Second Genesis 2007 remasters (1983-1998 box): A Visible Touch

Use your eyes and ears together.

 

It'll be released on Rhino in North America sometime in November.

 

Besides,rock 'n roll IS a savage animal!

 

Finally got to hear the comparison clip of 'Home By The Sea'. Sounds like Nick emulated the original vocal effects pretty good (just this clip, I haven't heard the others). But, what seems "wrong" to me resembles a stronger use of compression on the voice, plus the high frequency boosts overall on the mix.

I'll admit, I was less offended by this clip than I was most parts of the first boxed set. But I'm not drawing conclusions off one clip, either.

 

amazon.com says Nov. 20. It's not even listed on Rhino's web site yet, though.

 

They said all along that these were going to be presented in a new way.
Modern, loud, remixed. Why set yourself up for disappointment by expecting audiophile SACD's?
I think they are fun for what they are. Yes, they are loud but the surround mixes are fun and remind me of watching a special effects extravaganza movie.
Rutherford's bass sounds like a light saber.

 

So, is there agreement where the cheapest place to get these rigth now is?

 

hmv.co.jp for the NTSC set

 

As far as I've seen
jpc for the SACD/CD/DVD PAL set. Item in stock. 99.99 EUR (their web shop page says =119.02 USD, can it be correct? -- oh yeah they deduct the VAT on export outside the EU)
They ship worldwide. Loads of further SACD titles...

 

The cheapest place to get them? Probably here once members start selling theirs like I did with the first set. Really no one would buy it here so I had to list it on Ebay.

 

You have got to be kidding. The 'verb is so obviously different it changes the whole feel of his vocal!

 

Agree. Not even close.

 

Okay so I went back back and A/B'ed it 50 times. The delay is a hair slower and not as prominent on the remix, but I'm not as sensitive to it as you guys, I guess. That's a minor detail for me, anyway.

 

Hmm, just heard the 'Invisible Touch' comparison. Now THAT is a catastroph**k. Vocal effects sound nothing like the original.

 

The chair, the chair!... OK, I can speak now...
Yesterday I bought "Calling All Stations" SACD/DVD and I like it a lot.
Way back in 1997 I was offended by that being called Genesis music, but a few years later I learned to love the album.

The stereo remix is very nicely done. Of course it's louder than the 1997 version, but this time the aggressiveness works here. The original mix was always quite mushy, like a big cloud. For the new version Nick has given some separation to the instruments. Reverb times are generally shorter and most of the time you can really tell apart the drums from the guitars, even the individual keyboard pads. Some drums sound punchier actually. Overall a satisfying, tight and clean mix.

The surround mix is absolutely fantastic. The drums gain extra space and you actually get to appreciate how good the drumming is on this album (The dividing line is a real treat). Nick is generous with the use of keyboard and guitar parts with the rear channels.
But the highlight of the surround mix is the vocals. Ray's beautiful vocals sound crystal clear and less processed than in 1997. His backing vocals also shine on the surround remix.

The dvd (spoilers!): The interview is a must for all Genesis fans with Ray Wilson... It is heartbreaking to see how the original Genesis members somehow admit that the album is a bit weak... Tony Banks goes as far as saying it could have benefitted from a real producer (!), Mike Rutherford admits the breakup was his idea, Ray Wilson in hindsight wishes he had carried on with his own music...But the really shocking news come from Phil Collins, who basically says, without him Genesis were not so hot.

The concert footage is a real shame. The German show is from an inferior source in mono with bad picture.
The polish concert is in stereo and the picture is crystal clear, but there's a constant banner there reminding you - this is Polish television... The mix gets screwed up in a cople of points. And Ray Wilson - although technically perfect vocally - has none of the charisma that Phil or Peter got across to the audience. Mike Rutherford is absolutely embarassing to watch and Tony Banks really seems to suffer from the concert as if he wished it's over soon.
The only really good thing is Nir Zidkyahu's drum solo on "The Dividing Line".

 

Of all the latter day Genesis albums, the only one I wouldn't mind hearing a remix for would be Calling All Stations. Perhaps it's because that album doesn't have the emotional ties for me that earlier Genesis albums had.

How about the fadouts on the remixed CAS? Do they still end abruptly?

 

Sadly that is still the case. Especially in the first two tracks where the fade comes unannounced, fast and pretty senseless...I guess that is the producers' artistic decision...

 

Awesome review! This makes me even more excited to hear the 5.1 mix of this album.

Ray has every reason to feel the way he does. He got screwed in the end. Now, Tony and Mike is another story. I think you need to take into context when the interviews were done. Mike and Tony have both stood by Calling All Stations and both said they liked it for the last 10 years. Now they're on tour with Phil (who wasn't terribly happy that they did an album without him), so I'm sure their comments have some political overtones to it. It's the same kind of deal with Roger McGuinn in 1990 when he told David Fricke that he should have ended the Byrds well before he did. Nowadays he admits that it was just due to politics with the reunion with Hillman and Crosby that was going on at that time. He freely admits nowadays that he really liked the latter-day Byrds stuff.

Truth be told, I think Mike and Tony both like Calling All Stations. They just have to be careful right now about what they say publicly. Ray on the other hand, he should be pissed. I know I would've been. They signed him for two albums, and he was supposed to sing on the Carpet Crawlers 1999. Instead they finish the CAS tour and then he doesn't hear from anyone for 14 months and when he does, it's just the manager to tell him that he did a good job but Mike and Tony aren't going to continue. Real nice.

 

Exactly.

I've resisted chiming in on the Genesis remaster threads...
but Hugh Padgham is one of my very favourite producers / engineers.

I just can't believe one would redo his work.

I wouldn't dare!

To me it's just, simply, like painting over a Picasso.
Really. You don't do that.

 

I agree that stereo remixes were uncalled for, but hey, we all have the original mixes, so it's all good. Plus they'll be easy to find for years and years to come both on vinyl and CD. Genesis sold too many records for their stuff to become rare any time in the forseeable future.

 

I see your point, and you're right about that.
I was just thinking that if it were my work that had been redone in this manner I would be really upset...

These remixes may some day become the only ones newly available

 

They are. Nick Davis stated in an interview that these will replace the original mixes. So they will be the only ones "newly" available.

Not to worry, tho. They've sold so many albums that even their out-of-print stuff can be found without much hassle (do it soon, tho )

 

Well, I would have loved to hear the original mixes remastered in SACD stereo. I mean, those Rolling Stones remasters, I love them!

 

Interesting. I could have sworn at the NYC press conference for the 2007 tour or maybe it was a recent tour interview, Phil Collins said something to the effect that he felt bad because the CAS era Genesis wasn't given a fair shake by the public.

I agree that it seems like Ray Wilson got a raw deal. I think this particular era of Genesis needed to make a truly great album right off the bat. But they gave us a mediocre album that seemed to really divide the fans and the public. In America, commercially speaking, CAS inever had a chance amid the changing musical climate.

 

Well, I already have everything, but future buyers are going to miss out on some great mixing chops.

Maybe I'm overreacting.
I get like that too when people think Knockin' on Heaven's Door was written by Guns 'n Roses.

Ah, thanks, that's what I meant.