There has been a lot of discussion if not to say actual argument on the various Genesis discussion groups on the vexed subject of "soundboard/mixing desk" recordings some of it quite vitriolic if not to say positively poisonous. Sad to say… yours truly has been as guilty of this as anyone.

There is one school of thought among so-called Genesis "Traders" and I use that word in quotation marks to separate these people from COLLECTORS in which category I place myself, which until recently has been of the firm opinion that these recordings are (to paraphrase a famous A & R man's quote…) "too good to be possibly released to the fans…" What unmitigated tripe! Fortunately, that school of thought has been overhauled by events and the persistence of fans themselves… The multitude of Genesis trading/collecting/Sharing projects … FAde… i4Detail, etc… has led to a plethora of previously unheard and (in some cases) unsuspected live and studio recordings coming to light.

Perhaps for me the most exciting of these recordings yet to surface are those I am about to review here. They are both from the band's Trick Of The Tail tour, and the And Then There Were Three tours and capture the band at the very beginning of Phil's tenure as singer and where he had to get out there and "wiggle" his bum and also their first post Hackett tour.

What makes these first two recordings so much more exciting from any of the others that are already commonly available from this wonderful tour? Well… first of all they are amongst the very first gigs of the tour which saw the band still experimenting with the new live show and uncertain as to which tracks to play. Secondly… being soundboard recordings they are of vastly improved sound quality than many others. That alone makes them of obvious interest to both fans and collectors.

Opening the batting is the recording from the Kitchener Auditorium on 27th March 1976. Coincidentally this was Tony Banks' birthday and at one point during the show Phil announces that fact and the band and audience join in a ragged chorus of "happy birthday". From an audio standpoint this recording is simply amazing… the simple fact that you can actually HEAR every member of the band properly throughout makes for some interesting revelations. Bill Bruford's drumming for instance, is far clearer and more convincing here than on Seconds Out. Set wise too it is an intriguing recording with a radically different set order to the shows which followed it… All in all an essential addition to any collection.

Disc One: Dance On A Volcano/The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway/Fly On A Windshield/Carpet Crawlers/Cinema Show/Robbery, Assault & Battery/White Mountain
Disc Two: Firth Of Fifth/Entangled/Squonk/I Know What I Like/Los Endos/It-Watcher Of The Skies
Source: Soundboard
Quality: 10

Our second recording from this tour is from the following night's gig at the Century Theater in Buffalo 28th March 1976 and once again, the sound quality of this recording places it head and shoulders above others of its ilk. Phil's between patter is still in its embryonic stages and at times he sounds a mite unsure of himself especially during his tentative introduction to the Lamb… medley. Instrumentation is clean and lush and once again for you audiophiles it is possible to detect all those essential musical "details" so often missing from sanitised "official" live albums - excellent stuff!

Disc One: Dance On A Volcano/The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway/Fly On A Windshield/Carpet Crawlers/Cinema Show/Robbery Assault & Battery
Disc Two: White Mountain/Firth Of Fifth/Entangled/Squonk/I Know What I Like/Los Endos
Source: Soundboard
Quality: 10

Moving on two years we come to two more delightful recordings from the band's archives documenting in glorious sound, the And The There Were Three tour. The first of these captures the band in full flow on the first leg of their European tour at the Palais Des Sports in Dijon France on 3rd June 1978. Once again this superb recording is taken direct from the band's own sound board recording. Totally unedited and untreated this is very much a warts and all recording also notable for a rare performance of Ballad Of Big… another excellent addition to the archives.

Disc One: 11th Earl Of Mar/In The Cage/Burning Rope/Ripples/Deep In The Motherlode/ Fountain Of Salmacis/Ballad Of Big/One For The Vine
Disc Two: Squonk/Say Its Alright Joe/The Lady Lies/Cinema Show/Afterglow/Follow You Follow Me/Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos/I Know What I Like
Source: Soundboard
Quality: 10

Later that same month came the second of these recordings … a gig yours truly will never forget: Knebworth Park Saturday 24th June 1978. This gig was my very first introduction to the Genesis "experience" and as such holds a VERY special place in my affection. Captured by the BBC for their "Rock Hour" series, this recording features the Pre-FM broadcast recording and as such is significantly better quality than previous offerings of this gig. Sadly like all of its predecessors, it is still not complete missing three of the tracks from the performance. Nonetheless, a vital addition to your collection!

Disc One: Introduction by Brian Matthew Squonk/Burning Rope/Adverts/Ripples/Fountain Of Salmacis/Adverts/One For The Vine
Disc Two: Introduction by Brian Matthew Deep In The Motherlode/The Lady Lies/Adverts/Afterglow/Follow You Follow Me/Dance On A Volcano-Los Endos/Adverts/I Know What I Like
Source: Pre-FM broadcast reels
Quality: 10