutely essential.
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
It was my introduction to the group as well.
I have 5 groups where my first album was a live one
Camel - A live record
ELP - Welcome back my friends...
Genesis - Seconds out
Wings - Wings over America
Yes - Yessongs
This could have been written by me...apart from the laminated ad bit! I DID have that ad on my wall as a teenager - it said something like "From the best live band in the world...the best live album" and had the band with the huge row of downward pointing spotlights. And I used to drum along to it in my parents garage too.
I'm surprised no-one's chipped in with "what about all the overdubs?" yet. That's what usually happens in Seconds Out threads...without any evidence that I've seen so far.
It's definitely my favourite live album and was a huge part of my life for a year or two after it came out.
Seconds Out was the first Genesis album I purchased new when it was first released. I've since come to love the studio versions of everything represented here, but there are moments on SO that still make the hairs on my arms stand up 40 years later. Finding the video of the '76 tour, flawed and incomplete as it is, was an additional treat. I feel exactly the same way about Genesis Live and the available videos of that era. This was a stunning live band.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
Cinema Show from this album is probably the track from my entire music collection that I've played the most over the years. Sometimes I'll just skip ahead to about the 6 minute point and go from there.
Plus, we have the same first name!
And yes, you described the ad perfectly.
I think most of us know (and accept?) the overdubs. As has been mentioned on most of these "Live album" threads, almost every live album has them to some degree. And we all know that if we want the unvarnished truth, listen to a bootleg recording.
Phil was asked about the overdubs on Seconds Out. He said he remembers overdubbing some of the Entangled vocals on the chorus.
Phil doesn't have a very good memory.
Also, I don't think the SO concert was really from Paris. They said that for tax reasons. But how do you explain "I love Paris in the springtime?" Maybe that was an overdub.
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