Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Genesis
Label: Virgin EMI Records
Release date: 29.09.2014
Rating: 3/5
The triple compilation »R-Kive« is, after »Platinum Collection« (2004), the second ‘best of’ collection in Genesis history, featuring at least one composition from each of their albums except the debut »From Genesis To Revelation« (1969), which came out even before they signed with Charisma Records. All the tracks appear across the three discs in proper chronological order, which is also a very welcome and innovative surprise compared with similar compilations. At the same time, »R-Kive« includes individual tracks from the solo careers of all five key members of this legendary British prog rock band, which is the biggest curiosity and peculiarity of this relatively unnecessary release. In other words, we get the varyingly successful solo ventures of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. That means it offers a cross-section of forty-four years of music-making by some of the most esteemed musicians in the story of prog rock and pop rock, while also covering the different, often wildly different, creative phases of Genesis’s colorful and turbulent history.
The first disc holds the evergreens from the first half of the seventies, when Genesis, led by their hugely charismatic original singer Peter Gabriel, were crafting some of the finest moments in the story of prog rock. That started with the album »Trespass« (1970), their first real prog rock achievement, whose most recognizable track is probably the brutal epic »The Knife«, which kicks off the »R-Kive« compilation. Unlike similar releases from Virgin Records, where their pop hits from the eighties and early nineties took center stage, the Gabriel era isn’t overlooked on »R-Kive«. In other words, the prog rock period isn’t neglected the way it usually is on this kind of compilation, though it wouldn’t have hurt if the label had squeezed another classic or two from that time onto »R-Kive«.
Of course, their most popular creation from the 1971-1975 period, which was defined by the classic Genesis line-up (Gabriel, Hackett, Collins, Rutherford and Banks), is here, namely »I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)«, but so are some epic symphonic prog masterpieces such as »The Musical Box«, »Supper’s Ready« and »The Cinema Show«. From the conceptual work of art and Gabriel’s ‘swan song’, »The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway« (1974), the three best-known tracks are represented, as expected: the title-track evergreen, »Back in N.Y.C« and »Carpet Crawlers«. Steve Hackett was the first Genesis member to release a solo album (while still in the band), so the first disc closes with his solo evergreen »Ace Of Wands« from the brilliant debut »Voyage of the Acolyte« (1975).
The second disc heralds the era when drum maestro Phil Collins, almost as charismatic a figure as Gabriel, took over the reins as lead Genesis vocalist, and one of the best songs from that period was the beautiful ballad »Ripples«, on which Collins proved as a singer that he was far from just a Gabriel sound-alike. »Afterglow«, which thankfully didn’t get forgotten for »R-Kive«, somehow symbolizes Hackett’s departure from the band in 1977. That’s followed by their first pop ballad »Follow You Follow Me« and four different tracks from the solo careers of individual Genesis musicians: Gabriel’s »Biko« and »Solsbury Hill«, on which Peter chews over his departure from the band, Hackett’s ‘forgotten Genesis’ classic »Every Day« and Banks’s far-from-negligible achievement »For a While«. Given all that, it’s completely unforgivable that »R-Kive« is missing a track from Rutherford’s excellent solo debut »Smallcreep’s Day« (1979), since most people don’t even know that Mike’s solo path began before his band Mike + The Mechanics.
The end of the prog rock era, which arrived with the start of the eighties, when Genesis transformed into a hugely successful pop rock trio, is marked by the »Duke« (1980) hit »Turn It On«. Again«, which still stands as one of their most energetic and passionate achievements. Collins, the most commercially successful member of the classic Genesis quintet, was the last to set off on a solo path (while remaining a Genesis member). No surprise, then, that from his solo debut »Face Value« (1981) they picked the mega-hit ballad »In The Air Tonight«, which set the standard for his later love ballads.
Of all the Genesis hits from the eighties, the synthetic »Abacab« from the album of the same name has, as expected, aged the worst. When it comes to the quality of its musical content, it really can’t make Genesis proud, and it’s without a doubt their worst achievement. Luckily, it’s the only representative of that less dazzling moment in their career. On the other hand, the hits »Mama« and »That’s All« rank among the highlights of their pop period, while the end of the second disc is spiced up by Collins’s solo hit »Easy Lover«, recorded with American singer Philip Bailey (Earth Wind & Fire), and the Mike + The Mechanics evergreen »Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)«.
The third disc is stylistically by far the most varied and, besides the expected hits from the mega-successful albums »Invisible Touch« (1986) and »We Can’t Dance« (1991), it also includes a string of solo achievements from individual Genesis musical masters. The last Genesis album, »Calling All Stations« (1997), their only effort with Scottish singer Ray Wilson, is represented by just the title track, which vividly points to Rutherford and Banks’s offhand attitude toward this overlooked record. Interestingly, the third disc has only one Collins solo creation, »Wake Up Call« from the album »Testify« (2002), while it has no fewer than two Mike + The Mechanics hits, »The Living Years« and »Over My Shoulder«. Somewhat surprisingly, two Banks solo creations also found their way onto this third part of the compilation: »Red Day On Blue Street« and »Siren«. That’s surprising mainly because Banks was the least convincing and least successful solo artist of the whole classic Genesis line-up. Among the tracks on the third disc, prog rock fans will get the most out of (re)listening to Gabriel’s dark solo experiment »Signal To Noise« and Hackett’s oriental adventure »Nomads«.
»R-Kive« deserves some credit for innovation, as it’s the first Genesis ‘best of’ collection that, alongside classics from more than four decades of music-making, also includes a solid cross-section of the solo careers of the individual members of the classic line-up. Still, there’s a perfectly logical question about the point of a release like this at a time when rumors of a Genesis reunion in the classic line-up are swirling once again, since it will have a very hard time winning over any new fans. The whole thing feels like a pretty lazy move by a greedy label that simply can’t motivate the classic Genesis quintet to record something new, which on one hand may even be for the best. On the other hand, very few longtime fans will be tempted to buy »R-Kive«, with its unreasonably ugly cover, by improved production on all the tracks alone, or by the fun, stylistically varied ‘bonbons’ from the solo careers of the key Genesis players, since unlike »Turn On It Again – The Hits (1999)«, which at least had a freshly re-recorded version of »Carpet Crawlers«, it offers nothing new.
Line-up
Peter Gabriel – vocals
Phil Collins – vocals, drums, percussion
Steve Hackett – guitar
Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, guitar
Tony Banks – keyboards
Anthony Phillips – guitar on “The Knife”
John Mayhew – drums on “The Knife”
Ray Wilson – vocals on “Calling All Stations”
Production
Genesis
Track list
1. The Knife (From “Trepass”, 1970)
2. The Musical Box (From “Nursery Cryme”, 1971)
3. Supper’s Ready (From “Foxtrot”, 1972)
4. The Cinema Show (From “Selling England By The Pound”, 1973)
5. I Know What I Like (From “Selling England By The Pound”, 1973)
6. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (From “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, 1974)
7. Back In N.Y.C. (From “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, 1974)
8. The Carpet Crawlers (From “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, 1974)
9. Ace of Wands (From Steve Hackett’s “Voyage of the Acolyte”, 1975)
CD 2
1. Ripples (From “A Trick of the Tail”, 1976)
2. Afterglow (From “Wind & Wuthering”, 1976)
3. Solsbury Hill (From Peter Gabriel s first self-titled album, 1977)
4. Follow You Follow Me (From “And Then There Were Three”, 1978)
5. For A While (From Tony Banks’ “A Curious Feeling”, 1979)
6. Every Day (From Steve Hackett’s “Spectral Mornings”, 1979)
7. Biko (From Peter Gabriel s third self-titled album, 1980)
8. Turn It On Again (From “Duke”, 1980)
9. In The Air Tonight (From Phil Collins’ “Face Value”, 1981)
10. Abacab (From “Abacab”, 1981)
11. Mama (From “Genesis”, 1983)
12. That s All (From “Genesis”, 1983)
13. Easy Lover (Originally released in 1984)
14. Silent Running (From Mike & The Mechanics self-titled album, 1985)
CD 3
1. Invisible Touch (From “Invisible Touch”, 1986)
2. Land of Confusion (From “Invisible Touch”, 1986)
3. Tonight Tonight Tonight (From “Invisible Touch”, 1986)
4. The Living Years (From Mike & The Mechanics “Living Years”, 1989)
5. Red Day on Blue Street (From Tony Banks’ “Still”, 1991)
6. I Can’t Dance (From “We Can’t Dance”, 1991)
7. No Son of Mine (From “We Can’t Dance”, 1991)
8. Hold On My Heart (From “We Can’t Dance”, 1991)
9. Over My Shoulder (From Mike & The Mechanics “Beggar On A Beach Of Gold”, 1995)
10. Calling All Stations (From “Calling All Stations”, 1997)
11. Signal To Noise (From Peter Gabriel’s “Up”, 2002)
12. Wake Up Call (From Phil Collins’ “Testify”, 2002)
13. Nomads (From Steve Hackett’s “Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth”, 2009)
14. Siren (From Tony Banks’ “Six: Pieces of Orchestra” (2012)
