Wikipedia

Seconds Out

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
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 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

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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 A Trick of the Tail Tour which 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]

Hackett's departure

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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]

Release

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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

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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

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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 remix.

Track listing

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All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, except where noted.[13]

Side one / CD1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Squonk"Rutherford, Banks6:41
2."The Carpet Crawlers" 5:21
3."Robbery, Assault and Battery"Banks, Collins6:02
4."Afterglow"Banks4:26
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Firth of Fifth"8:56
6."I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"8:45
7."The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"4:59
8."The Musical Box (Closing Section)"3:21
Side three / CD2
No.TitleLength
1."Supper's Ready""24:41
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."The Cinema Show" 10:59
3."Dance on a Volcano"Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins5:09
4."Los Endos"Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins6:20

Personnel

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

Genesis

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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

The album's credits include details of which drummers 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 drums (along with Thompson or Bruford) during that solo, not that Collins played keyboards.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[27] Gold 250,000^
France (SNEP)[28] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000^

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

References

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  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. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5539a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 10 July 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search " Seconds Out ".
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Genesis – Seconds Out". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Genesis – Seconds Out". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "Genesis Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Genesis; 'Seconds Out')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  28. ^ "French album certifications – Genesis – Seconds Out" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 9 September 2021. Select GENESIS and click OK. 
  29. ^ "British album certifications – Genesis – Seconds Out". British Phonographic Industry.

Notes

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