In June 1998, Genesis released the first of their two Archive box sets. Covering the years from 1967 to 1975, Genesis Archive 1967–1975 offered fans an unprecedented look into the band’s formative years and the entire Peter Gabriel era.
A Project Years in the Making
The idea of an extensive Genesis archive release had actually been around since 1994. Originally, the band planned to issue three separate box sets: one covering the Gabriel years, another spanning the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a third focusing on the band’s most commercially successful period from the mid-1980s onwards.
As so often happens with archival projects, plans changed. After several delays, the material was eventually condensed into two releases. The first, Genesis Archive 1967–1975, arrived in 1998. The second, Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992, followed in 2000 and focused on the Phil Collins era.
Together, the two collections unearthed a wealth of previously unreleased live recordings, demos, B-sides and studio rarities.
The Complete Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Live Performance
The first two discs of Archive 1967–1975 are devoted to a complete performance of Genesis’s masterpiece, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
During the band’s 1974–75 tour, the entire double album was performed live each night. Shortly after the tour ended, Peter Gabriel left Genesis, making these recordings particularly significant.
The performance featured on the box set was recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. While it finally gave fans an official release of the complete Lamb show, one element was largely missing: many of Gabriel’s famous storytelling interludes between songs were edited out.
Revisiting the Past
The recording is not entirely untouched. In 1995, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett returned to add new vocal and guitar parts where the original tapes required restoration.
Gabriel recorded his contributions at his Real World Studios, and attentive listeners can often hear the difference between his 1970s voice and the one heard on the archive release. Another unavoidable limitation was the ending of “It,” which fades out because the original tape ran out before the song had finished.
Despite these alterations, the performance remains remarkable. The band sounds powerful and confident, while the audience’s enthusiasm is palpable throughout.
For the most part, the songs closely follow their studio counterparts. The major exception is “The Waiting Room,” the album’s experimental instrumental section, which was improvised differently each night. Highlights include the title track, “Fly on a Windshield,” and an especially moving version of “The Carpet Crawlers.”
Selling England Live at the Rainbow
Disc three shifts focus to the Selling England by the Pound tour of 1973, drawing primarily from performances recorded at London’s Rainbow Theatre.
For many fans, this was one of the most exciting aspects of the release. At last, official live versions of classics such as “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” and “Supper’s Ready” became available with Peter Gabriel on lead vocals.
Unlike the Lamb recordings, Gabriel’s stage introductions and stories were preserved here, offering a valuable glimpse into Genesis’s legendary live performances of the early 1970s.
The disc also includes the band’s 1971 BBC recording of “Stagnation,” alongside non-album gems such as “Twilight Alehouse” and “Happy the Man.”
The Hidden Treasure: Disc Four
For many longtime fans, the fourth disc is the true jewel of the collection.
Dedicated to Genesis’s earliest years with guitarist Anthony Phillips, it features BBC sessions, demos and rare recordings from a period when the band’s identity was still taking shape.
Listening to these recordings feels like hearing Genesis becoming Genesis.
Among the highlights are early versions of songs that would later evolve into familiar classics, alongside lesser-known tracks such as “Hey!” that reveal a gentler, more pastoral side of the band’s music.
There is a distinctive atmosphere running through these recordings, one that many listeners associate with Anthony Phillips’s influence and which largely disappeared after his departure in 1970.
Some casual listeners may find this disc the most challenging, but for dedicated fans it is arguably the most rewarding.
A Comprehensive Package
Beyond the music itself, the box set included an impressive 82-page booklet featuring an extensive band history, rare photographs and interviews with members of Genesis and their associates.
The collection finally provided official live recordings of many Gabriel-era favourites. Prior to its release, the only official live album featuring Gabriel had been Genesis Live (1973), which covered material primarily from Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot.
The inclusion of B-sides and previously unreleased songs such as “Twilight Alehouse” added even more value. Although some known demos and rarities remained absent from the final selection, Archive 1967–1975 was widely regarded as an extraordinary release.
Fans clearly agreed: the box set reached No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart.
A Rare Reunion at Heathrow
To promote the release, Genesis staged a remarkable reunion photo session at Heathrow Airport in May 1998.
Present were Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips and original drummer John Silver. Even the band’s very first drummer, Chris Stewart, attended the dinner that followed the photo shoot.
Only Trespass-era drummer John Mayhew was absent.
For fans, the images were almost as exciting as the music itself: a rare gathering of nearly every significant figure from Genesis’s history.
Looking Ahead
The success of Archive 1967–1975 paved the way for a second collection. Released in 2000, Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 explored the Phil Collins era and completed the band’s ambitious effort to open its vaults.
More than twenty-five years later, Archive 1967–1975 remains an important release in the Genesis catalogue: a fascinating journey through the band’s early years and an essential document of the Peter Gabriel era.
