The 70s were a glorious time for live records.  Anyone who wanted to showcase the excitement of their concerts put out a double live album.  You had Kiss, UFO, Peter Frampton and in 1977, you could have added Genesis to that growing list.  This wasn’t their first live release (that one was only a single record) but after many tours, it was time to put out another which would feature their latest incarnation.  By this time Phil Collins had become their frontman and they had added Chester Thompson as touring drummer.  [editor’s note: Bill Bruford is the drummer on one song “The Cinema Show.”] This was supposed to be a representation of the Wind & Wuthering Tour but there is only one track from that album, which I find odd.  If you deleted “Afterglow,” you would swear it was a show from the A Trick Of The Tail Tour.  Either way, this is a prime example of mid-70s Genesis where they still had plenty of prog in them but some of the Collins material was starting to move towards a more commercial sound.  That blend was still enough to keep their old fans while gather some new ones along the way.  If you haven’t heard this record yet, I suggest you pick it up as it is one of the quintessential double live albums of the rock world.

The concert starts with a track off the A Trick Of The Tail album.  This is a song that straddles the prog beginnings of Genesis along with the newer (at the time) commercial sound the band was moving towards.  It is a bit of a mellow tune to start this live disc but Collins’ vocals have a bit of urgency in their delivery adding some excitement to the track.

Another mellow song, this one comes from the Peter Gabriel era.  Taken from his last release with the band, Collins does a great job keeping up with Gabriel’s vocal style.  I can still tell it is Collins but he tries his best to mimic the correct vocal delivery for this classic tune.  It is very keyboard heavy to start but the band does make their presence heard as the song builds.

Things get more upbeat with this overlooked piece from A Trick Of The Tail.  The band really stretch their prog chops here by adding multiple parts that go into different tempos.  As these tempos change so does the soundscape they create during the relatively short six minutes.

We finally get a song off Wind & Wuthering, the album whose tour this set is supposed to be taken from If these is such a thing as a prog ballad, then “Afterglow” would be it.  It plods along until near the end, the drumming adds some bombast and excitement to this very slow moving track.

There is a slight change to the original in that the piano intro is missing on this live version.  Again, Collins does a great job of capturing that Gabriel vibe without being a direct copy.  This material is very proggy with Steve Hackett adding some great guitar work throughout.  There are some especially soft moments just before the three-minute mark but it quickly builds up again to become a rocking little prog piece.

Genesis create a showpiece for this single from Selling England By The Pound.  They stretch out this version to almost twice the length of the original with some prog jamming.  They extend the middle section with some moody keyboards giving Tony Banks some room to shine.  They do eventually return to the song proper, but that mid-section really gives this record that all important “live” feel.

This title track is played like the original but with an extra bit of urgency in the instrumentation.  Of all the songs on the first disc, this one is the most upbeat and rocking.  Sometimes it can be difficult to only play one song from a concept record but this track stands on its own without needing the rest of the material to prop it up.  The audience is very vocal during this version, and it shows in the band’s performance.

Finishing off the first disc, they perform just the end section of “The Musical Box” from Nursery Cryme.  This part is just a short, early piece from Genesis that starts off very mellow and keyboard heavy but builds into a bombastic climax. It would have been too much to ask for the full song but I’m glad they included even this small section to represent the early part of the catalogue.

On the original vinyl release, this tune took up all of side three and what a glorious side that was.  “Epic” is the best way to describe this twenty-plus minute piece and it should be the blueprint for newer prog bands to create their tunes.  There are many parts and many moods throughout that switch gears on a dime.  I’m amazed that the band can remember each intricate part to perform something this lengthy with perfect precision.  If you wanted to know what Genesis was all about in the early 70s, then grab a listen to this one.

After a workout like that, the band continue with another epic from Selling England By The Pound.  This is another fine example of 70s prog that is both imaginative and captivating.  As with the previous tune, this one has its share of parts and moods but never quite moves away from the original vibe.  Each band member gets a spot to shine but never really takes over the song itself.  This version ends with some great drum work from Bill Bruford that brings the track to a close.

Continuing with some more rocking material, “Dance On a Volcano” combines the best parts of prog with 70s hard rock to create their own sound.  There is a great section in the middle that musically gives the tune a sense of urgency, telling the story through song.

Capping off this live release is the perfect track to end any Genesis concert.  Coming from the A Trick Of The Tail record, this song is a great prog workout with all members building towards the final crescendo.  The drum work is especially showcased but, to be quite honest, the whole band shines.  As they build to the end, you get a bit of a sad sense that you are reaching the end of the show.  Luckily, we have this whole album to revisit as many times as we like.