Seconds Out (1977) – Genesis

Genesis released their double live album Seconds Out in October 1977, capturing the band’s performance during the Wind & Wuthering tour. Recorded mainly at the Palais des Sports in Paris in June 1977, with one track from the Pavillon de Paris in June 1976, the album showcases Genesis at a pivotal moment in their evolution.

Produced by David Hentschel and Genesis, the album reached #4 on the UK charts and #47 in the US. Let’s delve into what makes Seconds Out so remarkable.

Genesis in Transition: the Evolution of Seconds Out

In the mid-1970s, Genesis stood at a crossroads. Following Peter Gabriel’s departure in 1975, the band had successfully navigated the uncertain waters of change with the release of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. Yet, just as they were finding their footing with Phil Collins at the helm, another shakeup loomed on the horizon. Steve Hackett, whose guitar work had been a defining feature of the band’s sound, was growing restless. What followed was a turning point that would shape the next era of Genesis—both in the studio and on stage.

The Uneasy Road of 1977

While Genesis were touring in 1977, their concert film Genesis In Concert—capturing their 1976 tour—premiered at the ABC Cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue, attended by Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. At this time, not all was harmonious within the band. Steve Hackett was becoming increasingly frustrated with the dynamics of touring and his role in the group. He felt creatively stifled, yearning to focus on his solo work—a desire that grew stronger as the tour progressed.

Following the tour, Genesis began work on their live album Seconds Out, a project that would ultimately serve as a backdrop to Steve Hackett’s departure. Seconds Out became the last Genesis album to feature Steve Hackett, marking a bittersweet moment for both the band and its fans. The album captured Genesis as a foursome, featuring live drummer Chester Thompson alongside Phil Collins.

The tracklist

The album featured live versions of fan favorites. With tracks like ‘Supper’s Ready’ spanning over 24 minutes, the album truly captured the band’s progressive rock spirit. The selection of songs highlighted the band’s progressive rock prowess and showcased their evolution into more jazz-rock-oriented sounds. It presents Genesis’s musical versatility, combining complex compositions with the band’s skillful live performances.

The album includes Collins-led versions of several classic songs that had been previously fronted by Peter Gabriel. Songs like ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ combined with ‘The Musical Box,’ demonstrated the band’s ability to recontextualize their material in a live setting. Music journalist Chris Welch noted that the first track “works well taken out of context,” highlighting how Genesis adapted their earlier compositions to suit their evolving sound, creating a powerful medley for live audiences.¹ Similarly, ‘Dance on a Volcano’ and ‘Los Endos’ were fused into a seamless, dynamic closer that merged the opening and final tracks of A Trick of the Tail.

‘Firth of Fifth’ marked a historic moment, featuring two drummers for the first time on a Genesis LP, but also the last appearance of Steve Hackett’s iconic guitar solo. Chris Welch’s critique noted that the drumming was “clipped and restless.”²

Welch also praised Phil Collins’s performance on ‘I Know What I Like’. Phil’s playful scat singing and his signature tambourine dance drew cheers from the crowd, becoming a staple of his live shows for years to come. Yet, the extended outro was not immune to critique, with Welch suggesting that it “starts to fall asleep during a long, coasting instrumental section.”³ Even so, he acknowledged the standout contributions from Mike Rutherford’s inventive bass patterns and Tony Banks’s brief reference to ‘Stagnation’ from Trespass, which brought the piece back to life as it concluded.

The Making of Seconds Out: A Tale of Two Drummers

The Recording Process

Phil Collins described the process of putting the album together in a 1978 interview.⁴ The band found that the more recent recordings from 1977 sounded superior to those from 1976. Phil noted that the sound quality, especially the keyboards and his vocals, had significantly improved. Also, with Chester Thompson on drums, Genesis had refined their live dynamics. Phil explained that they had ample time in Paris to record five shows with drummer Chester Thompson, resulting in a richer, more polished sound compared to earlier takes featuring Bill Bruford on drums. The choice to use the more recent live recordings from 1977 was driven by the band’s improved performance and sound quality.

Interestingly, the band experimented with live versions of other songs like ‘White Mountain’ and ‘Inside and Out’ but ultimately decided to leave them off the album because they didn’t meet their high standards. The live setting allowed Genesis to enhance their tracks, adding fresh elements such as Phil’s playful reference to the 1953 song ‘I Love Paris’ during the live rendition of ‘I Know What I Like.’

A Tale of Two Drummers

One of the highlights on the album is the drum interplay between Collins and Thompson, particularly evident on tracks like ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Firth of Fifth.’ The two drummers’ chemistry elevated Genesis’s live sound to new heights, setting the bar for future tours and recordings. The album credits detail who plays drums on each track, indicating the seamless interplay between the two musicians on the songs ‘Afterglow’, ‘Firth Of Fifth’, ‘I Know What I Like’, ‘The Musical Box’, ‘Supper’s Ready’, and ‘Los Endos’. The unique setup allowed Phil to focus on vocals while still contributing to the drumming, creating a dynamic and rhythmic backbone for the live performances.

Steve Hackett’s Departure

A Sudden Shift in Genesis’s Lineup

While the Seconds Out album captured Genesis at their live best, it also marked the end of an era. Steve Hackett’s growing frustration with the band’s dynamics and his desire to focus on his solo work led to his departure. Midway through the tour in 1977, Hackett decided it was time to move on.

As the band mixed the tracks, Steve decided to leave, much to the surprise of some of his bandmates.

Tony Banks expressed his surprise at Hackett’s exit, noting, “I wasn’t surprised that he left, but I was surprised by the moment he left.”⁵ Hackett had contributed significantly to the Wind & Wuthering album, but the lure of solo projects proved stronger. Despite his involvement, Hackett felt overshadowed by the other band members and ultimately chose a different path.

Phil Collins recalls the moment vividly: “He left while we were mixing the live album.”⁶ Phil remembered seeing Steve in the street, offering him a lift, but he declined. When Phil got to the studio, Tony and Mike informed him that Steve had left the band. It was a sudden departure that changed the dynamics of Genesis, but not one that derailed their progress.

A Creative Crossroads

Steve Hackett’s departure from Genesis was both inevitable and surprising. For Hackett, the need to express his musical ideas outside the confines of the band had grown stronger, especially after tasting solo success with his album Voyage of the Acolyte. Reflecting on this period, Hackett said he felt relieved to finally have the creative freedom he long desired, a freedom that would later lead to his beloved solo album Spectral Mornings.

Tony Banks reflected on Hackett’s departure with mixed emotions, admitting that all members of Genesis “did tend to dominate” and that Hackett “probably felt that he never was quite an equal member.”⁷ Mike Rutherford, too, noted the peculiar circumstances of Hackett’s exit, recalling that he simply “didn’t turn up one day” during the mixing sessions for Seconds Out.⁸ Despite these tensions, both Banks and Rutherford acknowledged Hackett’s unique talent and his vital contributions to the band’s sound. “I missed Steve in many ways, especially as a guitarist, but also, he was slightly more in my corner in terms of being a bit weird”, Tony Banks said.⁹ “He’s a fantastic lead guitarist’, Mike Rutherford summed up, “absolutely unique.”¹⁰

The transition to a three-piece lineup was not without its challenges, but it also paved the way for Genesis to reach new heights. Their next album, …And Then There Were Three…, would feature their first major hit single, ‘Follow You Follow Me,’ marking a turning point in the band’s trajectory towards greater commercial success. This shift in their sound and approach ultimately helped Genesis move from the status of a cult favorite to becoming one of the most successful rock bands of the 1980s.

Seconds Out: A Critical Success

Seconds Out was well-received by critics upon its release. Hugh Fielder of Sounds rated it five out of five stars, praising its polished production and musicianship. Rolling Stone highlighted the band’s shift away from theatrical elements towards a more jazz-rock-influenced sound, noting that this evolution made Genesis “a much stronger band.”¹¹

Later reviews, like those from AllMusic, commended the superb vocals by Phil Collins and the drumming of Chester Thompson, which stood out as some of the best elements of the album. Although some listeners missed Peter Gabriel’s eccentric stage presence on tracks like ‘Supper’s Ready,’ Collins’s technical prowess and versatility as a vocalist won over many fans.

The Legacy of Seconds Out

Seconds Out stands as a testament to Genesis’s transformation from a progressive rock band to a more versatile act that could seamlessly blend different styles. The live versions of their classic songs offered fans a fresh take, emphasizing the band’s musicianship and on-stage chemistry. With its combination of powerful vocals, intricate instrumentation, and dynamic drumming, the album remains a favorite among fans and a critical milestone in the Genesis discography.

For Genesis enthusiasts, Seconds Out is more than just a live album; it’s a snapshot of a band at their peak, experimenting and refining their sound in a way that would pave the way for their future successes. For long-time fans and newcomers to their music, this album is a must-listen that captures the essence of Genesis live.

The era of Seconds Out and Steve Hackett’s departure was a defining moment in Genesis’s evolution. It was a time of experimentation and adaptation, as the band grappled with the loss of a key member while simultaneously pushing their music in new directions. For the fans, Hackett’s exit marked the end of an era—one characterized by intricate guitar work and progressive compositions. Yet, it also marked the beginning of a new chapter for Genesis, one that would see them embrace a more accessible sound without sacrificing their musical integrity.

As Phil Collins once said in 1977, “All Genesis needs now is a hit single.”¹² With Hackett pursuing his solo career and the remaining trio embracing a new direction, that hit was just around the corner. The journey from Seconds Out to mainstream success was not an easy one, but it solidified Genesis’s place in rock history as a band that could reinvent itself while staying true to its roots.

Sources

Eder, Bruce, ‘Seconds Out – Genesis | AllMusic’, allmusic.com.

Fielder, Hugh, ‘Round ten, and still ahead on points’, Sounds (15 October 1977), p. 34.

Genesis – According to Phil Collins.

MIKE RUTHERFORD UNFILTERED: GENESIS GUITARIST/COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION.

Milward, John, ‘Genesis: Seconds Out : Music Reviews’, Rolling Stone (26 January 1978).

Phil Collins – Interview April 1978.

Platts, Robin (2007): Genesis. Behind the lines, 1967-2007. Burlington, Ont., Canada: Collectors Guide Pub.

STEVE HACKETT FULL INTERVIEW- Revised : MY GENESIS YEARS.

TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins.

Welch, Chris (2005): Genesis. The complete guide to their music. London: Omnibus Press.

1. Welch 2005: 85. ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. Ibid. ↩︎
4. Phil Collins – Interview April 1978. ↩︎
5. TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins. ↩︎
6. Genesis – According to Phil Collins. ↩︎
7. TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins. ↩︎
8. MIKE RUTHERFORD UNFILTERED: GENESIS GUITARIST/COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION. ↩︎
9. TONY BANKS UNFILTERED: GENESIS KEYBOARD PLAYER & COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION . FULL.. 1 Hour 53 Mins. ↩︎
10. MIKE RUTHERFORD UNFILTERED: GENESIS GUITARIST/COMPOSER IN CONVERSATION. ↩︎
11. Milward, John, ‘Genesis: Seconds Out : Music Reviews’, Rolling Stone (26 January 1978). ↩︎
12. “All we need’s a hit”, Melody Maker, April 2, 1977 in Platts 2007: 94 ↩︎