Genesis
BBC Sessions 1970-1972

It is always an emotion to rediscover in another form songs that we have loved unconditionally for years. The "BBC Sessions" are particularly appreciated by me because they always reveal unheard aspects of the musicians I prefer and the pleasant variations of the songs that have most represented them and which I may have stored away in a dusty imaginary drawer in my mind due to the inevitable addiction from prolonged and pleasurable listening. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the recordings of some of the songs on this album is, to use a euphemism, rather disheartening and purely bootleg-like.

On first listening, I won't hide from you that great bitterness and disappointment took hold of me, as some surprises and gems deserved a decidedly better recording, as is the case with The Light and Harold The Barrel, practically almost unlistenable.

Despite the flaws, in this Genesis BBC sessions there are delightful and interesting moments worthy of note, starting with Stagnation, whose unheard version with more elaborate arrangements and excellent vocal performance by Peter Gabriel and an immense Tony Banks does not make one miss the studio version in Trespass, which is already splendid in itself, even if still immature. Get'Em Out By Friday is, in my opinion, magnificent in its less clear, rigorous, and ordered presentation compared to the original, with a dirtier sound and a decisive, overwhelming rhythm and, at times, even more solemn. Hackett's guitar is heavy, cavernous, and pleasantly intrusive. We also have a dreamy and hypnotic The Musical Box; the melody and vocal part are soft and seductive, the flute is melancholic and graceful like a delicate and poignant lullaby until the impressive final instrumental explosion, supported by a screaming Gabriel, an ending less elegant and perverse, if you will, than the original. Phil Collins enhances and sharpens Looking For Someone highlighting his potential as a drummer, decisive and incisive like few others in progressive groups. Twilight Alehouse is the real gem of the album. It's a roughly 8-minute track in full Genesis style, well arranged and performed, extremely varied and rich in melodic "twists", with a magnificent flute that adds gentleness to the piece and drums and keyboards in duets with sudden accelerations, and an unusual dissonant, acidic, and noisy finale. Like The Light and Going To Get To You, a short and restless piece, effective and captivating, Twilight Alehouse is a track released as a b-side and never included in an album. Watcher Of The Skies is very well performed, flowing smoothly without presenting any unheard particularities, while The Return Of The Giant Hogweed is disappointing, unfortunately undermined by the terrible recording and a realization significantly inferior to the sparkling one in "Genesis Live".

Apart from the poor recordings, this album represents for fans and lovers of progressive music a pleasant discovery and rediscovery of some gems from the Gabriel-era Genesis in an unheard sauce with tasty variations, and the possibility to appreciate and indulge once again in listening to works of such beauty and harmony, as if it were the first time, overshadows the technical shortcomings. And then, you know, perfection is dull and monotonous.

Rating 3.5