Genesis “Seconds Out”

Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#976 in the Series) is Genesis, Seconds Out.

How much do I like this album? Well, if I could only take ten albums to a desert island, I might have to take two copies of this and then eight others.

This was the album that made me fall in love with Genesis.  I don’t know why I didn’t get into them earlier. After this was released I did go back and loved all the Gabriel era works. For some reason I missed it when it was happening.  I remember seeing all those ads about them playing the Auditorium for three nights. I can kick myself now for not going.

I guess I did like Trick of the Tail quite a bit as well. This just put them over the top.

As I look back at Genesis’ career, I feel they made their best music from 1971 thru 1976.  However, I feel that the best era of live shows came from 1976 thru 1982. Don’t get me wrong. I think the Gabriel era shows were fantastic. Well, at least from what I can see from the videos. I just feel the two drummer sound took them to a new level.  I think those shows from those years were the best concerts I ever saw in my life.

One of the things that makes this album so great is the fantastic job that Collins does on the Gabriel tracks. This tour would be, I believe, the last time we would get the full versions of “Firth of Fifth” and “Cinema Show,” well except of course for the piano into on “Firth.” I’m not sure if Tony Banks ever did perform that intro in the older days either.

This was not the last tour that the full “Supper’s Ready” would be played. They also did it on the second leg of the 1982 tour. I believe that was called “The Encore Tour.”

I’ve also felt that the Seconds Out versions of “Squonk” and “Dance on a Volcano” were much better than the studio versions on Trick of the Tail.  They sound flat in comparison to me.

Seconds Out reached #47 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart.

— Larry Carta

Track listing

All songs by Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford, except where noted.

Side one

1. “Squonk” (Banks/Rutherford) – 6:39
2. “The Carpet Crawlers” – 5:27
3. “Robbery, Assault and Battery” (Banks/Collins) – 6:02
4. “Afterglow” (Banks) – 4:29

Side two

1. “Firth of Fifth” – 8:56
2. “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” – 8:45
3. “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” – 4:59
4. “The Musical Box” (Closing Section) – 3:18

Side three

1. “Supper’s Ready” – 24:33

Side four

1. “The Cinema Show” – 10:58
2. “Dance On A Volcano” (Banks/Collins/Hackett/Rutherford) – 4:24
3. “Los Endos” (Banks/Collins/Hackett/Rutherford) – 7:14

Personnel

• Phil Collins – Vocals, drums, Percussion
• Tony Banks – Electric Piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, 12 string guitar, Backing vocals
• Steve Hackett – lead guitar, 12 string guitar
• Mike Rutherford – 12, 8, & 4 string bass, 12 string guitar, Bass pedals, Backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Chester Thompson – drums, percussion
• Bill Bruford – drums, percussion

Links

• See our write up on Genesis, Duke
• See our write up on Genesis, Selling England By the Pound
• See our write up of Michael Rutherford, Smallcreeps Day
• See our write up for Peter Gabriel
• See our write up of Brank X, product. (Collins on Drums)
• See our write up of other prog-rock acts
• See other 1977 albums that we’ve featured
• See other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Members that we’ve featured.

Back to ‘Cool Album’ HOMEPAGE

Here’s some live video pretty close to this era.

Listen to this great live album in its entirety below.