'GENESIS POSITIVE WINNER' a Genesis 'Live' review
'GENESIS POSITIVE WINNER' 
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From Sounds, August 4, 1973.
THESE TWO new mid-price album from Charisma could easily carry respective subtitles 'The Best Of Genesis' and 'The Last Of Lindisfarne', for in effect that's what they represent, fairly paradoxical in that the "atmosphere" band comes off rather worse than the "arranged" band in this case.
Peter Gabriel had expressed his doubts about the album on learning that Charisma planned to release these tapes, initially recorded for American promotion. He felt, and probably quite rightly, that had they prepared for a live album, the band would have been miked up accordingly and the mixing would have been different.
On the other hand, Charisma have captured a certain spontaneity and a natural flow that would possibly have been missing had the band been aware that they were about to cut a live album. Most of these tracks sound more vital than the respective studio cuts, and the track selection makes it a positive winner.
Recorded on the last tour at Leicester and Manchester, Genesis give us 'Watcher Of The Skies', an obvious opener. 'Get 'Em Out By Friday', 'The Return Of The Giant Hogweed', and on side two a couple of vintage cuts, 'Musical Box' and 'The Knife'. In other words the best numbers that Genesis have featured in their act and heard on record for the first time the way they were really intended.
Typed up by Thomas Holter, from GENESIS MAGAZINE No: 15, April 1980.
