Live
	Produced by John Burns/Genesis
	Released on July 1973
	UK CHART POSITION #9
	Find it at GEMM
CAS 1666 cover

T his features the “classic” Genesis quintet recorded live in February 1973, just as their muse was in full flower. The sound quality is very good, the performances faithful, and there are very few surprises. Some fans will wish that the band had added more to the originals (“The Knife” gets a slight update thanks to Steve Hackett, but it’s still 95% identical to the version on Trespass), others will be happy that the band doesn’t tamper with treasured memories. Is it an essential album? Nah, but live albums rarely are, especially single-album distillations of larger shows. The band has since released double-album live sets on three occasions (counting The Way We Walk series as a single occasion), though this is the only officially sanctioned live album to feature Peter Gabriel with Genesis. As a curio, it’s well preserved, no doubt worth listening to from time to time, but unlikely to oust Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot from their regular rotation. Since Buddah’s The Best of Genesis is a little tricky to find, Genesis Live does serve as a good sampler from their earlier albums, but neophytes would do better to buy the aforementioned studio albums first. There’s little chatter in between songs (Mike Rutherford’s impromptu bass pedal solo notwithstanding), and little inkling into the visual aesthetics that the band brought to their performances. Genesis Live is a tasty appetizer, but whether you want to pay an entree price for it is up to you.

CAS 1666 back cover	Buddah promotional sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. WATCHER OF THE SKIES    8:35
2. GET 'EM OUT BY FRIDAY    9:13
3. THE RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED    8:17
4. MUSICAL BOX    10:56
5. THE KNIFE    9:50
   
   All selections written by Genesis

CREDITS

TONY BANKS -- keyboards
PHIL COLLINS -- drums
PETER GABRIEL -- vocals, percussion
STEVE HACKETT -- guitars
MIKE RUTHERFORD -- bass, pedals
Bob Gruen -- front photography

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