"Archives Revisited" - The latest DVD releases examined by Alan Hewitt.

The steady stream of DVD releases from various groups continues unabated and here we have a round up of some of the more interesting ones to find their way into the TWR archives…

First up are a pair of DVDs by a Genesis tribute band. Yes, even the tribute bands get bootlegged from time to time! The band in question are no strangers to the pages of TWR; they are Canada's finest: The Musical Box.

As anyone who has seen a show by The Musical Box will tell you, the attention to detail that they put into their gigs is unbelievable. For many fans (myself included) who were not lucky enough to see Genesis during the Gabriel era, their re-creation of the gigs from the Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound and latterly, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tours is stunning in its accuracy and complexity. Fortunately there are now a pair of DVDs available which nicely bookend both the Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound shows undertaken by the band. Both shows were filmed by members of the audience during gigs in Milan and Turin during 2004.

The Milan gig features the highlights of a Selling England By The Pound gig and captures the majority of the show in excellent sound and vision. Comparing this performance with the classic "Tony Stratton-Smith Presents Genesis In Concert" film (AKA: Shepperton Film Studios 1973) one can easily see how much hard work the band have done to faithfully create what is almost a mirror-image of that show.

Contrasting that show with a later gig from Turin which took us "even further Westward, agriculturally speaking" to the halcyon days of the Foxtrot album and once again If anything, the re-creation of this gig is even more amazing because of the dearth of surviving footage of the band from this period of their history. Either way, it is an incredible testament to the devotion to the cause of sonic and visual accuracy which is The Musical Box's trademark.

The Musical Box: Milan Palatrussardi 22nd April 2004

Track Listing: Watcher Of The Skies/Dancing With The Moonlit Knight/The Cinema Show (Instrumental Section)/I Know What I Like/Firth Of Fifth/The Musical Box (Closing Section)/The Battle Of Epping Forest/Supper's Ready/The Knife. Source: Audience 1 DVD. Quality: Excellent.

The Musical Box: Teatro Coloseo Turin 10th June 2004

Track Listing: Watcher Of The Skies/Can-Utility And The Coastliners/The Musical Box/Get 'Em Out By Friday/Supper's Ready/The Return Of The Giant Hogweed/The Knife/The Fountain Of Salmacis. Source: Audience. 1 DVD. Quality: Excellent.

Our good friends across the "Pond" at GMDVD have put together another excellent release in the simply titled "Genesis Live 1976 -1978" . As its title would suggest, this compilation places its emphasis on the available TV footage from those years and manages to combine a near perfect copy of the elusive 1976 "Genesis In Concert" film with most of the available TV footage from 1977 as well. The 1978 footage although interesting, has now been rendered moot by the recent release of the "Three Dates With Genesis" documentary by EFDVD. For fans of this era of the band, this release will be an essential addition to their collections.

Genesis: "Live 1976 - 1978"

Track Listing: I Know What I Like/Fly On A Windshield/ Carpet Crawlers/The Cinema Show (Closing Section)/Entangled/Supper's Ready (Pt2)/Los Endos (From: Genesis In Concert 1976 Film).

11th Earl Of Mar/One For The Vine/Your Own Special Way/Firth Of Fifth (Japanese TV broadcast from Rainbow Theatre London 1.1.77)

Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos/The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway/The Musical Box (Closing Section). (Moody Coliseum Dallas Texas USA 19.3.77)

Many Too Many/The Lady Lies (From: "Three Dates With Genesis" BBC Documentary 1978). Source: TV/Film. 1 DVD. Quality: Excellent.

The final item in this issue's round up of DVDs comes from the EFDVD stable. Another classic slice of Steve Hackett, this one brought back a LOT of memories for me. The EFDVD release of the Montreux Jazz Festival broadcast a while ago was cause for celebration indeed and that celebration has been extended with this release. A complete visual document of a Hackett show from the Defector tour is exciting news indeed. The show was filmed at New York's Bottom Line Club in September 1980 and although ostensibly filmed for a TV broadcast it is unlikely that this was ever in fact used for that purpose. Why? Well, sadly despite this being a time-coded copy, the actual camerawork is amateurish in the extreme. Two hand held cameras are all that was used and as such, the footage suffers from poor camera angles, audience "heads" and other similar irritations which spoil an otherwise delightful addition to your Hackett collection. Nonetheless, when the cameramen get their act together; the end result is extremely enjoyable and this is another essential addition for Hackett fans such as myself, who remember these gigs with fondness, and for newer fans who can finally see what they missed - excellent stuff!

"Steve Hackett - Defector Tour Live At The Bottom Line Club NYC 1980"

Track Listing: (Disc One): Slogans/Everyday/The Red Flower Of Taichi Blooms Everywhere/Tigermoth/Time To Get Out/The Steppes/Acoustic Set/Kim/Narnia/Jacuzzi/ Sentimental Institution/Spectral Mornings. (Disc Two): A Tower Struck Down (Inc: Overnight Sleeper Instrumental Section)/Clocks/The Show/It's Now Or Never (Inc: "Just One Cornetto")/Please Don't Touch. Bonus Material: "Waiting In Line"/ Photo Gallery.

EFDVDSH06 2 CD Set. Source: Time-Coded Master Film. Quality: Good/Very Good.