Seconds Out

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Seconds Out
Live album by
Genesis
Released14 October 1977
Recorded9 July 1976 at Apollo, Glasgow ("The Cinema Show")
11–14 June 1977 at Palais des Sports, Paris
GenreProgressive rock
Length95:31
LabelCharisma, Atlantic
Producer
Genesis chronology
Spot the Pigeon
(1977) 		Seconds Out
(1977) 		...And Then There Were Three...
(1978)

Seconds Out is the second live album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 14 October 1977 on Charisma Records, and was their first with touring drummer Chester Thompson and their last with guitarist Steve Hackett. The majority was recorded in June 1977 at the Palais des Sports in Paris during the Wind & Wuthering Tour. One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded in 1976 at the Apollo in Glasgow during their A Trick of the Tail Tour.

Seconds Out received average to positive reviews upon its release, and reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 47 in the US. Hackett left the group to pursue a solo career while the album was being mixed, reducing Genesis to a core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford, and drummer and singer Phil Collins. Seconds Out was reissued in 1994 and 2009, the latter as part of the Genesis Live 1973–2007 box set.

Background[edit]

Most of the album was recorded at the Palais des Sports

In July 1977, the Genesis line-up of lead singer and drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett, and touring drummer Chester Thompson finished a seven-month tour supporting Wind & Wuthering (1976). For their next step, the group began the process of selecting live recordings that they had assembled in 1976 and 1977 for an official release and their first since Genesis Live (1973).

Seconds Out is compiled mostly from the band's four dates at the Palais des Sports in Paris between 11–14 June 1977. Collins said the group considered the recordings made that year were superior in quality than the ones taken a year prior, and that his singing and Banks's keyboards sounded better compared to the previous tour.[1] The run of shows in Paris allowed the band to spend more time on getting their performance and quality of the recordings right.[1] One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded at the Apollo in Glasgow on 9 July 1976 during the 1976 tour supporting A Trick of the Tail (1976). This tour featured Bill Bruford on drums. Mixes of "Firth of Fifth", "Los Endos", "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", and "White Mountain" from 1976 were produced, but scrapped.[1] The band recorded performances of "Inside and Out" from the EP Spot the Pigeon, but were unable to get the song to sound as good as the studio version.[1] "I Know What I Like" contains a snippet of the 1953 song "I Love Paris".[2]

The album's credits include details of which drummer(s) are playing on each song. Mixed in with these credits are the notes "Robbery Assault & Battery – keyboard solo Phil" and "Cinema Show – Bill Bruford, Phil keyboard solo". This should be read to mean that Collins played the drum kit (along with Thompson or Bruford) during that solo, not that Collins played keyboards.

Hackett's departure[edit]

When Seconds Out was announced in the press on 8 October 1977, the news coincided with Hackett's departure from Genesis. He had announced his decision to the group two months earlier while cuts for the album were selected and mixed.[3] Collins recalled spotting Hackett on the street while on his way to the studio and offered him a lift, but Hackett declined. Collins found out from Banks and Rutherford that Hackett had quit. Hackett later said that if he had got in the car, Collins would have been the one person to make him reconsider.[4]

On the 1990 documentary video Genesis – A History, Banks joked that Hackett was mixed out of Seconds Out as a result.

Release[edit]

Seconds Out was released on 14 October 1977.[3] Charisma Records organised an extensive promotional campaign for the album that included double page spreads in newspapers, window displays, colour posters, and commercials on national radio.[5] In the US, the album was released by Atlantic Records.[6] It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 47 on the US Billboard 200.[7]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Rolling Stone(average)[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Sounds

Hugh Fielder of Sounds gave the album five stars out of five.[2] Melody Maker reporter Chris Welch, with assistance from Bob Gallagher, also praised the album.[11] Rolling Stone praised the contemporary incarnation of the band, noting they had "less reliance on theatrics" than before Peter Gabriel's departure, "and an added dollop of jazz-rock inclinations."[9]

In their retrospective review, AllMusic wrote that Genesis's renderings of songs from A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering surpass the studio recordings, with "superb vocals by Collins throughout," and drumming by Chester Thompson, which they described as "at least a match for Collins' best playing." They considered the tracks from earlier albums to be weaker, however, finding Collins "...can't match the subtlety or expressiveness of Gabriel's singing, though he comes close."[8]

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has described Seconds Out as "one of my drum bibles" and "one of my favorite-sounding drum records too."[12]

Reissues[edit]

In 1994, a digitally remastered version was released on CD by Virgin Records in Europe and by Atlantic Records in the US. Seconds Out was reissued with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes completed by Nick Davis and released as part of the Genesis Live 1973–2007 box set in September 2009. On the original LP, "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos" are banded as one track. This error was corrected on the box set. In November 2012, a 35th anniversary LP was pressed using the 2009 remaster.

Track listing[edit]

[13]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Squonk" (from A Trick of the Tail)Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks6:41
2."The Carpet Crawl" (from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway)Peter Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford5:21
3."Robbery, Assault and Battery" (from A Trick of the Tail)Banks, Phil Collins6:02
4."Afterglow" (from Wind & Wuthering)Banks4:26
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Firth of Fifth" (from Selling England by the Pound)Banks, Rutherford, Collins8:56
2."I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" (from Selling England by the Pound)Steve Hackett, Banks, Gabriel8:45
3."The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway..." (from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway)Banks, Gabriel4:59
4."...The Musical Box (Closing Section)" (from Nursery Cryme)Rutherford, Anthony Phillips, Banks, Gabriel, Collins, Hackett3:21
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Supper's Ready"
i. "Lover's Leap"
ii. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man"
iii. "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men"
iv. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?"
v. "Willow Farm"
vi. "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)"
vii. "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet) [nb 1]" (from Foxtrot)		Banks, Gabriel, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins24:41
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Cinema Show" (from Selling England by the Pound)Rutherford, Banks, Collins10:59
2."Dance on a Volcano..." (from A Trick of the Tail)Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins5:09
3."...Los Endos" (from A Trick of the Tail)Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins6:20

Notes:

  • Some CD copies of the album have an error on the last two songs "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos". "Dance on a Volcano" is 8:26 long instead of 5:09. The last 3:17 that has been added to "Dance on a Volcano" is the first 3:17 of "Los Endos". This makes "Los Endos" only 3:14 long. This error is also on some streaming services such as Apple Music,[14] Spotify (sometimes)[15] and YouTube Music[16] (sometimes).[17]
  • On this album, "The Carpet Crawlers" was originally titled "The Carpet Crawl". On Apple Music, it is listed as "The Carpet Crawler";[18] on Spotify it is listed as "The Carpet Crawlers"[19] and on YouTube Music it is listed as "The Carpet Crawl"[20] (sometimes "The Carpet Crawlers")[21] for unknown reasons.
  • All tracks were recorded during the band's 1977 tour in support of the Wind & Wuthering album, except for "The Cinema Show" which was recorded during the 1976 tour in support of A Trick of the Tail as it was not performed on the 1977 tour.

Personnel[edit]

Credits taken from the album's sleeve notes.[13]

Genesis

with

Production

  • Genesis – production
  • David Hentschel – production
  • Neil Ross – assistant production
  • Armando Gallo – sleeve photos
  • Robert Ellis – sleeve photos
  • Graham Wood – sleeve photos
  • A&D Design – sleeve layout
  • Frank Sanson – art direction
  • Tony Smith – management
  • Alex Sim – management
  • Brian Murray-Smith – management

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[34] Gold 250,000^
France (SNEP)[35] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Sharrow, Neil (9 April 1978). "Phil Collins - Interview April 1978" on WAQX (Video). YouTube. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Fielder, Hugh (15 October 1977). "Round ten, and still ahead on points". Sounds. p. 34. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
  3. ^ a b "Double elpee recorded at this gig, and Hackett leaves Genesis". New Musical Express. 8 October 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. ^ Genesis, Chapter and Verse pg 186. 2007.
  5. ^ "Promo flyer – Genesis – Seconds Out". Charisma Records. 1977. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
  6. ^ "Seconds Out – American – Atlantic Records – Press kit". Atlantic Records. 1977. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
  7. ^ Genesis UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b Bruce Eder; William Ruhlmann (2011). "Seconds Out – Genesis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  9. ^ a b Milward, John (26 January 1978). "Genesis: Seconds Out : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  10. ^ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 327–328. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone genesis album guide.
  11. ^ Welch, Chris (15 October 1977). "Genesis' peak of creation". Melody Maker. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
  12. ^ "Foo Fighters' Skin Walloper Comes Out Swinging". fooarchive.com. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  13. ^ a b Seconds Out (Media notes). Genesis. Charisma Records. 1977. GE 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Dance On a Volcano by Genesis, retrieved 7 June 2021
  15. ^ Dance on a Volcano - Live in Paris, retrieved 7 June 2021
  16. ^ Dance On A Volcano (Live From Palais des Sports 1977) - YouTube Music, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 7 June 2021
  17. ^ Dance On A Volcano - YouTube Music, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 7 June 2021
  18. ^ The Carpet Crawler by Genesis, retrieved 7 June 2021
  19. ^ The Carpet Crawlers - Live in Paris, retrieved 7 June 2021
  20. ^ The Carpet Crawl - YouTube Music, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 7 June 2021
  21. ^ Carpet Crawlers (Live From Palais des Sports 1977) - YouTube Music, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 7 June 2021
  22. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  23. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5539a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – G". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Genesis from the menu, then press OK.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search " Seconds Out ".
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – Genesis – Seconds Out". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Genesis – Seconds Out". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Genesis – Seconds Out". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  31. ^ "Genesis | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Genesis Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  34. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Genesis; 'Seconds Out')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  35. ^ "French album certifications – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 9 September 2021. Select GENESIS and click OK. 
  36. ^ "British album certifications – Genesis – Seconds Out". British Phonographic Industry.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The names of the sections of "Supper's Ready" are taken from the track listing from the original album, Foxtrot. They are not listed in the album package for Seconds Out.
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