| Identifier | 8984074 |
| Created At | Tue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Media Type | cdr |
| Media Count | 2 |
| Sound Rating | a |
| Note | W07
Academy of Music, New York. 4th May 1974 The Concert This was the second last concert of the Selling England by the Pound tour. The band had been performing this music since October the previous year, some of it for much longer. What we hear is not only a finely honed rendition of some of their best music, but an exhilarating performance. And what adds interest for us was what plagued the Genesis crew at the time - equipment problems. Not only is Phil's One-handed drum solo routine given an amusing airing, but later in the concert, Phil leads an impromptu improvisation while covering for another running repair. And their equipment woes didn't end with the gig. Phil comments at one point during the concert "even the unexpected happens tonight..." Little did he know. Later that evening all the band's guitars were stolen, to be returned the next day after a little bribery, allowing the performance of the 6th May to go ahead. On that last concert of the tour, Peter describes the incident, in typically amusing fashion - however I'm sure they didn't feel that way the day before. From a friend who lives in New York, I have been told about the venue: "its offical name was 'Howard Stein's Academy of Music', the place where so many famous bands played, Nektar, Renaissance etc. I think it was on 14th Street. It was sold in 1976 and re-named 'The Palladium'." In my opinion this concert may be regarded as one of the finest Selling England shows they performed, and it is a great fortune that we also have one of the best recordings of the tour to document it. The Recording This audience recording is absolutely superb. Clear open detailed sound, with good dynamics and very little hiss or distortion. Given this quality of sound, the matter of it being a mono recording becomes irrelevent. The recording documents nearly the whole performance. However, there are two major gaps; the first, a minute and a half missing during from middle of the instrumental section of Cinema Show, and the other, the last third of Battle of Epping Forest. These would be sad losses from an otherwise great recording, if it wasn't for the existence of an almost comparable quality recording from the same venue on the 6th. This recording, to my knowledge, is incomplete, cutting the end of Cinema Show, and finishing with Epping Forest and so missing Supper's Ready. However by good fortune, it does cover those sections missing from the tape of the 4th. So I have spliced in the missing sections from this 6th May tape. Hence this recording gives the complete show, to the extended applause and playing of Albinoni's Adagio that conclude the concert. The best known version of this concert in circulation is the Highland release: 'Voices in the Academy'. Recently, a CDR 'from VHS copy of master reels' has been circulating. This new version is a huge upgrade on the Highland version, and begins to show the quality of the original recording. Highlands source by comparison is hissy, muddy and with a 'bubbly' texture (minor dropouts). Recently I was sent a 1st generation tape from an American collector who has had his tape for a long time. Many years ago he did a trade with a Canadian collector who insisted on a VHS dub of the tape. Comparing this 1st gen tape and the 'from VHS' CDRs, I believe it is a fair bet that the new CDRs come from the VHS tape dubbed from this tape. Certainly this 1st gen tape is clearer and more open than the CDs. The Restoration This was a fairly straight forward recording to remaster, requiring little serious repair work. I began with a new transcription of the 1st gen tape, optimising for mono and giving a little boost to the bass harmonics. I have chosen to denoise very slightly (-4Db) and also bring out the treble a little more cleanly. If you compare with the 'from VHS' CDs, you will hear the extra brightness in the top end, with marginally less hiss. The excerpts from the 6th May tape were spliced in, eq balancing and repitching that recording, as it was about a half tone flat. The Academy of Music is a lovely old venue that has a rich warm acoustic. I have complimented the recording with a little reverb, matched to that of the venue, and opening up the mono soundstage with some early reflections. |
| Trades Allowed |
Performance
| Genesis 1974-05-04 Academy of Music, New York, NY | |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | Watcher Of The Skies
(Britannia Story) (One-Handed Drum Solo) Dancing With The Moonlit Knight (Romeo Story) Cinema Show I Know What I Like (5 Rivers Story) Firth Of Fifth (Henry Story) ("Some In Betweens, Phil") The Musical Box Horizons The Battle Of Epping Forest (Old Michael Story) Suppers Ready |
| Set 2 | |
| Set 3 | |
| Comment | PLEASE DO NOT MERGE IT YET!!! (EDGAR) |