Genesis
Live in London 1974

THE REVIEW

I choose another Genesis album for my second review, but this time it's not an album that has been talked about a lot, is talked about, or will always be talked about (like "Selling England By The Pound"), but a certain "Live in London", released in 1974, one of the concerts belonging to the promotional tour of the contemporary "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". It's not an officially released live album, but a Bootleg even though the sound almost makes us think of an official live recording (the sound is not the best, but neither is it the worst); but perhaps (and I repeat once again, perhaps) the strength of this live album could be precisely its sound: a sound that immediately gives us the impression that we are listening to a rather rare live, not easily found in Genesis discographies; a very atmospheric sound that, although not the best, allows us to fully enjoy "the challenge our band faced in London that night".

Here is the very interesting setlist of the concert.

01)  Watcher of the Skies

02)  In the Cage

03)  Back in NYC

04)  Hairless Heart

05)  Counting Out Time

06)  The Carpet Crawlers

07)  The Waiting Room

08)  Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats

09)  The Light Dies Down On Broadway/Riding The Scree

"Watcher of the Skies," one of the classics par excellence, opens the concert with a fade-in; reproduced in the same scheme as the studio version (obviously, you'll say), it appears more epic due to the slightly diversified sound with the presence of more orchestral effects (from Tony Banks' keyboard) being much more prominent. The band's performance is impeccable, the piece is full of energy and passion; there is incredible respect and exaltation when it comes to dynamics: the soft parts are really done softly and in the loud parts, all hell breaks loose (in a positive sense, of course).

There's not even time to thank the audience, as the incredible "In The Cage" immediately starts, with which our band promotes their latest album. A very soft, dark start, but our band is confident and so everything is executed very well. Little by little, Banks' Hammond, Collins' drums, Hackett's guitar, and Rutherford's bass grow in perfect sync until reaching the first verse; during the chorus, Genesis make it clear that they are in it, that the stars at that moment are them, and with this energy, the second verse starts even more confidently and determined. And what about the keyboard solo? Undoubtedly one of the best and most difficult in history (maybe there are more difficult ones, true, but how many have been able to best balance difficulty and beauty?), a very epic, apocalyptic solo that ends in a final arpeggio where everything stops except guitar and drums; Peter Gabriel makes himself heard again in this section only to give way again to the "reprise" of the song. Peter's singing becomes more intense and determined.

The hypnotic "Back In NYC" is performed a bit slower than the studio version, but precisely because of this, Banks' notes and drum breaks are highlighted. In this performance as well, Peter Gabriel becomes more intense in his singing with absolutely impressive results. The instrumental sections of this piece are very effective and immediately capture the attention of the listener. After this, it connects to what I believe to be the best-executed piece of the evening: "Hairless Heart" (connected as in "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway"). In this piece, as in the first, everything assumes a dream-like epicness (here it truly reaches the peak) thanks to Banks' keyboards. The theme of this instrumental song is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful ever, where Genesis fully demonstrate, with great skill, their deepest soul, their expressiveness. Another connection that brings us back to the album, which was just released at the time, and "Counting Out Time" begins, whose execution is excellent but doesn’t convey as much as it could; I would venture to say that this piece represents the lowest point of the concert, even though it flows quite well and at the end, Peter Gabriel puts on his own mini-show, playing a bit with his voice and launching vocal riffs now high, now lower and grittier: yet another demonstration of his skill and, if you will, his rather peculiar personality.

Peter Gabriel again, with his splendid voice, announces, intoning the intro, "The Carpet Crawlers". A very different version compared to the original: it is slower and more expressive, almost as much as that of "Seconds Out". As usual, the volumes are very well balanced. The only flaw in this execution, for me, is Steve Hackett's improvisations, which seem to want to grab attention at all costs (but fortunately, he does not hit any wrong notes; after all, we are talking about Steve Hackett and not just any guitarist). The atmosphere of this album might lead us to believe that from some point in this concert, Genesis perform "The Chamber Of 32 Doors": it would have been a truly formidable choice in my opinion, but, unfortunately, it’s not there, and I would have loved to listen to that beautiful piece with the atmosphere of this live... it would have been perfect. But let's move on.

The setlist continues with "The Waiting Room," opened by some psychedelic effects. Tony Banks' excellent chord progression perfectly accompanies Hackett's notes. Here Phil Collins launches his incredible breaks, and Rutherford follows him perfectly, proving to be a skillful bassist. The piece slows down, Banks performs his solo that concludes the piece in the best way. The audience's approval is through the roof, applause doesn’t seem to end even though it lasts a short time because the band immediately starts a piece that turns out to be another high point in the setlist: "Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats." Everything moves in the best way, and once again this imperfect sound best enhances the atmosphere of the concert. Everything here calms, it feels like being outdoors where only a slight breeze barely stirs the air.

Almost suddenly (yet without abrupt entrances), Banks and Hackett enter, opening "The Light Dies Down On Broadway," which is nothing more than the reprise of the theme of the album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" performed more slowly. Peter Gabriel's voice emerges as best as it could; despite the slowness of the song, our band manages to maintain a constant speed (thanks to Phil Collins, who clearly and efficiently marks the time). "Riding The Scree," the last song on the setlist, performed immediately after "The Light Dies Down On Broadway," is a worthy conclusion to this beautiful concert where Tony Banks shows his creative streak with his Synth solos. Very well executed, by all, the theme of this piece set out by the synthesizer. Few notes but good ones conclude the concert, leaving the audience with bated breath until the general applause of an audience that surely was not disappointed by what they saw and heard, indeed, an audience truly fascinated by the abilities of this formation that made history.

A live that is difficult to come by but worth listening to. My rating is 4.5 stars out of 5. Certainly an excellent live album, even if it doesn’t reach the levels of excellence of "Genesis Live" from 1973 and the even more perfect "Seconds Out" from 1977.