Seconds Out, Genesis' second live album, released in 1977.
Last night I was “lost in deep thought”, and my wife, as always, noticed and asked me the classic, tragic question
"Darling, what are you thinking about?"
One of those questions for which we men are forced to construct answers other than "nothing" so as not to trigger a series of subsequent questions like "Oh, no, tell me... is something wrong?"
It happens to me often. I sit there thinking, but I'm not a big talker, or rather, I'm not until I decide to speak of my own free will, and then I become downright verbose.
Last night, however, I replied. I don't know if it's a good thing for her, but I did:
"Honey, I was thinking about Seconds Out, a Genesis live album, and I thought it's incredible how all of us fans are madly in love with the Gabriel period, but we all say without distinction that Seconds Out is a live masterpiece, not just by Genesis, but absolutely one of the best live performances ever, and it's an album without Gabriel."
She also replied
"Of course, Gabriel is Gabriel, a character, who is certainly not Phil Collins..."
An answer that could leave room for different interpretations, even opposing ones, but which, being perfectly in context, only increases my love for her. Instead of telling me to go fuck myself, she stuck to her guns without the slightest hesitation, the fruit of years and years of living with a prog lover, something for which there should be (besides headphones) a special prize or even a bonus.
The episode reminded us of Nick Hornby's book Fever Pitch, and we laughed a lot, thinking about David Evans's 1997 film based on the book, with the fantastic scene where Paul (Colin Firth's protagonist) is quizzed by Sarah (Ruth Gemmell as Sarah Hughes) with the exact same question, and he hesitates before answering.
"Um... nothing, like that. I was thinking about David Herbert Lawrence. About what? The longest of his books. I don't remember."
But then he admits he wasn't thinking about Lawrence.
"Look, I wasn't thinking about David Herbert Lawrence. I was thinking about Arsenal. We could win the league this year. We're top of the league halfway through the season, we're playing great..."
...revealing the conflict between his obsession with Arsenal and his relationship, showing that for him, football is an irrational and all-consuming passion, almost a religion, that defines his world and his priorities.
For me, Prog is the same. Sometimes it seems like I'm thinking about the big picture or some other problem or important thought, when in fact I'm thinking about an album or an article, a review, a social media recommendation I received for a new band, or the next concert I need to book. If I didn't have a passion for soccer, everything would be fine, but I've put that to rest a bit to avoid costly divorce proceedings, and I simply "coincidentally" don't organize events outside the house during important matches.
Regarding Genesis, as I've said in other reviews of their albums, the bond I have with the Gabriel-era albums, made between 1969 and 1974, is especially special. This is thanks to the miracle of the union of extraordinary musicians at their peak creative and technical peak, at the same time, in the same band.
I always come back to Genesis, even though I listen to so much music. It's a kind of recurring dream. Their notes are always present in my mind: every word Peter sang, shouted, or sighed; every guitar riff Steve played, which I would later follow in all his solo work; every drum beat Phil played, which I've tried so hard (in vain) to imitate over the years by playing drums myself; every melody the extraordinary Tony created; every deep bass line Mike played.
Every track I remember by heart, including the pauses between tracks and the crackle of the vinyl, which used to be a cassette given to me by a kid like me who, handing it to me outside middle school, said, "If you want to play with us, this is the kind of music we do."
I listened to that TDK and that's where my passion for Genesis began, then for symphonic rock, then for progressive rock, and then I went on to discover every band, every subgenre of prog, every band influenced by prog, every band that influenced prog, every band that is pushing prog forward, every band that is transforming and rediscovering prog... and now that I've listened to a lot, hundreds of records and bands from the '60s to today, despite this long musical journey... I always come back to Genesis... they're my "Fever Pitch."
That digression about Seconds Out made me want to listen to it again and write this article, trying to tell the story of an immense album. I insist, it's incredible how all of us fans are madly in love with the Gabriel period, yet we all unanimously agree that Seconds Out is not only a Genesis live masterpiece, but one of the absolute best live performances of all time, and it's an album without Gabriel.
History tells us that Seconds Out is Genesis's second live album, released in 1977, and is one of the cornerstones of progressive rock, a historical document, fundamental for the band.
The context in which it was released was that of a crisis, a complex moment for progressive rock in general, as already mentioned in the recent Gentle Giant article "In a Glass House, Gentle Giant's Creative Peak and Their Extraordinary History," a band that suffered a similar crisis, unfortunately irreversible in their case.
In the mid-1970s, the prog crisis began, and various bands like Gentle Giant, Genesis, Yes and Van der Graaf Generator were suffering from the punk influence that was beginning to dominate the music scene. Many artists—one in particular comes to mind, Anthony Phillips, with The Geese and the Ghost, a masterpiece released the same year as Seconds Out—were unsuccessful, despite being masterpieces, and unfortunately, they were released too late.
For Genesis in particular, it was a time of post-Gabriel transition. The band was at the height of its success as a four-piece lineup (Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford) after Peter Gabriel's departure. They had recently releasedA Trick of the Tail in 1976 and Wind & Wuthering g in 1976, and the tour from which the album is taken supported the two albums. The album also marked the definitive end of Genesis's classic progressive era, with the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, who left the band during the album's mixing phase in London in October 1977.
After this album, the band officially remained a trio, leading to the next studio album with the emblematic title ...And Then There Were Three....
Seconds Out was recorded primarily at the Palais des Sports in Paris between June 11 and 14, 1977.
The title "Seconds Out" comes from boxing and literally means "seconds out," a ring official's exclamation ordering a boxer's seconds to leave the ring before the round. Symbolically, the album marks the end of a progressive era for Genesis, representing a turning point and transition after Steve Hackett's departure and the move toward a more pop-rock phase while still celebrating their past.
To allow Phil Collins to sing as frontman, the band hired Chester Thompson, who plays on most of the songs, and Bill Bruford who plays on the only track recorded in 1976 (during the A Trick of the Tail tour), "The Cinema Show."
The album was produced by David Hentschel and Genesis themselves, and the mixing perfectly highlights the power of the live sound unleashed by the two drummers in fantastic drum duets.
Wind & Wuthering is represented only by the song "Afterglow," while four songs are from A Trick of the Tail, the rest from the repertoire recorded with Peter Gabriel on vocals, including "Supper's Ready," which occupies the entire third side.
I read online that the press release at the time described it as "from the best live band in the world, the best live album," a statement not far from the truth, at least in the progressive rock genre. Excellent versions of Gabriel-era classics, along with more recent tracks like "Dance on a Volcano/Los Endos" and "Squonk," are greatly enhanced live. There's no lesser track, and "The Cinema Show" stands out thanks to Banks' solo and Bill Bruford's crisp drumming.
What can I say about this album? It's the live album I've listened to most in my life, along with Peter Frampton Comes Alive, and the reason is simply that it's an immense masterpiece, despite the absence of Peter Gabriel, who, as is well known, left the Band after the 1974 masterpiece The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, which we've discussed extensively, along with Dave Kerzner's 2024 celebratory album, IT - A Celebration of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
The drumming by Chester Thompson, Phil Collins (duets), and Bill Bruford is a delight for drummers like me and for everyone. Phil Collins is primarily on vocals and as frontman; The lead drummer is the immense Chester Thompson, except for the aforementioned "The Cinema Show," where Bill Bruford is the drummer. Phil Collins leaves center stage for almost all the instrumental parts, returning to the drums to double the rhythm section. The drums-only duet that links "Dance on a Volcano" to "Los Endos" is fantastic.
During the mixing of Seconds Out, Steve Hackett left Genesis, believing the band's compositions to be lacking. He was also encouraged by the positive experience of his first album, Voyage of the Acolyte, which inspired him to embark on a splendid solo career.
This album definitively closes an era, which, after Gabriel, marks Hackett's departure for what I consider the definitive end of Prog and the definitive opening to a splendid, well-crafted, well-integrated, well-played, but still—however many adjectives one might add—always pop.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
1. Squonk (6:27)
2. The Carpet Crawl (5:10)
3. Robbery, Assault & Battery (6:00)
4. Afterglow (4:18)
5. Firth of Fifth (8:37)
6. I Know What I Like (8:34)
7. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (5:05)
8. The Musical Box (closing section) (2:44)
9. Supper's Ready (24:30)
10. Cinema Show (11:00)
11. Dance on a Volcano (4:22)
12. Los Endos (6:24)
Duration 93:11
LineUp
- Phil Collins - lead vocals, drums (3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12)*, percussion
- Steve Hackett - Gibson Les Paul guitar, Hokada 12-string guitar
- Tony Banks - RMI electric piano, Hammond T organ, ARP Pro Soloist, Mellotron 400, Epiphone 12-string guitar, backing vocals
- Mike Rutherford - 4- and 8-string basses, Moog Taurus bass pedals, 12-string acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals
- Chester Thompson - drums and percussion
Featuring:
- Bill Bruford - drums and percussion (10)
