By D. Negrin
I was thrilled to see that the Genesis 1998 Calling All Stations Tour was finally getting officially released on DVD (NTSC, Region 0). For those who do not know, it was the (often forgotten) tour after Phil Collins officially announced his departure from Genesis. The band line up included co-founding members Mike Rutherford (guitars/bass) and Tony Banks (keys) with new lead singer Ray Wilson and backing musicians Nir Z (drums) and Anthony Drennon (guitars/bass).
All of that being said, I was extremely disappointed to find out upon playing the DVD that it is the same quality as the bootleg in wide circulation (from Polish television) and the claimed '5.1 surround sound', is completely bogus. It's actually audio that is equally disbursed through four stereo channels. So, the quality is only so-so, and the audio is only so-so overall. The only positive is that the discs and packaging are attractive. I later came to learn that this DVD is not sanctioned by the band or their management, which explains why the item is sub-par in comparison to the band's other DVD releases.
While its nice to have this largely undocumented tour on a pressed DVD set (only excerpts appear on the video portion of the official 1983-1998 Box Set 5CD/5DVD), it will leave some people feeling disappointed.
By Seamonkey
Yes..this is a bootleg! the video quality leaves much to be desired, I have VHS tapes of concerts that look much better than this.
It's a shame Genesis never released this concert, especially after seeing the 2 songs(Some other way & The Dividing Line)from this concert included in the 5.1 remastered CAS DVD. Both songs are crystal clear and the audio is superb.
Genesis had a perfect opportunity to include this show in a quality format in the box set and for some reason they seem to want to delete it's existence from their past...GET OVER IT! it's part of your history and I think it's a good concert.
I have seen every Genesis tour since seeing them on the Selling England by the Pound tour, including the reunion tour of several years ago.
I had tickets for this tour(N America)and was very disappointed when it was cancelled, like other Genesis fans, I have always wanted to see them perform this tour live but never had the opportunity. I did hear of bootlegs of this show being available, but I don't belong to any trader club or don't have a DVD recorder on my computer.
I only skimmed through this DVD when it was delivered and will watch it all this weekend.
First impressions:
The video is 5 out of 10
The audio is not true 5.1 as the other reviewer has written but it sounds pretty good, not great but good.
It's nice to hear a different approach on the songs, especially the addition of Nik and the guitarist. I think they add a freshness and rejuvination to material that has been played so many times it's predictible.
When I listen to Nik playing on The Dividing Line..I think..Phil who???
On the second DVD Genesis peforms 3 unplugged numbers,Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, Follow You, Follow Me and Suppers ready. Tony even steps away from the keyboards and plays guitar.
It's a nice touch and perfectly suits Ray's vocal styling.
Maybe I will update this after viewing the entire package this weekend.
In summary, it's a bootleg, the video quality leaves a lot to be desired but the stereo mix sounds good and allows one to hear Genesis live with Ray Wilson.
His vocals are off a bit now and then but unlike most DVD concerts where the rough spots are fixed in the studio, this is raw as it was that night.
I'm sure if Genesis had taken the time to release this themselves, everything would sound fantastic and the rough bits fixed.
If you're like me and you enjoyed Calling All Stations and like Ray Wilson, then you will like the concert.
I would recommend picking up one of the used ones for half the price or check one of the Genesis trading sites to see if someone will give you one but most I've seen don't have all the setlist that's included here.
I have a feeling this will sell quite well and Genesis will wished they had released it.
I also have a feeling there will be a cease and desist order on this DVD and CD and copies will no longer be available.
Do I feel bad I bought a bootleg? No
Do I feel bad I had to because Genesis wouldn't release this? Yes
thanks guyz
a disappointed lifetime fan.
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