Genesis Files

Disc: 1
1. Firth of Fifth
2. Watcher of the Skies
3. Riding the Colossus
4. Rise Again
5. Valley of the Kings
6. Time Lapse at Milton Keynes
7. Your Own Special Way
8. Fountain of Salmacis
9. For Absent Friends
10. Twice Around the Sun
Disc: 2
1. Horizons
2. Prizefighters
3. Camino Royale
4. I Know What I Like
5. Déjà Vu
6. Waiting Room Only
7. Dance on a Volcano
8. Steppes
9. In That Quiet Earth
10. Endos

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
UK compilation culled from three albums released in the 80s & 90s. Featuring members of King Crimson, Yes, Mothers Of Invention, Weather Report, The Zombies, John Wetton, Mike & The Mechanics & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 2002.

Genesis Files,Steve Hackett,Recall Records UK,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop

Genesis Files

Average customer rating:

Good progressive rock; odd compilation
Messing with greatness
Less in Never More
Sounds the same as Revisted ,but a little different
Hackett Worth Revisiting

Genesis Files
Steve Hackett
Manufacturer: Recall Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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GENESIS (David Myers Plays)

ASIN: B00005V93T
Release Date: 2002-02-15

Tracks:

Firth of Fifth
Watcher of the Skies
Riding the Colossus
Rise Again
Valley of the Kings
Time Lapse at Milton Keynes
Your Own Special Way
Fountain of Salmacis
For Absent Friends
Twice Around the Sun

Tracks:

Horizons
Prizefighters
Camino Royale
I Know What I Like
D Vu
Waiting Room Only
Dance on a Volcano
Steppes
In That Quiet Earth
Endos

Product Description

Disc 1:
1. Firth Of Fifth
2. Watcher Of The Skies
3. Riding The Colossus
4. Rise Again
5. Valley Of The Kings
6. Time Lapse At Milton Keynes
7. Your Own Special Way
8. The Fountain Of Salmacis
9. For Absent Friends
10. Twice Around The Sun

Disc 2:
1. Horizons
2. Prizefighters
3. Camino Royale
4. I Know What I Like
5. Deja Vu
6. Waiting Room Only
7. Dance On A Volcano
8. The Steppes
9. In That Quiet Earth
10. Los Endos

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Good progressive rock; odd compilation.......2005-09-11

You'd expect, from the title, for this to be a collection of Steve Hackett's best work with Genesis. Instead it draws almost exclusively from two 1990s Hackett albums featuring (mostly) re-worked and re-interpreted Genesis tracks and an all-star roster of artists, including John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, Paul Carrack, Ian McDonald, Chester Thompson, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Then "Genesis Files" randomly throws in a handful of other tracks from other solo material.

Firth of Fifth, Watcher of the Skies, Your Own Special Way, Valley of the Kings, The Fountain of Salmacis, For Absent Friends, I Know What I Like, Dance on a Volcano, Deja Vu, Waiting Room Only, and Riding the Colussus are from "Watcher of the Skies--Genesis Revisited" (the last song available only on the Japanese edition of the album). That's the entire album minus one song, Los Endos, which is included in this collection from a different source. All are re-recorded old Genesis tracks, many of them expanded and, as Hackett likes to say in the liner notes, "given the widescreen treatment." Be warned: that tends to mean they're lengthened with experimental instrumental passages, so if you regard such stuff as art-rock noodling, you'll prefer the original versions (unless you also regard those as art rock noodling). Of particular note though is "Deja Vu," an unfinished and unreleased Genesis song by Peter Gabriel, who gave Hackett the green light to complete and record the song.

Camino Royale, The Steppes, In That Quiet Earth, and Los Endos are from "The Tokyo Tapes," a live recording with much of the personnel who appeared on "Watcher of the Skies." The first track originally appeared on Hackett's "Highly Strung" (1983) and the second on Hackett's "Defector" (1980). The latter two tracks were of course originally Genesis songs from "Wind and Wuthering" and "A Trick of the Tail."

Rise Again and Twice Around the Sun are from "Darktown," and though "Darktown" is Hackett's strongest non-classical work since his debut, these don't necessarily represent the best of what the album has to offer. Horizons and Time Lapse at Milton Keynes are pretty classical guitar numbers from "Bay of Kings" (1983).

Finally, Prizefighters is an unreleased GTR track from the intended followup to their debut (a collaboration between Hackett and Steve Howe that spawned one Top 40 hit in the mid 80s, "When the Heart Rules the Mind"). If this formless, overblown track featuring vocals by Bonnie Tyler (Bonnie Tyler!) is indicative of what that followup had to offer, it's a good thing it remained unreleased.

Hackett is an extremely talented and versatile guitarist, and unless you count Anthony Phillips, he is the only ex-member of Genesis who has remained true to their 1970s sound while also exploring new musical horizons. Therefore fans of early Genesis will find much to savor here. Yet there seems to be little reason for this compilation, and it's not much of a compilation when it includes practically an entire album and draws from only 2 or 3 others. If you're a fan of early Genesis, you'd be well advised to purchase "Watcher of the Skies" and "The Tokyo Tapes" in their entirety. If you want to buy only one recording, then this compilation might make sense because you could look at it as "Watcher of the Skies" plus assorted bonus material.

Messing with greatness.......2004-07-28

Hackett takes great music and then for some reason only he can explain goes off on irritating tangents that ruin the majesty of some of these tracks. It drives me crazy to the point that I find myself skipping whole tracks when I listen to this CD.

Less in Never More.......2003-09-22

I bought this Cd's based on the reviews in this page and , well ... There is nothing like the Real Thing . Hackett was a very important member of Genesis from Nursery to Seconds Out , but this renditions of Genesis Classics are like a bad Hollywood Comercial . I already gave them away . I was lucky to see Genesis from Selling England to Seconds out and Wow . But this ... well , as I wrote : Less is Never More ...

Sounds the same as Revisted ,but a little different.......2002-12-20

Being a huge Genesis fan, I buy anything that comes along with
this. Hackett lists of tunes is a compilation of tunes, through
th Genesis years, but done with all stars like, Bill Bruford,
Chester Thompson,John Wenton (bassist,founder of Asia)and
of course with the help of his brother John. The compilation
goes from the "early Genesis".like Horizons, right up to his new album "darktown" for all you Genesis heads ,like me looking
for new stuff, this is a great CD!!!

Hackett Worth Revisiting.......2002-07-08

If you are a fan of pre-top 40 Genesis, you might want to get this CD. Hackett has revisited and sometimes revised the music he made such a distinctive mark on. This music holds up despite who plays or sings it, provided they do it well, like any well-written music. This is a triumph for Genesis who began as a songwriting collective, and whose music was the most well-crafted of any coming out of the Progressive rock movement.

Hackett is still in the prog camp here; he thinks in wide-screen sonic landscapes, and his re-vision of WOTS. for instance, takes on an embracing ambience given the newer recording and instrumnetal possibilities now available. Would I have prefered Gabriel singing on these songs? I don't think so. Hackett knows what he is doing and lets music speak for itself.

Hackett is an able guitarist, a true disciple of Robert Fripp, but imbued with a much more developed melodic drive than was ever present in Fripp's playing. This has served Hackett well.

Genesis Files
Average customer rating:
Genesis Files

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000HA48AQ
Release Date: 2006-09-26