Genesis vs David Gilmore

[BassBus]

Last night (Saturday) BBC had an interesting comparison of music. One channel had highlights of the Genesis gig in Rome last year and BBC4 had highlights of David Gilmore's Albert Hall gig which is on DVD.

This is the third time I have listened to the Genesis gig, once on radio, twice on TV. I can only say I found it so middle of the road to the point where I thought 'one tour to many'. This comes from someone who used to be a huge Genesis fan. It was good to see Mike Rutherford playing a double neck again though as when I saw them in '92 he swapt between bass and 12 string guitar at that show. There was just none of the magic I have always associated with them in the past.

Then I watched Gilmore's Albert Hall gig and what a difference. All that Pink Floyd magic was still there. It was pretty well the band from the '94 tour mind you, bar a different drummer and second guitarist.

I'm sure everyone who saw Genesis on that tour had a great time but there was no magic left for me and that left me very disappointed. Did any of you see the shows and was that just not the best night or was that the best it was?

[MakiSupaStar]

Never been a fan of Genesis. Always been a fan of Gilmour though.

[TheSpook]

The older I've gotten, the more I have come to love Genesis...particularly the Peter Gabriel era. That said, if you are a prog fan and/or someone who just likes really good music, I cannot recommend Selling England By The Pound enough. Definitely my most favorite Genesis album, and quite possibly my most favorite prog one too.

I also do like some Collins Genesis...specifically from A Trick of the Tail through their self-titled. With my most favorite album from the post-ATotT/Wind and Wuthering period being either Abacab or the self-titled. Though, I really, really like "Follow You, Follow Me", "Scenes From A Night's Dream", and "Turn It On Again" too.

But, ah...David Gilmour. Surprisingly enough, Pink Floyd nut I've always been (and really, always will be), I did not get turned onto his solo stuff until this past Christmas, when I used some of my Amazon gift cash to buy On An Island and his self-titled in MP3 format. Oh, WOW...to this day, I cannot get over how great Gilmour's solo stuff is. It's a shame how overlooked both albums* tend to be...especially considering how overall Floydish they sound, just without the vocals and/or insanity of Waters.

I plan to get the DVD of Gilmour's Albert Hall show ASAP...have read and heard nothing but glowing things about it.

* - I realize there's About Face too...but based on what I've read AND have heard in "Blue Light" (which is a guilty pleasure of mine...not helped by my liking the The Avengers-esque music video), I'm not in a super huge hurry to listen to it.

[Barkless Dog]

I can't recommend enough Gilmour's last solo CD "On A Island".

One of his best guitar works in ages.

[BassBus]

Yes, Selling England was probably the best of the Gabriel Genesis albums. I think that Steve Hackett plays old Genesis stuff better than the band themselves. Blood on the rooftops was just magic on his last rock DVD. There is only one guitarist who can play the Firth of Fifth solo and that is Hackett. ATotT and Wind and Wuthering were great albums too. They had their sound just right by then.

[Mo' bass]

Originally Posted by BassBus

...
Then I watched Gilmore's Albert Hall gig and what a difference. All that Pink Floyd magic was still there. It was pretty well the band from the '94 tour mind you, bar a different drummer and second guitarist.

I'm sure everyone who saw Genesis on that tour had a great time but there was no magic left for me and that left me very disappointed. Did any of you see the shows and was that just not the best night or was that the best it was?

I completely agree! I saw the Genesis concert live in Amsterdam and now on the BBC. I didn't feel it somehow (although being at the live show was better). Seemed a bit uninspired. Also, I didn't like the sound quality. Harsh, restricted and compressed.

Lucky for me the BBC announcer mentioned the Gilmore concert on BBC4. Now I really should have gone to bed but just couldn't. Amazing performance of the whole band, great sound and lighting. Very much inspired, they were really into it. You could tell by the way they were playing, looking at each other and having a really good time. I'm so happy I stayed up to watch this.

[Jools4001]

I was a huge Genesis fan when I was in my late teens. I first saw them when they were supporting Lindisfarne (remember them) at a tiny venue in Bedford - a small provincial town in the UK for all you international readers. As I recall they had just released the Foxtrot album (or were just about to) and the gig opened in darkness with a single ultra-violet lamp picking out Gabriel's eyes to the Mellotron intro of 'Watcher of the Skies" ... I was smitten.

I saw them around 25 times after that and Rutherford's Rickenbacker (along with that of Chris Squire) inspired the purchase of the 4001 that still sits proudly in my living room and in my board name...

However, time moves on. Good though the music was in it's time, my personal opinion is that the 'one gig too many' happened back in the 1970's

I actually preferred the darker, more menacing Genesis of the Gabriel and Hackett era and followed Gabriel's solo career with more enthusiasm, but he's been repeating himself for the last 10 years as well.

My last experience of watching Genesis music performed was watching a tribute band called 'Regenesis', an excellent band who played blindingly accurate renditions of the songs (I watched them play through the whole of 'the lamb lies down' album). As they performed their encore "Supper's Ready" the sobering thought struck me that when I first saw Genesis themselves playing it, I was 2 years younger than my youngest son was at that time.

Age...it's a bugger isn't it...creeps up when you least expect it

[baba]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

I can't recommend enough Gilmour's last solo CD "On A Island".

One of his best guitar works in ages.

Love it!

[BassBus]

Originally Posted by Mo' bass

I completely agree! I saw the Genesis concert live in Amsterdam and now on the BBC. I didn't feel it somehow (although being at the live show was better). Seemed a bit uninspired. Also, I didn't like the sound quality. Harsh, restricted and compressed.

Lucky for me the BBC announcer mentioned the Gilmore concert on BBC4. Now I really should have gone to bed but just couldn't. Amazing performance of the whole band, great sound and lighting. Very much inspired, they were really into it. You could tell by the way they were playing, looking at each other and having a really good time. I'm so happy I stayed up to watch this.

I wondered if it was down to a bad mix but if it was not so good at the gig maybe that's where it came from. Just a big disappointment.

I saw them at Earls Court in '92 and that was a great gig, made me cry when they played the closing section of The Musical Box. I saw them in 1980 at Glasgow Apollo when they did that tour of small venues. They seemed a little uninspired then and I found it a little boaring. The '82 tour was better but then they did play Super's Ready.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by baba

Love it!

Me too.

[StanFan]

I actually liked the Live Over Europe album Genesis recently put out. The main thing lacking though is in Phil's vocals. While not totally weak, he can't really pull of some of his higher vocals anymore.

Not too big on Gilmour. I don't hate his music, I just wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. He'd go up a few points had he wrote 'One For The Vine' .

[BassBus]

I suppose the high notes are the ones that go first with age. Mind you Geddy Lee still manages them quite well.