Genesis - 1983-1998 Box Set 5CD/5DVD

Genesis' later years given a superb makeover

Genesis 10-disc box set entitled Genesis 1983-1998, released in November of 2007 here in the US (and a month earlier in Europe) is a MUST for all Genesis fans.
This 5-CD/5-DVD box set featured the second four titles to be re-released in an exhausting and long Genesis remaster campaign which took place in the last year.
The first inklings that a Genesis catalog overhaul was in the making was the release of the 3-CD Platinum Collection box set in 2005.
The albums in this box set include 1983's self-titled effort a/k/a The Mama Album (see my review of the deluxe edition), 1986's Invisible Touch (see my review of the deluxe edition), 1991's We Can't Dance (see my review of the deluxe edition) and 1997's somewhat weak finale Calling All Stations (see my review of the deluxe edition). Plus a bonus CD/DVD set called Bonus Tracks 1983-1998 which is only available in this box set.
Each album was painstakingly digitally remastered and remixed by longtime Genesis producer Nick Davis. Plus the albums in the set are double disc sets that features a CD (whereas in territories outside the US and Canada have Hybrid SACDs as Warner Music do not support Hybrid SACDs) and a DVD (which has each album in 5.1 plus interviews with Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Ray Wilson and Nir Z, videos and concert footage/TV documentaries). The discs themselves all look like their original US vinyl album counterparts with the labels (the custom picture labels that each album had).
The bonus CD and DVD on this set is called Bonus Tracks 1983-1998. We have all three B-sides from the Invisible Touch album with "Feeding the Fire", "I'd Rather Be You" and the superb instrumental "Do the Neurotic" (which was left off of the original album in favor of "The Brazilian"). Next is the two studio B-sides from 1991's We Can't Dance which are "On the Shoreline" and "Hearts on Fire" which were all left off of the original CD. There is three B-sides from the Calling All Stations sessions (which should have been on the original album in favor of the three tracks that I didn't like (see review) "Anything Now", "Sign Your Life Away" and "Run Out of Time". I haven't heard the other B-sides left off of CAS which were "Papa He Said", "Banjo Man", "Phret" and "7/8".
The bonus DVD has some extra concert footage from Knebworth 1992 and the Genesis Archive 2 (1976-1992) in addition to the 5.1 mixes.
Plus, the box contains a 48 page case-bound book with essays (written by longtime video director Jim Yukich) about each album and rare photos.
RECOMMENDED IMMENSELY! September 29, 2008

Genesis Boxset 1983-1998

Despite being the most commercial (and pop) era of the band, the audio mix and the extras along with the bonus disk are worth the effort of owning it.
Pristine artwork and presentation. A jewel.
April 28, 2008

Remastered Again?

So now Genesis is reissuing their catalog in box sets. A hundred bucks for 5 CD's. Yeah, I know you get DVD's as well, but does this seem like a marketing ploy? Don't get me wrong.......I LOVE Genesis. But the CD's I have now are labeled "DEFINITIVE Edition Remaster"....I guess these are now obsolete, but they sound pretty good to me........I don't think I'll be buying these new "remasters"....and sorry, I had to rate this even though I have not heard it..... March 24, 2008

Genesis Box Set 1983-1999

Genesis 1983-1999 is an excellently remasted look at Genesis at their pop prime. Whereas many people are fighting about compression/loudness/B-sides left off, etc., I will discuss what we have, not wish we had.

I think the older albums -Genesis, Invisible Touch - are the most affected by the remastering process. The newer albums do seem to be a little louder, but I don't percieve any substantial differences in the mixes.

But on those two older albums, the differences were dramatic. Hearing them this way definately is like listening to a new album. All the instruments are clearer, more substantial, and mixed better than the originals. My only quibble is with Illegal Alien - this doesn't sound quite right to me, yet I can't put my finger on it. Everything else is phenomenal.

The extra material is quite nice, not quite as good as the 1976-1982 box set though. There is much less concert footage available in the new set, which is what I thought was great about the last set, and what they have is very choppy and a bit disappointing. The interviews are excellent with all the main participants contributing.

On the whole, If you are a Genesis fan, buy this set. If you are just a casual fan, just pick up the individual albums that you like in this format. March 23, 2008

In praise of the Ray Wilson b-sides

If you're reading reviews for this boxed set, you're likely to be a die-hard Genesis fan who has already bought this thing, so I'll save you any specific reviews of the main albums. To be honest, if you already own the original CDs, and the B-sides via the 2nd Archive box, there is essentially no valid reason for buying this box other than (a) you must own everything these guys release; and (b) you have $90 to burn. I'm guilty of both, so I bought it. Annoyingly, throughout the DVD interviews, Banks and Rutherford repeatedly say things like "this album's production was so good to begin with, there wasn't much we could do to improve it" - to which I think to myself "Great - so why did I buy this thing again?"

I really just wanted to add praise toward the three Ray Wilson cuts that have been included here (NOT previously included in the 2nd Archive, so new to my ears). In short, all three of these songs are fantastic. I have to wonder why some or all of them couldn't have replaced some of the weaker cuts on "Calling All Stations". I accept that they were going for a darker feel on CAS, and that "Anything Now" and "Sign Your Life Away" are a bit lighter than what ended up on the album. However, in terms of the quality of the music, I don't think there's an excuse for leaving them off. In my honest opinion, "Sign Your Life Away" was their best hope for a hit single in America in 1997. The chorus in particular is quite strong, and sounds similar in style to other hits of that time (more so than did "Congo" or "Shipwrecked"). "Anything Now" is my favorite Genesis song on which Ray Wilson sings. The main keyboard riff is strong, but is ultimately outdone by the extraordinary counter-melodies that Mr Banks plays throughout. Add this to some creative bass playing by Mr Rutherford, another quality chorus with great contributions from Ray, and a rousing keyboard and guitar break in the middle, and you have everything there is to love about Genesis in just over 7 minutes. I would advise any fan of CAS who doesn't necessarily want to shell out £90 for this box to somehow get your hands on these three tracks - as well as the four additional Ray Wilson cuts (noted by other reviewers) that have been unfortunately excluded from this box.

Enough about this set. Bring on the Holy Grail. The one we've all been waiting for. The one they dare not screw up. 1970-1975 box, due in September 2008. Ah gives me chills just thinking about it... February 21, 2008

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