Genesis 1983-1998 Box Set

by Rhino

Genesis marked its 40th anniversary in 2006, and in 2007, honored the occasion with a tour reuniting the three man line-up that defined the group through its most successful era: lead vocalist/drummer Phil Collins, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and keyboardist Tony Banks. Onstage together for the first time in fifteen years, the power trio's "Turn It On Again Tour" played to sold-out stadiums and arenas nationwide and internationally. Adding to the celebration is Rhino's continued upgrade of Genesis' catalog with GENESIS 1983-1998, the second of three historic box sets that will ultimately cover their entire output to date.

GENESIS 1983-1998 spotlights the band's "power trio years," during which time Phil Collins also became a solo superstar. The box encompasses two-disc, CD/DVD editions of four classic albums - three with Collins - plus one rarities compilation: Genesis, Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance, Calling All Stations and Extra Tracks 1983-1998. Each of the four remastered CD/DVD album reissues are also available individually, but Extra Tracks is only available as part of the ten-disc GENESIS 1983-1998.

The CDs for each of the four catalog titles presents the original album in a sonically superior new stereo remix, remastered for optimum sound. The rarities CD presents unearthed gems spanning '83-'98. Each DVD disc includes a 5.1 DTS Surround Sound of the audio tracks plus bonus video content, photo galleries, memorabilia images and new 2007 interviews with the band. In total, the box set features more than three hours of previously unreleased video.

Genesis, originally released in 1983, reached #9 on Billboard®'s pop albums chart, the group's second consecutive LP to crack the Top 10. Highlights include the hits "Mama," "That's All" and "Taking It All Too Hard." DVD extras include four videos and nearly an hour of rehearsals for 1983's Mama Tour including the favorites "Eleventh Earl Of Mar," "Squonk" and "Carpet Crawlers," as well as songs from Genesis.

1986's Invisible Touch was Genesis' biggest-selling album, climbing to #3 in Billboard. Highlights include five Top 5 singles: "Land Of Confusion," "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," "Throwing It All Away," "In Too Deep" and the title track, the group's only #1 pop hit in the U.S. DVD extras include five videos, a tour documentary, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the "Land Of Confusion" video and a 1986 performance from BBC2-TV's Old Grey Whistle Test.

1991's We Can't Dance was a #4 album and Genesis' last to feature Collins, who departed in 1996. Stand-outs include the hits "I Can't Dance," "No Son Of Mine," "Jesus He Knows Me" and "Hold On My Heart." DVD extras include five videos and a television special offering a behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the album.

Calling All Stations, released in '97, teamed Banks and Rutherford with vocalist Ray Wilson for an album that evokes Genesis' progressive roots as a band. Highlights include the hit single "Congo," and DVD extras include a trio of videos, the album's electronic press kit and live performances recorded in Germany and Poland.

The newly compiled Extra Tracks 1983-1998 is a disc of rarities offered exclusively as part of the GENESIS 1983-1998 box set. Among the CD's eight selections are "On The Shoreline" and "Do The Neurotic." The DVD features 5.1 mixes, a 40-minute 1983 Genesis performance at Knebworth, plus a 2000 performance saluting the band's long-time manager, Tony Smith. The latter features acoustic versions of the hits "Invisible Touch," "Follow You, Follow Me," "I Can't Dance" and "Turn It On Again."

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The long-awaited high-fidelity overhaul of the Genesis catalog began with a multi-album box set spanning 1976-1982 -- the first half of Phil Collins' reign as lead vocalist, otherwise known as the prog years of when the group was a trio. Instead of moving backward to cover the band's early, arty years with Peter Gabriel, the next release in this series moved forward, covering 1983-1998, otherwise known as the "pop years" for the trio. To their credit, Genesis doesn't try to write the 1998 post-Collins Calling All Stations out of their history: it's right here, alongside 1983's Genesis, 1986's Invisible Touch, and 1991's We Can't Dance, plus a bonus disc with eight rarities. Going forward to these albums makes sense for two reasons: first of all, there's the fact that this is the reunited lineup that was touring the world in 2007, but it's also true that these digital-era productions are better showcases for 5.1 Surround mixes and they're the records that have loads of video and multimedia material to fill out these DVD-As (in the U.K., this set is available as Hybrid SACDs as well). The video section of each of the albums contains all the video clips from the record, plus new interviews with the bands about the record, then there's multimedia press kits added to the mix. It may be a more deluxe treatment than either We Can't Dance or Calling All Stations, but it's certainly something that will appeal to hardcore fans who will find this expertly produced set irresistible even if the music itself isn't.



By Alan Caylow (USA) 

We now come to the second Genesis box set in the band's box set trilogy, "1983-1998," which covers (mostly) the "commercial peak" period for Genesis: hit singles, MTV, etc. Four albums---"Genesis," "Invisible Touch," "We Can't Dance," and the sorely-overlooked "Calling All Stations"---each one remastered & remixed by Nick Davis, with each album containing a bonus DVD of video goodies such as music videos, interviews, concert footage, etc. And this box set also includes an exclusive bonus disc & DVD of rare tracks and footage, as well as a 48-page book, with liner notes by the band's longtime music video director, Jim Yukich. Regarding the albums themselves, I rate "Genesis" and "We Can't Dance" a perfect five stars, while I give "Invisible Touch" and "Calling All Stations" a solid four stars. As for the sound quality, the albums all sound amazing, but the two that benefit the most in the new & improved sound quality are "Genesis" and "Invisible Touch." Nick Davis' magic mixingboard work especially comes to life on these two albums, the sound quality on both SO strong now, with the band's instruments having more power, and Phil Collins' vocals are more up front. "Invisible Touch" is a WHOLE NEW ALBUM, which is terrific since this is the album that Genesis have been unfairly judged by ever since it was released in 1986. To anyone who hates "Invisible Touch," I say listen to this new version. The sound has been totally opened up on this album in particular, and if you couldn't hear the excellent work that Phil, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford did on it before, I have a feeling you will definitely hear it now. "We Can't Dance" and "Calling All Stations" both sound great too, but, being the last of the Genesis albums, there really wasn't much Nick Davis could do with them, apart from making them sound a *little bit* sharper than before. The video extras are terrific, including rare tour rehearsal footage of Genesis from 1983, the band's "Unplugged" performance at a private dinner party in 2000 (only on the box set exclusive DVD!), and the classic music videos including "Mama," "Land Of Confusion," and the phenomenal but rarely-seen clip for "Congo," with it's stunning apocalyptic look and water effects (the band are REALLY getting soaked in this clip, but it's powerful stuff). So, what makes me give "1983-1998" four stars instead of five? Well, some missing tracks. There's no *full-length* versions of "Mama" and "It's Gonna Get Better," which run longer than the album versions and were released together way back when on a 12-inch single. In fact, Davis momentarily tricked me into thinking that the full "Mama" was going to be on the new disc, as he re-edited the song to drop in a few seconds of the full-length "Mama," only to stick on the original fade-out at the very end (thanks a lot, Nick.). Also, most of the rare tracks from "Calling All Stations" are missing---"Papa He Said," "Banjo Man," "Phret," "7/8," and the never-commercially released "Nowhere Else To Turn." BIG ommissions, all of them. Also, the concert footage of Genesis at Knebworth (only on the exclusive box set DVD) chops out, and I mean *chops out* the "Second Home By The Sea" segment, which is inexcusable. Finally, as much as I enjoyed most of Jim Yukich's liner notes, he seems to have a problem with the band's "Calling All Stations" lead singer Ray Wilson, whom Yukich says has a "limited range" and whose voice lacks "personality." That's rubbish, Jim. Ray Wilson is an excellent singer! If he wasn't, I don't think Mike & Tony would've chosen him. Still, when all is said and done, "1983-1998" has many more positives than negatives. The albums all sound incredible, the video goodies are awesome, and the packaging is very handsome. For the diehard Genesis fan, "1983-1998," like the 1st box set, "1976-1982," is an absolute must-buy. Now, bring on the Peter Gabriel era with box set #3!