NEW Genesis - 1976-82 Box (CD)

After reading Jamie Tate's review [Amazon has since deleted his negative review of the Genesis box set], I went back to listen to some of my old "Definitive Edition Remaster" discs, and Mr. Tate is correct: the "loudness wars" have struck again and the new CDs are much louder than the old CDs.

The word "compression" gets tossed around a lot these days. I don't pretend to understand it all, but I do know that the recording industry is overwhelmed with fear right now. CD sales are in a free-fall, they have given up on DVD-A and SACD for the most part, and in an effort to increase sales, remasters are all the rage to try to get us to buy the same music over and over. Audio level compression is a remastering technique used by producers to change the sound of the music. One easy trick the industry uses is that they can release a "remastered" CD with increased volume levels, and the average listener's first impression to this is that the "louder" version sounds better. Of course it doesn't, but I disagree with Jamie Tate's opinion that this ALWAYS results in an inferior product. (Although it sometimes does-there are numerous examples of producers going too far.) For one thing, the Genesis CDs are not just LOUDER, the mix has been altered. The most obvious example is that, for the most part, Phil Collins' voice is a little more up front in the new CD mixes. Mr. Tate obviously hates this, but your opinion may differ.

After reflection, I do agree with Jamie Tate on his ultimate conclusion - Don't buy this collection if you are only going to listen to the CDs. Especially if you already have some or all of the "Definitive Edition Remaster Series" discs. That being said, the new mixes on the CD hardly make me sick to my stomach [as Mr. Tate claims], nor do I think that most people shelling out $100 for this collection are going to ignore the DVDs. If you have a surround system, you get a completely different mix to listen to, and most seem to really like the 5.1 DTS version(s). I do. Also, there are videos, concert footage, and an extra CD of material that was not released on the original albums or CDs. I'm going with 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: 1.) the CD version is no big improvement and increasing the loudness is a cheap trick; and 2.) it was stupid for Rhino to leave the SACD layer off of the CD (it is in the European versions) because the SACD version DOES sound better. The Amazon description is incorrect in its claim that this version contains a Hybrid SACD, it does not. I know that SACD has not taken off in the US, but if people can't buy SACDs they won't buy SACD players, and, obviously, if you don't have a player, there is no reason to buy SACDs. How would a Hybrid SACD have harmed sales?

With the release of "Genesis: 1976-1982", it's time for the diehard Genesis fans of the world to raise a toast to this most magnificent band, and to be grateful that their music is finally, at long last, getting some respect. The first of three (count 'em, three!) box sets devoted to Genesis, "1976-1982" covers the five albums the band recorded during this period: "A Trick Of The Tail," "Wind & Wuthering," "And Then There Were Three," "Duke" and "Abacab," and each album has not only been remastered, but remixed (i.e. changed in volume levels & effects) by producer Nick Davis. And each album now comes with a bonus DVD that includes all kinds of video goodies: interviews with the band members about the making of each album, rare archival concert & TV footage, and music videos! You also get two more exclusive Genesis treats: a bonus CD/DVD combo with rare Genesis songs from this period---songs released as EP's, B-sides, etc.---and a lovely 48-page book. I'm not going to re-review all five Genesis albums here---I'll just say briefly that I give all five featured albums in this box set the top rating of 5 stars. Instead, what I will touch down on is what you probably *really* want to know about: the sound quality, the DVD's, and the new mixes themselves. My verdict on the sound quality: SENSATIONAL. Sound-wise, these Genesis albums have all been given a fresh---and refreshing---coat of paint. One thing you notice instantaneously on these new mixes is that all of Phil Collins' lead vocals (and some of the backing vocals) have been brought right up front, so you can distinctly hear the words he sings without having to occasionally consult the lyric sheet. The band's instruments now have more crispness and more punch to them. You can hear more separation in the sound, more boom to the sonics, and you can detect more overall atmosphere. And yes, you can indeed hear notes, effects, and complete passages being played that you never could hear before. It's amazing! The DVD's are nothing short of fantastic. The concert & television footage, the music videos, the band interviews...in short, WOW. The bonus CD of rare songs is *excellent* stuff. (And welcome back "Match Of The Day" and "Me And Virgil," two rare songs that were unfairly kicked off the band's previous box set from 2000. A wrong has finally been put right!) And the accompanying booklet has great photos, and the text is insightful and a pleasure to read, although I disagree with a few of author Michael Watts' less-then-enthustiastic opinions of a few choice songs. But for the most part, he is quite respectful in his writings about the band. So, why am I only giving "1976-1982" four stars instead of a perfect five? Well, because although I give tremendous applause to Nick Davis for a remixing job extremely well done, he didn't do it perfectly. The new, earthier-sounding mix of "And Then There Were Three" took a couple of listens for me to fully appreciate. Also, on "Duke," Davis removed a brief guitar part of Mike Rutherford's towards the end of "Misunderstanding," for God knows why. And the title track to "Abacab" is faded out a few seconds too early, and there's a couple of other minor quibbles like that. So, Nick Davis didn't get it *completely* right---and I'm not gonna toss out any of my old Genesis CD's, 'cause I want to keep the old versions of the albums preserved---but, to Davis' credit, he came very close (oh, and he made a genius decision to alter Phil's vocals on the rare song "Pigeons" to make him sound like he's singing through an old-time radio---it fits the song perfectly!). So there you have it. Genesis have been greatly honored with the release of this marvelous box set, "1976-1982." I guarantee you will hear---and see---the band in a whole new light with this collection. So, a toast to Genesis! And I can't wait for box sets 2 and 3.... :-)

These new stereo and 5.1 mixes and DVD extras reveal Genesis in an appropriate light for today's music appreciator. Granted, the original mixes (vinyl LPs, the 1994 remasters) will always be a standard for someone out there with a tendency toward nostalgia, but as digital technologies advance it becomes necessary (if financially possible) to take advantage of them.

I do agree that the stereo mixes are much louder, but they are also much CLEARER with a wider frequency spectrum revealing little musical parts that were previously heard subconsciously. The downside of that is some prominent riffs get enveloped in the new wall of sound, however I can practically feel Phil Collin's saliva being spit into my ear now that the vocals are further upfront. And finally, Phil's intricate drumming and percussion touches are brought up, satisfying anyone who, like me, believed they've been too deep in the background before the abacab album.

The 5.1 mixes are subtle and not gimmicky, except for the occasional background vocal or percussion popping up from behind. If you adore Tony Banks' synthesizer and Mellotron work, you'll love the 5.1 mixes. Given that Tony had primary oversight of all the new mixes, there seems to be a lot of attention given to the depth and effect of his keyboards in the 5.1 mixes. In fact, the interviews reveal that Mike Rutherford heard the re-mixes and had some input. Phil Collins and Steve Hackett had no input on the re-mixes, and their participation here is limited only to the interviews.

The DVD extras are somewhat fascinating. Each DVD has a 10-15 minute 2006 interview with each band member about each respective record. Pretty revealing stuff. Did you know that "Behind The Lines," "Duchess," "Guide Vocal," "Turn It On Again," "Duke's Travels," and "Duke's End" were all song parts that was meant to be a 27-minute long suite somewhat like "Supper's Ready"? Armed with that new info, I actually re-created it using editing software, and it WORKS as a long song: lyrically, thematically and musically. Just start "Turn It On Again" before "Guide Vocal" completely fades out and start "Duke's Travels" just as "Turn It On Again" starts its fade out. It works.

The concert footage on the DVD extras is fun to watch, especially the 1976 shows with Bill Bruford on drums. Also, the promotional music videos for the singles off each album are there, including an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show from 1977 culled from what looks like a very old VHS tape. The synching up of the Digital Dolby 5.1 music with that deteriorating footage is a jarring experience, but amusing nonetheless.

The bonus CD contains all the British EPs (Spot The Pigeon, 3x3) and b-sides of singles unavailable elsewhere. Bonus DVD has the "Paperlate" music video and 2006 interviews about the re-mixing process. Also, the booklet included has some interesting commentary on each album by Michael Watts. Each album has full lyrics and recaptures well all the art included in each original release.

Lastly, I need to know from anyone who has bought this box set or the "... and then there were three..." album DVD if at just past the 22:00 minute mark in either 5.1 mix version (during the song "Burning Rope") did your player stop playing and go crazy for about 30 seconds before resuming the song? I need to know if it's just my Sony DVD player or a defect in the DVD, but it only happens there at that exact moment consistently.