Tag: box set

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Archive I 1967 – 1975 (1998) – Genesis

In June 1998, Genesis released their first of two ‘Archive’ box sets: Archive 1967 – 1975 covers the era with Peter Gabriel as lead vocalist.

The plans to release ‘Archive’ box sets dated back to 1994

After the release of their last studio album Calling All Stations* in 1997, Genesis began putting together unreleased material from their history. The idea dated back to 1994. Originally there were plans to release three box sets. The first would have featured the Gabriel years, the second the period from the mid 1970’s to the early 80’s and the last the period from the mid 80’s to the early 90’s.

But over the years, there were delays and plans were changed. The recordings were released on two box sets, the first one being Archive 1967-75* , released in 1998, the second one being Genesis Archive 2 1976-1992*, released in 2000, which covers the era with Phil Collins on lead vocals. Both sets feature unreleased live performances, studio tracks and demo songs.

A complete live performance of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Archive 1967 – 1975 is a box set that includes four discs. The mixing was done by Genesis producer Nick Davis. The first two discs feature a complete live performance of Genesis’ magnum opus The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway*. When the band toured the concept album in 1974/75, they played the whole double album. After this tour, Peter Gabriel left the band. The live performance in the box set is from The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Unfortunately, most of Peter Gabriel’s stories about the adventures of Rael between the songs were left out.

Peter Gabriel re-recorded his vocals at Real World Studios in 1995

Also, it is not a completely live recording. Peter Gabriel and former lead guitarist Steve Hackett re-recorded some of their parts in 1995. You can hear the difference in Gabriel’s voice if you compare the studio versions from 1974 to the live version on Archive I. Gabriel recorded his vocals at his Real World Studios. Also, the last song ‘It’, fades out because the tape machine at the Shrine ran out halfway through the song.

The live performance in general sounds more powerful than the studio version and the crowd seems to be enthusiastic. Apart from that, the songs are almost identical to the studio versions. The only exception is ‘The Waiting Room (Evil Jam)’, which was an instrumental with lots of space for improvisation that was therefore played differently every night. Apart from that, especially the title track, ‘Fly On A Windshield’ and ‘Carpet Crawlers’ stand out.

A live performance of ‘Supper’s Ready’ from 1973

Disc 3 includes live performances from the Rainbow Theatre in London, recorded on the Selling England By the Pound* tour in 1973. We finally get to hear songs like ‘Dancing With The Moonlight Knight’ and ‘Supper’s Ready’ live with Peter on vocals on an official release. Here, the stories are included. It also features a 1971 BBC recording of ‘Stagnation’ and b-sides and studio tracks from that era like ‘Twilight Alehouse’ and ‘Happy The Man.’

The last disc is the most interesting one, at least for the fans. It features songs from the band’s earliest period, still with Anthony Phillips on guitar. There are BBC sessions and many demo songs. You can hear the band becoming Genesis on this disc. Some of the tracks are real gems, from the early version of ‘Dusk’ to the appealing ‘Hey!’. There is an atmosphere in these early recordings that went missing after Ant Phillips left the band.

Apart from the four discs, there is a 82-page booklet which contains the band’s history and interviews with band members and associates.

So Archive 1967 – 1975 is a quite interesting box set. We finally get to hear official live versions of Gabriel-era songs sung by him. The only official live release with him had been Live* from 1973, which only covers songs from Trespass*, Nursery Cryme* and Foxtrot*. The inclusion of b-sides and unreleased studio tracks like ‘Twilight Alehouse’ make this box set special. Some would argue that disc 4 is only for the hardcore fans, but it also is the most surprising and most interesting of the four discs. Unfortunately some rare tracks and demos that are known to exist did not make it onto the box set. But all in all, Archive 1967-75 is an extraordinary release. Fans seemed to agree with that: It reached no. 35 in the UK charts in 1998.

The band met at Heathrow Airport to promote the release

To promote the release of Archive I, Genesis members past and present reunited for a photo shoot (and a following dinner) at Heathrow Airport in May 1998. There were Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, former drummer John Silver, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford. The band’s first drummer Chris Stewart only made it to the dinner. Trespass-era drummer John Mayhew did not attend the event.

Genesis’ next ‘Archive’ release would be in 2000. It would be entitled Archive II 1976 – 1992 and feature the period with Phil Collins as lead vocalist.

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3×3 (EP, 1982) – Genesis

In May 1982, Genesis released 3×3, an extended play featuring three songs left over from the Abacab sessions – tracks that did not make it onto the album but were too good to shelve.

Three Unreleased Songs from the Abacab Sessions

Abacab (1981) marked a turning point for Genesis. With a new producer, Hugh Padgham, and their newly purchased studio – The Farm in Surrey – the band had the freedom to jam, experiment, and refine their sound. When the album was finalized, they found themselves with a few strong tracks that had not made the cut. Rather than letting them go to waste, they chose to release them on an EP the following year.

The songs – Paperlate, You Might Recall, and Me and Virgil – were all co-written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford. The 3×3 EP came out in May 1982, between two major tours. In the U.S., it was never released as an EP; only Paperlate appeared as a single, with You Might Recall on the B-side.

The Songs

Paperlate shares a similar vibe with No Reply at All from Abacab – funky, upbeat, and driven by the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section, who had also worked with Collins on his solo debut Face Value. The title “Paperlate” comes from a lyric in Dancing with the Moonlit Knight (from Selling England by the Pound, 1973). During a soundcheck in either 1978 or 1980, Phil kept repeating the line “Paperlate cried a voice in the crowd…”, which eventually sparked the idea for a new song.

You Might Recall is a more romantic tune, stylistically close to some of Mike Rutherford’s earlier ballads like Alone Tonight.

The final track, Me and Virgil, is a storytelling piece reminiscent of Deep in the Motherlode (1978). This time, it was Collins who penned a Wild West narrative, with the band attempting to capture the spirit of The Band. However, Collins later expressed dissatisfaction with the track, and it was notably left off the Genesis Archive 2 box set in 2000.

Beatles-Inspired Artwork

The EP’s cover art was a playful homage to the Beatles’ 1960s EPs, particularly Twist and Shout. Genesis even brought in Tony Barrow, the Beatles’ former press officer, to write the sleeve notes in a cheeky, retro style (“These cheeky chappies from Guildford…”).

Not everyone got the joke. One reviewer, unaware of the Beatles reference, assumed the design was serious. But fans appreciated the nod, and the band’s sense of humor shone through once again. The EP was a hit in the UK, and Paperlate earned the band another appearance on Top of the Pops, with the EP reaching No. 10 on the charts.

Three Sides Live and the U.S. Version of 3×3

Later that year, Genesis released the live album Three Sides Live. Since EPs did not sell particularly well in the U.S., the band opted to include the 3×3 tracks on the album’s fourth side instead of releasing them separately. To round out that side, they added two outtakes from the Duke sessions: Open Door (by Rutherford) and Evidence of Autumn (by Banks). The UK version, in contrast, featured a full fourth side of live material.

3×3 was never released as a standalone CD. However, Paperlate and You Might Recall were included in the Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 box set in 2000, which featured many previously unavailable tracks. All three EP songs, including a remixed Me and Virgil, were later made available on CD in the Genesis 1976–1982 box set.