gabriel's peak

This is perhaps my favorite Genesis album. Peter Gabriel is at his enigmatic best on this live outing. I regret that I never got to see Genesis in concert, as this album is evidence of the band's place in prog-rock history - more coherent than Yes, more versatile than ELP, and much more accessible than King Crimson. The recording quality is not the best (this album has since been remastered). This album should be in every progressive-rock fan's collection.

One-of-a-kind in the Genesis discography

For many years this was the only available live document of Peter Gabriel's Genesis days, and it still is unless you can afford to shell out for the box set. As such it is frustratingly short, originally released as a single vinyl LP. There's nothing wrong with the tracklist at all, but it's sad to think that "Supper's Ready," "The Fountain of Salmacis" and "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" were left off because the record company was looking for a quick buck at the time. I remember the original vinyl album having that thin cardboard cover that said "budget album" back then. Yeah right, prime live Gabriel-era Genesis treated like a budget album.



But enough of my grumbling, here's what it sounds like: quite simply this is the rawest, grittiest and rockingest you'll ever hear this band. I was struck by the resemblence to Van Der Graf Generator's sound more than what one expects from Genesis. The down and dirty sound is no fault of the nicely-done remaster, it's just the way the band sounded live at that time, sort of grunge-prog (the ultimate oxymoron.)



This edgy, louder sound suits the rocker "The Knife" perfectly, while making this version of "The Musical Box" the standard one for me over the badly produced and badly edited original. Steve Hackett's rousing guitar finale to "The Musical Box" is a showstopper and makes me jump up and say YEAH every time! "Watcher of the Skies" is terrific too, and again I like it better than the original.



This is a record filled with regretful "if-only's" but I enjoy it for what it is, an enjoyable, unique addition to the prog collection or Genesis collection.

The Best

Genesis Live is by far the best Genesis live album. The band play amazingly in expanded compositions. Although this album is short for a live album 47 minutes (46 without Peters spoken intros and the cheering) its not the shortest live album ever, George Michael and Queen with Lisa Stansfield Five Live, for example is shorter. Because Tony does not play acoustic piano on Live Return Of The Giant Hogweed takes on an earie feel with the electric piano replacing the acoustic for its break. Also different is Peter shouting "Giant Hogweed lives!!" Both enhance the song. The knife features Phil playing the wistle frantically during the speeded up conclusion. Peter really shows why he was the frontman of the group, his singing, flute playing, tamborine, bass drum and inside sleeve notes are greatly pronounced and they are missed on the albums after he left the band.