Genesis
Live At Syria Mosque, 1976

I have to say it: I have never particularly loved Phil Collins; I have always preferred the theatricality and the flamboyance of Peter Gabriel, brilliant in all his costumes and stage antics. Certainly, the former remains one of the greatest drummers of all time, but in terms of vocal performances, he is incomparable to Peter. Although this is my opinion, I must admit that the period of '76-'77, which saw the release of two great albums like A Trick Of The Tail and Wind & Wuthering, was one of the most prolific musically. So, I wanted to talk to you about this live bootleg, taken from the tour of the first album mentioned. Probably one of the most beautiful, thanks also to the stunning setlist and the fantastic audio. It's also a double album, sure, it doesn't hold a candle to the mythical and legendary Seconds Out, but it remains an important proof of a line-up that would stay great until Steve Hackett's departure. After that, there would be a downfall, but I absolutely don't want to talk about that. 

As I've already anticipated, Peter Gabriel is no longer there. The line-up therefore sees a shift of Phil Collins to vocals (although during instrumental interludes he would return behind the drums, showing off his great drumming talent that would almost be lost in the eighties), Tony Banks on keyboards, Steve Hackett on electric guitar, Mike Rutherford on bass and rhythm guitars and the great Bill Bruford, historical drummer of Yes first and then King Crimson, who played the drum parts throughout the tour when they couldn't be played by Phil, busy on the microphone. Furthermore, both often gave rise to numerous demonstrations of their mastery, making the concert a true avant-garde and percussion spectacle. 

CD 1 

The beginning is entrusted to a track from the latest album, the roaring "Dance On A Volcano", immediately setting the standards sky-high. The performance is impeccable, this piece would become one of the standout pieces in this tour and the following one. At the end of the track, Collins greets the audience, who warmly acclaims him. A moment of silence, then the keyboard continues to play an ever-encroaching motif: "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" immediately shows us the great understanding the 5 have... again, an excellent performance here. Probably the song is more suitable for Gabriel's strong voice, less suitable for Phil's high pitch, but I have nothing particularly to criticize. The fading piece reconnects to the theme of the aggressive "Fly On A Windshield", also from The Lamb; finally, an intimate and poignant interpretation of "The Carpet Crawlers" closes the medley regarding the epic of Rael. Here, however, we have a great vocal interpretation by Collins, who manages to perfectly adapt to the tone of voice used in the past by Peter (at times the voice is really similar to that of the archangel, so much so that it seems like his). Banks' keyboard also plays an essential part in this, giving the right touch to make this version original. We are not even halfway through the first disc and here is immediately the first masterpiece, "The Cinema Show". Recalling the old glories of Selling England, the piece is performed masterfully, thanks always and especially to a Steve Hackett in great shape. It is probably one of the highest peaks of the disc, even if the only drawback is the fact that the flute (which used to be played by PG) is replaced by keyboards. The result? A less dreamy, but certainly more electric version. The second part (entirely instrumental) gives rise to one of the numerous duets between Collins and Bruford, making the piece a genuine crescendo of drumstick and cymbal hits, between rolls and various stuff. At a certain point, there is even room for a genuine drum solo, on the same wave of "Moby Dick" and "The Mule". As if suddenly, the atmosphere changes and, with the closure of the piece, a vortex takes us back to the present with the beautiful "Robbery, Assault & Battery": I don't want to dwell much, a good execution but not a textbook one. Mike Rutherford then introduces "White Mountain", the only track taken from Trespass. I would have preferred something from Nursery Cryme (maybe "The Musical Box", which strangely does not appear in this album) but still, we can't demand much, we are always talking about a bootleg. The first disc ends with "Firth Or Fifth", in a version very similar to the one present in "Seconds Out" (could it have been extracted from here to add it to the same official live?). The track, known to everyone as one of the most complex in history, loses a lot precisely for the lack of the very difficult key intro. It is said that Banks never wanted to perform it live again because several times he made mistakes; to avoid further errors, he decided to abolish it. This is the version of events I know, but it has never been very clear to me. 

CD 2

The second disc opens with Steve Hackett's voice, greeting the audience and introducing the other members. Then he introduces a celestial version of "Entangled" (perhaps even better than the studio one) which captivates the listeners and takes them to a surrealistic world: an excellent interpretation by our team here as well. A pause: the "Squonk", a small being that turns into tears when captured, appears on stage. For about ten minutes it shows off to the audience, something quite unusual for a scared little creature that absolutely dislikes humans; it hops around, accompanied by the faithful drums. After a great performance, the little creature bids farewell to the notes of Banks and returns to the world of the Trick of the Tail, from where it came. After this entertaining experience, the tones of the disc become more serious: Phil solemnly announces that "Dinner is Ready". The great suite from Foxtrot spreads at our feet, in a crescendo of emotions and adventures... the ongoing struggle between good and evil, the transformation of Narcissus into a flower, Pythagoras showing us the full moon: all of this just to then meet the guards of Magog who introduce us to a dizzying Apocalypse in 9/8, probably the compositional climax of the track (if we want to call it that). The words have never been so clear: a new era will lead us to the new Jerusalem. Then we move on to a psychedelic "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", in the same format as the studio version, and "Los Endos", the summary of such a melancholic yet festive disc named "A trick of the Tail". Finally, there is also room for an explosive "It" which becomes one with a brief instrumental "Watcher Of The Skies" that concludes the performance.

Live At Syria Mosque, taking place on a carefree day in April, shows us that the band can do without Peter Gabriel and probably, in a certain sense, manages to capture the audience's attention more effectively as a band and not as a single member as it used to happen with the archangel. Furthermore, the musical instruments are clearer and more pronounced, not stifled by Peter's protagonism. Definitely worth listening to.