Genesis-The Video Show (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio Notes-Info Page On Each Song With Photos And Sleeves
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	157:16 (Case: 156)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Various
Studio Distributor	Virgin Records EMI Music	Starring	Phil Collins Mike Rutherford Tony Banks Ray Wilson Steve Hackett Peter Gabriel
Case	Gatefold
RPI	?	Music	Phil Collins Mike Rutherford Tony Banks

    The order of the 32 clips in this definitive collection of Genesis videos makes for an interesting discussion point. The collection starts with arguably the high point of the band's career and the one that would be familiar to most mainstream listeners. The first five videos are from the 1991 mega-selling We Can't Dance album and from there the collection works backwards chronologically to the mid 1970s. In a pointer to the lack of mainstream success Genesis has enjoyed since drummer and lead vocalist Phil Collins pulled the pin in March 1996, the collection then moves back to the tracks from the Calling All Stations album of 1997. These feature Collins' replacement Ray Wilson leading the vocals. Rounding out the collection is a 1999 version of the 1974 track Carpet Crawlers.

    That order is interesting and a sure pointer to the wide market the disc is aimed at. Only the most diehard of Genesis fans will have heard of tracks such as Ripples and A Trick Of The Tail from 1976, while only those who have stuck by the group through thick and thin will probably be familiar with their more recent 1997 songs such as Congo and Shipwrecked. Ask most people to name half a dozen or so Genesis songs, and most will likely come from 1991's We Can't Dance album (Jesus He Knows Me, I Can't Dance, No Son Of Mine), 1986's Invisible Touch (Invisible Touch, Throwing It All Away, Land Of Confusion, In Too Deep), or perhaps 1983's self titled album Genesis (That's All) or 1978's ...And Then There Were Three (Follow You, Follow Me). By sticking the most recognisable songs at the beginning the disc the producers will surely catch the attention of those less demanding fans, while diehards will buy it regardless. A clever move really.

    In a career spanning four decades, Genesis has achieved over 100 million sales worldwide and from this collection of videos it is not hard to see why. The whole set is like a document of time. Look at the early progressive rock style material with songs like A Trick Of The Tail and Robbery, Assault, and Battery and it is difficult to believe this is the same group that gives us the rollicking cheeky fun of Jesus He Knows Me with its take on television evangelists or the famous Spitting Image puppets featured in Land Of Confusion, the slickly produced offerings such as No Son Of Mine, I Can't Dance or the ultra-big budget videos for Congo or Shipwrecked. It is a shame that one of the band's most famous ex-members Peter Gabriel appears only fleetingly. He is in a 1999 version of Carpet Crawlers, a song originally written in 1974. In fact, despite several major line up changes over the years, apart from the 1976 videos for A Trick Of The Tail, Ripples and Robbery Assault and Battery which include guitarist Steve Hackett and the more recent material from 1997's Calling All Stations album with Ray Wilson on vocals this set is pretty much dedicated to the work of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and of course Phil Collins.

    The collection contains (according to the accompanying blurb anyway) all 32 of the promotional videos that Genesis has ever made, from instantly recognisable tunes such as I Can't Dance, No Son Of Mine, Land Of Confusion, Throwing It All Away, Invisible Touch to the early 80s material such as That's All, Illegal Alien, and a rare live BBC performance of Paperlate. Most of the 1970s song are simply filmed live performances, though videos for early songs such as Robbery, Assault and Battery point to the irreverence and fun style that pervades most of the later Genesis videos.

    This is a fine collection that, while severely lacking in any extras, will sit well with any Genesis fan. Whether you are limited to the era of We Can't Dance/Invisible Touch, or a diehard who has all of their albums, this is a worthy compilation to add to your collection. The following 32 tracks feature:

Video

    All the content on the DVD is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

    As expected the material dates from the mid 1970s to the latter part of the 1990s, and as a result is of mixed quality. Overall it has scrubbed up pretty well, with not too many problems associated with the source. Apart from the three 1997 videos none of the 32 here would be classed as being extremely sharp or vivid, but they do the job. Clarity is pretty good on most, average on a couple. Most obviously the older live performances feature the odd shadow detail issue, but this is pretty much expected.

    The colours are a mixed bag. Some have been made with almost all colour removed (No Son of Mine), while others feature ridiculously saturated hues (Jesus He Knows Me). The older live performance material features many of the issues associated with filming in a television studio in the 70s where the lighting can cause all manner of problems.

    There are no obvious compression issues, while artefacts are limited to what is expected of video-based source material of this age.

    There are unfortunately no subtitles available.

    This is a dual layered disc, but not spotting a layer change would lead me to assume the break is between clips.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio has undergone extensive remastering and the results are quite impressive. As is common with many video compilations released to DVD, there are a variety of soundtracks to choose from, including a fully remastered Dolby Digital and dts offering.

    There are three soundtracks in total. A remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 track is joined by a remastered dts 5.1 track and a vanilla-style Dolby Digital stereo 2.0 soundtrack.

    Both the Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts 5.1 offerings are superb, with clear separation across all the channels, and with dialogue being represented with unequalled clarity. The level of surround activity is consistent yet subtle, without the need for any over-the-top gratuitous use at any stage. The enveloping and immersive sound field is rich and rewarding and gives many of the songs a presence not heard before.

    Vocals and dialogue have been superbly reproduced and while there are the odd moments of audio sync trouble, they are not too bothersome.

    As mentioned above there is consistent and sustained surround channel activity for pretty much every video. It has not been overdone and simply pumped to the rears for the sake of it. The rear speaker use makes each song incredibly lively and engaging.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Introduction

Main Menu Audio

    The audio for Mama plays over the main menu.

Notes

    This was a bit of a disappointment and actually took a few minutes to work out how to activate. Not really full notes as such, they are simply a couple of photos, the 45 single cover artwork and the writing/production credits for each of the songs. Activate them by highlighting the I symbol at the bottom right of the screen when the introductory title screen appears before each song.

    Genesis- The Video Show is to be released in Region 1 in late March 2005. From the information available (from the official Genesis website - www.genesis-music.com) the release appears identical around the world.

    Video compilations like this one are an all-too-rare commodity. While the lack of extras is a major disappointment, it is the quality of the disc with its slick menus and superb video and audio quality which is the winner. The remastered audio soundtracks are a joy and will please any Genesis fan. From what I can understand this is the definitive collection of all the Genesis music videos. It shows the growth and development of the band over more than 30 years and is a fitting tribute to a talented group of musicians.

    If your knowledge of the legacy of Genesis is limited to the songs from Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance then this compilation should increase your appreciation of what a talented and diverse range of songs they have made over a very long time.

    The video and audio quality is excellent, with the dts soundtrack a true gem.

    Sadly there are no extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall