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Rating: THE REVIEW
Yet another fluff operation.
The umpteenth one, this time involving one of the most beloved groups from our prog (and beyond) past. The Genesis, it seems they have reunited and have "produced" a triple CD encased in a luxury box set. It was supposed to be a "complete anthology" according to them, but here the nice words shatter against the cold, sterile wall of reality.
A triple album made up of beautiful and unforgettable songs alongside embarrassing ones for their ugliness and banality. In the first CD, we have "The Knife," "The Musical Box," "Supper's Ready," "The Cinema Show," "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)," "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," "Back In N.Y.C.","The Carpet Crawlers" and the last one, "Ace Of Wands" by Steve Hackett... and I'd say, nothing to add.
Odes and celebrations of all kinds to the creative genius of those years!
Even though, you will also understand that MANY immortal tracks are missing (see "Nursery Crime" or "Firth of Fifth," for example), but let's move on and pretend nothing is wrong. In the second CD, doubts begin: songs like "For a While" by Banks or "Easy Lover" by Collins or the horrid "Silent Running" by Rutherford make us understand how the Genesis alchemy was unattainable with solo projects. Poorly arranged songs, sung plainly and as dull as can be.
In the third CD, then, the first bouts of nausea begin.
"The Living Year" (again by Rutherford, another "miracle" of musical history like Ringo Starr) sounds like a song from a Bauli commercial, with children's choirs... nauseating, to say the least. Not to mention "Red Day on Blue Street" by Banks, truly embarrassing in its banality and '80s Wham-style arrangements. Awfully bad. As always, the only ones to "save themselves" are Peter Gabriel (with certain gems like "Biko" or "Solsbury Hill" or the intense "Signal to Noise" with its Arabesque flavor) and Steve Hackett (with "Nomads" he unleashes small pearls of elegance and style with an almost classical music piece). The only one who, if we want, has carried forward the Genesis brand more than admirably since 1977.
In practice, this box set is a hodgepodge of genres and styles that creates more confusion (and serious embarrassment) than anything else. What were they trying to prove? Why release such different and varied material under the "Genesis" brand, causing more harm than anything? Ahh... money? Certainly, I see no other plausible reason, honestly. But equally honestly, I would have preferred a live reunion of the original lineup (a half-hour concert, nothing more, with tracks up till 1977) and I would have followed them to see them at the ends of the earth! This way it's just a weak "swan song," a last-ditch effort for a "Pandora's Box" now worn out, empty and at this point... highly "disgraced."
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Summary by Bot
This review critiques the Genesis R-Kive box set as a flawed anthology mixing classic band tracks with weaker solo material, resulting in confusion and uneven quality. While the early Genesis masterpieces are celebrated, solo efforts by band members mostly disappoint. The reviewer views the release as a misguided commercial venture rather than a true career retrospective, longing instead for a genuine band reunion.Tracklist Lyrics
01 Wake Up Call (05:14)
02 The Living Years (05:24)
03 Easy Lover (05:02)
06 Siren (08:46)
08 Solsbury Hill (04:23)
10 Biko (07:28)
11 Nomads (04:39)
12 Signal to Noise (07:32)
15 Over My Shoulder (03:35)
16 Calling All Stations (05:46)
18 Red Day on Blue Street (05:50)
20 Every Day (06:14)
21 Silent Running (05:45)
22 Ace of Wands (05:22)
26 That’s All (04:25)
28 For a While (03:39)
31 Supper’s Ready (23:03)
32 In the Air Tonight (05:30)
34 I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) (04:09)
Genesis
English rock band formed in 1967, celebrated for landmark early-1970s progressive albums (Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb) and a later, more pop-oriented phase led commercially by Phil Collins.116 Reviews
