Play me my song, here it comes again. We all know these lines from The Musical Box, one of the songs that made Genesis famous. In the first half of the 1970’s Genesis acquired cult status by their live shows. This period is the topic of Paul Russell’s book which has finally become available.
Paul Russell, freelance author and “professor” for progressive rock had written a number of articles about Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and others that appeared in Record Collector, Record Buyer and Top Magazine when he was asked to write an article about the Archive Box Set for the Record Collector. John Webster made the contacts so that Paul Russell got the opportunity to interview Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford and John Silver at Heathrow airport on May 11, 1998. He was also permitted to listen to live tapes from 1975 and earlier at The Farm.
Now Paul Russell could begin to release a guide to the live history of Genesis between 1969 and 1975. The idea was taken from the book “Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration Of Underground Tapes” by Luis Rey.
Russell reviews some 160 concerts on
221 pages and also provides set lists. Information came from fans,
collectors and not least from Genesis’ own archive of live tapes. The
reviews are sorted chronologically. They therefore offer fascinating
insight into how Genesis developed as a live band.
A meagre eight pages are devoted to a couple of rare photos and shots
of posters, ticket stubs and programmes (black and white only),
followed by an interview with Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips and Mike
Rutherford about the good old live concerts that takes up some
interesting 25 pages. The book closes with tourdates up to Peter
Gabriel leaving the band at the end of the Lamb Lies Down tour.
If you expected a book chockfull of ultra-rare photos from back when,
prepare to be disappointed. If you look for information about shows,
live recordings, tour dates and setlists, this is the book for you. Sit
down in a quite corner to thumb through it, perhaps dig out the odd
live recording and be enchanted by the magic music of Genesis.
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he…
by Peter Schütz, November 2004
translated by Martin Klinkhardt, August 2005
Turn It On Again - The Hits brings all "short" milestones onto one double-album.
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