Genesis - Duke

Absolutely worthless....and I knew it

I read the reviews here but I bought it anyway...The sound is so harsh and awful that I can't even turn it up because it hurts my ears. And every Genesis release has been done this way. This is what happens when the record companies cater to the MP3 crowd. Waste of 20 bucks. August 12, 2008

My favorite Genesis album coupled with a great bonus DVD

Duke is my favorite Genesis album, and the reissue with the DVD is outstanding. My favorite songs from this band are Behind the Lines, Duchess, Misunderstanding, Turn It On Again, and Duke's Travels/Duke's End. The DVD contains one of their best Reissues Interviews in the entire series, and the 1980 Live at the Lyceum is a must have concert for a Genesis fan. Highly recommended. June 15, 2008

Deep In The Duke

This past year was a banner year for Genesis. Not only did Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks reunited for the groups' 40th Anniversary, the group had delivered a reunion tour that spanned all across the globe. On top of that, the groups' catalog from the beginning of the Phil Collins' lead era was also re-released in 2007, with every album from 1976's A Trick Of the Tail to the deep and haunting 1997 post-Collins album Calling All Stations was restored in Dolby Digital Quality. The albums each sound better from top to bottom. But when it came to 1980, the group had difficulties, with Phil going through his first agonizing divorce, that led into his universe as a brilliant songwiter, and a deep and epic style that was to the group what Pink Floyd was in 1980 with The Wall.

The 2007 re-release of the 1980 record Duke, is a brilliantly restored Genesis album that sounds much more modern and deeper than ever. The songs deliver an epic style that range from the beginning all the way to the end. The songs have all been remastered well, on both C.D. and DVD formats. All the songs each are deep and ranging from somber and shallow like Please Don't Ask which was about reflections of divorce, as well as the quirky Misunderstanding, to the deep epic styles of songs like the haunting and storytelling of Dutchess and the quiet voice of Phil's on the short Guide Vocal. The DVD also includes extras that help showcase the album well including the videos for Dutchess, Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding, where Phil tries to seek love in a classy 70's covertible. The trio also gives their reflections on what made this album shine so vividly with new interviews on the DVD that sound great.

All in all, Duke really shows itself as a coming of age album, which showed the beginning of the peak for Genesis as a trio for the 80's all the way to the 90's. The feeling had inspired the success would receive for their later albums like Invisible Touch and Abacab. If you haven't yet heard a Genesis record ever, than this would be a great start for new Phil Collins and Genesis fans, and is a great buy all over for those hard core Genesis fanatics that still want to hear the group turn it on all over again.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B

Price: B

DVD Extras: B+

Remastering: B+

Overall: B 1/2+ March 29, 2008

Well........I cannot recommend this either!

Ive been a huge fan for a longgggggg time; since 86; have all their albums and such. I know every nuance of their work on each and every album. Duke in particular is one of my favorites but in my view the album was destroyed for this so called enhanced re-release. Scott Ramsay is correct. Im not even a mixer and I can hear what they have done to this album. It's not remastered in any way; its only been remixed. The recording sounds Hollow and Tinny with too much emphasis on the drums. Some of Tony's keyboard work is drowned out completely and in some cases phrases that were originally meant to be placed back in the mix have been brought up wayyy too much at the sacrifice of the main material. There is no balance here; this whole thing is a jumbled mess and drove my ears crazy!! The wonderful thing about this band is their use of dynamics in their work. In this reissue, its just ruined. It is not what they originally intended. Every track sounds the same in terms of volume and Timbre. I could go on and on but anyway.....a great album; just not this issue. The concert footage on the other hand is priceless which is why I got this in the first place. I had heard about the remix issues and had to listen to it on Duke. Those issues are correct. I certainly hope that this isnt the last issue of Duke. It deserves better. I am holding onto the 94 remaster and the original cd. Both are vastly superior to this jumbled mess! February 7, 2008

Do NOT buy any of the 'newly' remastered Genesis albums!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but for anyone who really knows and loves these albums, a sacrilage has been done, and they will notice it right away.
They are not "remastered", they are REMIXED, and in some instances RE-Recorded or newly overdubbed.
I'm pretty sure that almost universally, the drums have been overdubbed with new tracks, or at least boosted un-naturally in the mix. The same goes for some of the vocals, and some of the guitar parts.
As a recording engineer and mixer myself, it is my view (and I think a lot of other's) that the mix of an album is an inherent part of the composition- the artistic vision that was created at that time.
Yes, the albums desperately needed remastering- even the first earlier re-issued remastering of the catalogue was not sufficient- but this is because of the transfer to CD, not the original tapes or mix. I owned the vinyl. Many earlier CDs suffer from a seriously 'undermaximized' level. Digital converters, technology, and knowledge has improved hugely since the first CD's came out.
Certain songs have basically been ruined by what has been done to them now- the feel and character has actually been changed. It doesn't take much.
I can't comprehend how the trio approved the release of these 'enhanced' CD's. Unfortunately, I have to suspect that Phils' sometimes ill-advised tendencies towards his own band could be a factor.
We need a remaster that does justice to these great albums. February 5, 2008

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