Musings on Genesis Revisited II

[Progatron]

Finally got the chance to properly sit down with this beast last night and now tonight again. Here are some random thoughts.

Thought the first: The accompanying artwork for some of the tracks is outstanding - I mean, I really love it. (side note: the booklet smells amazing - I'm one of those freaks who loves the smell of cd booklets)

Thought the second: "Entangled" sounds great but it is just too jarring for me that the crunch of "Squonk" does not immediately follow. Those two tracks for me are like "Heartbreaker/Livin' Lovin' Maid" or "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions". What's worse is the intro to the usually excellent song "Eleventh Earl Of Mar" (which is what does follow) sounds painfully lifeless here. The song improves as it goes on but overall lacks the oomph of the original. The weakest moment of the album for me.

Thought the third: (is that getting pretentious yet?) I adore "Shadow Of The Hierophant" and I'm so pleased Steve has resurrected it in recent years (live DVD with Steven Wilson joining in, etc.) - I'll take any version I can of this stone-cold classic. I really like how Steve mixed in a few of his own Genesis-like tracks with this collection, it really works well IMO. I had no idea this was partially rehearsed as far back as Foxtrot.

Thought the fourth: I love how Steve used his 'police siren' guitar wails from the High Voltage festival appearance in "Hogweed". And I do like Neal Morse a lot, he has obvious fun singing this track (nice to have Stolt there as well but I kinda miss Portnoy's thunderous drums at the end section).

Thought the (firth of) fifth: Is it just my player acting funny, or do the tracks that flow together (Windshield/Broadway Melody and Unquiet Slumbers/Quiet Earth/Afterglow) have a two-second gap? Ugh.

Thought the sixth: Overall I was more pleased with this than I thought I would be. I've heard that Mike Rutherford made some disparaging remarks regarding this release but I have yet to actually see those for myself. If it's true, that's not cool - there's absolutely nothing wrong with ONE ex-member showing a fondness for the past. I had originally heard comments about how the tracks were largely 'carbon copies' - and while that's true to a point, they still sound great and are treated with love and respect. In some ways it was like listening to the Genesis songs in a particularly arranged playlist. In some ways.

Edit - Additional thought (the minor seventh): As much as I truly enjoy this release, make no mistake - there ain't no replacing the original guys, most notably in this case Phil.

[UnephenStephen]

from the samples i heard, didn't like the singing at all. maybe it's just being used to Peter/Phil but the voice on here just didn't fit. was it Steve who was singing?

[Progatron]

from the samples i heard, didn't like the singing at all. maybe it's just being used to Peter/Phil but the voice on here just didn't fit. was it Steve who was singing?

Many different singers throughout the album. Rarely Steve himself (save for "Willow Farm"!).

[jkelman]

I'm really liking it, overall, and think a couple of things particularly stand out, most notably Nik Kershaw's vocal turn on The Lamia; man, that guy's voice is still sweet. I know he was largely pop in the day, but even then, his voice was tremendous (and he's actually a kickass guitarist too).

I love Jakko Jakszyk's turn on Entangled, also, as I think he brings (like Kershaw) something very different to it, even if the lines he sings are pretty faithful. Both singers have qualities so different from Gabriel and that's why I think I like them so much . Nad is great, no doubt, but a little too Gabriel-esque and, while that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it means too much grist for comparison, whereas you can take Kershaw and Jakszyk on their own merits much more easily (but I do love ya, Nad, so not to worry!). Steven Wilson's also solid on Can-Utility, though I do think that Nik and Jakko have more emotive voices, at least in this context.

While a lot of the music is literal in arrangement, not necessarily so in the playing, and I think the opportunity Hackett took to sonically upgrade a few tracks was good. I also am ok with him adjusting the balance a little differently, putting keyboards a little farther down in the mix at times, and boosting the guitar. As much as he was a key player in the group, I always felt, but especially with The Lamb forward, that he was given a little too short shrift. Sometimes, here, it works, sometimes not so much, but that's fine.

And opening with Chamber of 32 Doors was a ballsy move, and one that, for me, really worked well.

And song selection? Fantastic. I give this a solid A- (since I won't be giving it a formal review).

[AncientChord]

My thoughts are mostly positive. Not all of the singers are perfect, or fit the songs as well as others, but overall IMO Steve did an excellent job of reviving the old songs to sound fresh, with new little flourishes and additions throughout. Remember, the music of the prog Genesis was nothing like what followed. The music was not easy to write or perform. I've said in the old PE site posts that it is obvious that the musicians that Steve employed for the project truly hold a lot of love in their hearts for the once great band. Since I've bought the album, I've been playing it quite a bit. Although the sound is pristine throughout, I do think on some tracks that the drums and mellotron are too buried in the mix. But that's a minor complaint. IMO I hope there will be another in the future similar like II. I'd like GR I -Watcher of the Skies to be revived, and more like II, closer to the roots of the original songs. God I'd love to hear a II version of "Watcher" and "Firth of Fifth" again. I'm really hoping that Steve might do one of those songs as a surprise for an encore at the upcoming show I'll be attending in La Mirada California. At any rate I love the new album, and am highly looking forward to the 2013 concert.

[Trane]

Is the Chamber Of 32 Doors so very close to the original one??

I heard in a friend's car the version in the latest Prog Mag's sampler CD, but it didbn't specify whether it was from Gen Rev II or Lamb (though credited to Hackett and not Genesis)... It sounded close enough to the Gabriel version (vocals incredibly Gabian), but couldn't be sure >> too much conversation going on in the car

[roddenberry]

I'm very eager to get this one, I read Hackett's description of it and sampled a few bits, need it!

i'll grab it next weekend when I go to the local HMV (I have a $50 gift certificate) and i'll also get the new live PTree album too.

Robert

[Progtopia]

Is the Chamber Of 32 Doors so very close to the original one??

Most of the tracks are pretty darned faithful to the originals. The vocalists seem to be the main sticking point for some, but personally, I'm fine with them all. I even thought the use of a female lead on "Ripples" was a nice touch.

[Richard]

The guitar at the end of The Lamia featuring Hackett along with Steve Rothery is the most amazing thing I've heard in years. My only complaint is that it doesn't extend for 10 minutes I would love to hear more collaboration between my all-time 2 favorite guitarists!

[NotTheMama]

A great collection. It's amazing how much I don't miss Gabriel or Collins on this stuff. I suppose purists will have issues with the singers, but you have to wonder why folks like that buy this kind of record anyway. If there are complaints, it might be that the arrangements are a little too faithful, though I'm ok with how Hackett has done this. I have to say, Roger King nails it on keyboards. Let's be honest, Hackett is the only one of the Genesis guys who makes no apologies for this music. He deserves to inherit the repertory. I hope he tours it far and wide.

[Mr. Grizzly Bear]

Heard it myself, and, [WARNING: DISSENTING OPINION INCOMING] thought, WHY? Geez, didn't they do it right the first time? I don't know, this whole thing of exact or near exact remakes just strikes me as more than a little pointless and lame no matter how technically perfect it's executed, just this old bear's opinion. I thought the whole point of the original proggers was to create something new, not become a rigidly codified style or worse yet, a slavishly exactly nostalgia thing.

[Progtopia]

The way Steve Hackett explained it on my podcast show with him is that he felt they didn't have enough time when these songs were recorded to do them to everyone's satisfaction, so this is a way to spend the time to refine it. Even though, obviously, it can't be relived without the original members and at least somewhat close to the original time.

[Scott Bails]

A lot of complaints about the vocalists, but there are a few that were splendid, IMO, including Steven Wilson and John Wetton. I'm not sure that I'll ever warm to Nad Sylvan's voice, but he's acceptable here.

[NotTheMama]

One big problem with rock after about Sgt. Pepper is that the recording itself often (but not always) becomes the music, not allowing for much variation and/or interpretation in live performance. Fans listen to the albums and get that exact sound in their heads, often complaining when what they hear in another version doesn't exactly match what they already know. No other style of music is constrained in this way, and it's really too bad that this limitation is so prevalent. Nobody listens to jazz or classical that way.

[ca1ore]

Bought this album, as I do everything from Steve Hackett, but not sure it will stand the test of time for me. While the original versions may have been rushed and a product of available technology at the time, I have heard them so many times that no other version will sound right. I just think I will always reach for those, not these.

[firth5th]

A lot of complaints about the vocalists, but there are a few that were splendid, IMO, including Steven Wilson and John Wetton. I'm not sure that I'll ever warm to Nad Sylvan's voice, but he's acceptable here.

Wetton is good. Wilson is too emo for me, and his contribution is weak tea.

Some of the singers are not native english speakers, and it comes through in the vocal pronunciations, which doesn't sound real professional.

[jkelman]

Wetton is good. Wilson is too emo for me, and his contribution is weak tea.

Some of the singers are not native english speakers, and it comes through in the vocal pronunciations, which doesn't sound real professional.

Can't agree with you on Wilson - don't think he's weak at all. As for using folks with accents not sounding professional? Should we indict Neal Morse because he doesn't have an English accent either? Sorry, firth; it may bother you, but to suggest it's unprofessional is, imo, going a little far. They all do just fine with the pronunciations, to my ears, and while there have been some cringe moments for Nad in early Agents of Mercy (the chorus of the opening title track to Fading Ghosts of Twilight, which they fixed in the live version, though), there's none of that here, just guys with accents, and what's unprofessional about that? They deliver the lyrics emotively, in tune and well-articulated. They're all pros to me.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

I have to agree -- Nad Sylvain's voice is really annoying. It sounds to me like Bon Scott doing a Peter Gabriel impression.

[JIF]

Can't agree with you on Wilson - don't think he's weak at all. As for using folks with accents not sounding professional? Should we indict Neal Morse because he doesn't have an English accent either? Sorry, firth; it may bother you, but to suggest it's unprofessional is, imo, going a little far. They all do just fine with the pronunciations, to my ears, and while there have been some cringe moments for Nad in early Agents of Mercy (the chorus of the opening title track to Fading Ghosts of Twilight, which they fixed in the live version, though), there's none of that here, just guys with accents, and what's unprofessional about that? They deliver the lyrics emotively, in tune and well-articulated. They're all pros to me.

What about Simon Collins and his Canadian accent?

[firth5th]

What about Simon Collins and his Canadian accent?

Simon sounds great! It not a North America versus British accent (often times you cant tell in songs) it's the inability to pronounce English words.

I played PG's German version of Security to a German friend, who thought it sounded really "weird" because you could tell Gabriel is not a native German speaker.

Here's a humorous (exaggerated) example of a non-English speaker singing Genesis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ttQ7vdqek

[flowerking]

Production value is way up over the original recordings. But that isn't enough reason to re-record these songs. I do like some of the embellishments from Steve on guitar. This was his chance to really do something that Genesis would not let him do, but sadly he didn't take enough advantage of it. He wails in a few spots, the end of Suppers Ready comes to mind. I wish he would have done more. Overall, I really enjoy this but wish he would have taken more liberties, been at least slightly less faithful.

As far as Rutherford's supposed comments, until or unless any other member of Genesis is willing to embrace their past like Steve has always been willing to do, I don't care what they think.

[Jacob Holm-Lupo]

Frankly I don't see the point. I had some hopes for this, especially after seeing the intriguing track list. But what on earth is the point of re-recording all these originally excellent songs when they are mostly note-for-note replicas of the original recordings? I appreciate the fun in bringing in some new voices (and I agree with Kelman that especially Kershaw and Jakszyk perform excellently). But if you're not going to offer a new perspective on the material, I really don't see what the purpose is of doing this (beyond the obvious reason which shall not be named). I was hoping for actual re-interpretations, like the gorgeous Blunstone version of "For Absent Friends" on Revisited I.

All that said, many singers do a great job, and Hackett is in top form as a guitarist (is he ever not...?).

One thing, though - there is not a single track here where whoever drums shows the flair and elegance of Phil.

J.

[jkelman]

What about Simon Collins and his Canadian accent?

Eh?

[battema]

Frankly I don't see the point. I had some hopes for this, especially after seeing the intriguing track list. But what on earth is the point of re-recording all these originally excellent songs when they are mostly note-for-note replicas of the original recordings? I appreciate the fun in bringing in some new voices (and I agree with Kelman that especially Kershaw and Jakszyk perform excellently). But if you're not going to offer a new perspective on the material, I really don't see what the purpose is of doing this (beyond the obvious reason which shall not be named). I was hoping for actual re-interpretations, like the gorgeous Blunstone version of "For Absent Friends" on Revisited I.

All that said, many singers do a great job, and Hackett is in top form as a guitarist (is he ever not...?).

One thing, though - there is not a single track here where whoever drums shows the flair and elegance of Phil.

J.

Agree with all of the above. I find this album disappointingly safe after the relatively interesting first Genesis Revisited.

[Magic Mountain]

A lot of complaints about the vocalists, but there are a few that were splendid, IMO, including Steven Wilson and John Wetton. I'm not sure that I'll ever warm to Nad Sylvan's voice, but he's acceptable here.

It's funny. I agree with you on Nad's voice on studio albums...hard to take. However, I actually like his voice MUCH better when seeing him perform live. Go figure.