With all of British mega-group Genesis' studio discography now available in remixed/remastered form, including 5.1 surround mixes and a bevy of bonus audio and video features, the only commercial material left to receive engineer Nick Davis' careful attention is its series of four live albums. These begin with Genesis Live (Charisma, 1973) and end with The Way We Walk—originally issued as two separate releases, The Shorts (Atlantic, 1992) and The Longs (Atlantic, 1993).

While Davis' work on the previous boxes—1970-1975 (Rhino, 2008), 1976-1982 (Rhino, 2007) and 1983-1998—has been the subject of some controversy, Live 1973-2007 is going to be the most contentious box amongst hardcore Genesis fans, for a number of reasons. Unlike many bands that evolve over the years, Genesis morphed from its early, progressive rock beginnings into a stadium act in the 1980s and 1990s, one that could also be found in heavy rotation on MTV—appearing, at least on the surface, to have deserted its art rock roots. While it is true that the group adopted a more decidedly pop approach in its later years, longer songs like "Driving the Last Spike" from We Can't Dance (Atlantic, 1991), "Domino" from Invisible Touch (Atlantic, 1986), and "Dodo/Lurker" from Abacab (Atlantic, 1981), while less complex than, say, the group's epic "Supper's Ready" from Foxtrot (Charisma, 1972), were all far from radio-friendly. In their largely episodic construction, they were clear descendents of early masterpieces like "The Knife" from Trespass (Charisma, 1971) and "The Cinema Show" from Selling England By the Pound (Charisma, 1973).

Equally, while early episodic pieces like "The Musical Box" from Nursery Cryme (Charisma, 1972) and Selling England's "Firth of Fifth" were filled with shifting meters and challenging, interlocking parts, shorter songs like Selling England's "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)," Nursery Cryme's "Seven Stones" and Foxtrot's "Time Table" all demonstrated a group more concerned with songs than the grandstanding instrumental virtuosity so often at the root of early 1970s progressive rock.

In the final analysis, even amidst the instrumental brilliance, Genesis was always a songwriting band—a characteristic revealed, perhaps, most vividly by listening to the group's discography chronologically, from its earliest days to its final studio gasp on the unfairly overlooked Calling All Stations (Atlantic, 1998). More than the previous boxes, which capture specific periods in the group's development, Live 1973-2007 documents the group's evolution in a more self-contained fashion. As such, it's bound to have fans who prefer the "prog" Genesis to the "hit making" Genesis content (or vice versa). But it's also possible—hopeful, even—that this box might make at least partial converts of both factions; uniting, rather than polarizing.

Still, there's plenty more controversy to be found. Unlike previous boxes—which had, in addition to 5.1 surround mixes on either SACD (in the UK) or DVD (in North America), a wealth of audio and video extras including interviews with the band, hard-to-find or previously unreleased odds and ends, and some terrific concert footage—Live 1973-2007 has but three bonus DVD discs with only 5.1 surround mixes and no video content, and the transitional Three Sides Live (Atlantic, 1982) and The Way We Walk excluded (though they do receive new stereo mixes.

The reason for the 5.1 omissions on Three Sides and The Way We Walk is because the DVD box that's to come will have surround mixes of the concert performances from those tours. Still, it's nice to see the running order of The Way We Walk restored to concert sequence over its two discs, with the three tracks either not performed or recorded on that tour—"Mama," "That's All" and "In Too Deep"—appended as bonus tracks at the end of the second disc. With the previously unavailable (other than as the "flip side" of the 1992 Tell Me Why single/EP) "Turn It On Again" added, it makes a complete performance from the We Can't Dance tour. There is a reason why there's no video footage, however: the next Genesis box will be an all-video one, reissuing its commercially available concert DVDs and, hopefully, more.

The addition of a full CD and DVD from the group's 1973 performance at The Rainbow in London, England raises yet another contentious issue: the dearth of previously unreleased material in this box set—although, in truth, there's more than meets the eye. It's true that the five tracks from The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles performance of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Atco, 1974), that are appended to the end of Genesis Live as bonus tracks, first appeared on the Genesis Archives, Vol. 1: 1967-1975 (Virgin, 1998) box set. It's equally true that five of the Rainbow tracks also appeared on Archives.

When Archives was released, despite a full, two-disc performance of The Lamb being its major attraction, there was a sore point amongst fans that remains to this day. A combination of vocal flaws and logistical problems with Gabriel's elaborate costumes used on the tour (and an inherent inability to sing close enough to his microphone) making some original vocal tracks unusable, the decision was made to rerecord a substantial number of vocals by Gabriel in the mid-1990s, by which time his voice had changed considerably, being much huskier and deeper. He also rerecorded some of the vocals to "Supper's Ready," from the Rainbow set. The performances may have been more technically perfect (and audible), but the difference in the complexion of Gabriel's mid-1990s voice was simply too dramatic, offending purists who, having heard bootleg recordings from the same period, would have preferred the undoctored vocals from back in the day.

Here, Gabriel's original vocals are largely restored, and they do, at least to some extent, explain the vocalist's decision to re-record his tracks on a technical level: he lacked the stamina and, at times, range in live performance that would improve significantly in his post-Genesis solo career, and there are some major flaws to be found in these recovered vocals. Imperfections aside, however, the spirit of Gabriel's original performance is, most importantly, also largely restored, making these versions—also remixed/remastered by Davis—clearly the definitive ones. Where re-recorded vocals remain, they're less jarring, less in-your-face (except to die-hard Genesis fans who are familiar with every note, every nuance).

With the outcry against Gabriel's decision to re-record his vocals for Archives, this restoration should be met happily—though, no doubt, there will be those who will complain that the entire Lamb show hasn't been restored and included. Of course, the songs that have been included are ones that didn't involve complex costumes, rendering vocal issues technical rather than logistical. Without hearing the original vocals, of course, and considering the flaws that Gabriel lets through here, it's impossible to know the shape of those other vocal tracks. Hackett also made some overdubbed fixes on Archives, but those remain intact on Live 1973-2007.

All of this means that Live 1973-2007 possesses only four absolutely brand-new, never-before-heard bonus tracks, all from the Rainbow show: "Watcher of the Skies" and "Musical Box," both only available on the DVD (a sensible decision, since they're very close to the versions on Genesis Live and including them in CD form would have necessitated stretching the single, full Rainbow CD into a less-than-packed double) and, on both CD and DVD, "The Cinema Show" and "The Battle of Epping Forest."

So, with all these potential issues, what does Live 1973-2007 have going for it?

Plenty.

First, Davis' remixes/remasters are as good as those on 1970-1975, which has been met with less criticism for what some consider excessive compression on the other two studio box sets. All four live albums sound richer, fuller and more alive than earlier versions. There will be the inevitable discussion about Davis' mixing choices—decisions that have been approved by the band—the truth is that there are now plenty of hidden details revealed for the first time. Genesis co-founder/keyboardist Tony Banks may consider Genesis Live to be an inferior performance (originally a radio broadcast, but the only one available from that time with multi-track masters), but equally, he's said that Davis' remix/remaster significantly improves the disc, and he's absolutely right. This new version possesses far more of the power, energy and, especially, magic of Gabriel-era Genesis—a quality that, despite plenty of other positives to describe post-Gabriel incarnations, was lost when the singer left after the Lamb tour completed in 1975.

Seconds Out, often considered the group's best live release, has never sounded better, and Three Sides Live, which suffered from especially poor sound on initial release, now matches the rest of the albums in sonic depth. It's great to have the running order of The Way We Walk restored, especially with the curious decision to end the original The Longs with a drum duet (The Drum Thing"). The group has, smartly, not remixed or remastered the double-disc from its 2007 reunion tour, Live Over Europe 2007 (Atlantic, 2007), but space is left in the box to slide that set in, making Live 1973-2007 a complete document of Genesis' entire, commercially available live albums.

Hearing Gabriel's original delivery on the Rainbow disc—especially on "Supper's Ready," for which the Seconds Out version has long been considered the gold standard—and the five bonus live Lamb tracks demonstrates the significant difference between his approach and that of Phil Collins. Even in the drummer-turned-lead vocalist's early days as Genesis front man around the time of Seconds Out, where he was intentionally aping Gabriel's delivery, Collins may have possessed greater range and stamina, but he lacked Gabriel's narrative beauty. Gabriel always was—and would remain, in his solo career—a more considered singer, but it was that very consideration which made Genesis' early, tale-driven material especially compelling, in particular songs like "Epping Forest" and "Get 'Em Out By Friday"—miniature musical theater both, with Gabriel assuming multiple roles.

Live 1973-2007 encapsulates, in one self-contained box, the remarkable evolution of Genesis, from its progressive roots on Genesis Live and Seconds Out, through the transitional period of Three Sides Live, through to the arena and million album-selling megastars of The Way We Walk and Live Over Europe.

Yes, there are plenty of radio shows out there but Live 1973-2007, like the previous box sets, is about releasing Genesis' commercial releases in significantly improved form. Despite less overt bonus material (though, with Gabriel's restored vocals, there's actually nearly 100 minutes of music that's not been commercially available in precisely this form), that should be reason enough. But if another one is need, it's this: there's no other place to experience, so clearly, the constant thread that winds through Genesis' lengthy existence—and, despite a number of emphatic shifts over the years, there is a thread. Genesis, an emphatically songwriting band with the added benefit of outstanding instrumental performances, is all here on Live 1973-2007, a box set that suggests serious reconsideration of the clear arc that defines its entire career.

And that is, in the final analysis, the purpose of Live 1973-2007. There are plenty of radio shows out there, of near-excellent quality, that the group could have culled for this box, but the entire Genesis box set series has been about releasing its already available commercial discs, in significantly improved sonic form.

Genesis Live

At the time, Genesis Live (Charisma, 1973) seemed largely intended to maintain group's momentum since guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins joined original group members Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford for its second Charisma disc (and third overall release), Nursery Cryme (1971). As strong as that album was, with three major epics in "The Musical Box," "The Fountain of Salmacis" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," Foxtrot (1972) was even better, with its dramatic album and live show opener, "Watcher of the Skies" and nearly side-long epic, "Supper's Ready," an episodic masterpiece that's still considered one of the pinnacles of progressive rock.

Genesis Live—a performance originally recorded for a radio broadcast—was released while the group was in the studio, preparing for Selling England By the Pound (1973)—considered by many to be its best overall Gabriel-era album. Genesis Live may well be less-than-perfect, both to Banks' ears and to careful listeners, but Nick Davis' remix/remaster restores much of its vitality, revealing a group that may still have been finding its performing legs, but possessed a distinctive narrative magic unique amidst its British progressive rock brethren.

While Yes' Jon Anderson was writing incomprehensible lyrics that still sounded right with the group's music, and King Crimson was shifting from the early, flowery poetry of Peter Sinfield to Richard Palmer-James' more direct prose, Genesis was creating a small theatrical universe through its story-telling lyrics. The subjects were broad—from the science fiction-informed "Watcher of the Skies" to the curious tale of sexually deprived ghosts in "The Musical Box" and a cautionary tale of big business and overcrowded housing in "Get 'Em Out By Friday"—and lent themselves to the group's increasingly theatrical presentation. No usual walls of amplification for Genesis; its stage was spare and clean, with all but Gabriel seated, placing the visual focus on Gabriel, his masks and his costumes. Genesis Live may suffer from the lack of those visuals, but there's still plenty to recommend.

While the group almost painstakingly avoided overt virtuosity, it had, instead, established a wealth of personal stylistic markers. With Rutherford using bass pedals so that he could also play 12-string electric guitar alongside Hackett on songs like "The Musical Box," Genesis had a clearly recognizable harmonic and textural voice, owing something small to the traditional folk tradition and unmistakably English but, with Collins' muscular drumming, also possessing no shortage of rock and roll strength. Banks' dramatic mellotron opening to "Watcher of the Skies" remains one of progressive rock's most spine-tingling moments, while his organ work—a particularly dominant voice on early Genesis music that, sadly, gradually diminished as the band evolved—may not posses the fire of Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman, but it was as compositionally strong as either—in some cases, perhaps, even more, as the focus on writing and not "look at me" grandstanding yielded far more memorable melodies and dramaturgy.

Only the closing "The Knife" comes from the pre-Hackett/pre-Collins incarnation and, while founding guitarist Anthony Phillips' work Trespass' original from 1970 was far from shabby, Hackett proves himself the superior guitarist, one who may not have taken the spotlight in Genesis often, but whose supporting contributions and stylistic innovations are even more impressive in the previously unheard clarity of this remix/remaster.

The inclusion of five bonus tracks from the January, 1975 performance of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in Los Angeles initially seems like an odd choice. The group had evolved considerably between the time of Genesis Live and The Lamb a couple years later, but as a self-contained, five-song medley, it's a nice addition to flesh out the length of the CD. "Back in N.Y.C.," "Fly on a Windshield," "Broadway Melody of 1974," "Anyway" and "Chamber of 32 Doors" are not in even proper sequential order, but still work even out of context. With Gabriel's vocals restored, replacing the re-recorded tracks heard on Genesis Archives, Vol. 1: 1967-1975, the spirit is back but so, too, are the flaws in range and stamina, most noticeably on "Back in N.Y.C," where he almost painfully misses a couple of high notes. Rather than detracting from the performance, however, Gabriel's imperfections just make the performance more human, and his original delivery is far more in-character as The Lamb's hero, Rael.

Live at The Rainbow 1973

Containing the most new material in the box, much of Live at the Rainbow has been available before (in the Archives, Vol. 1 box), but not in exactly this format. Like the bonus Lamb tracks on Genesis Live, "Supper's Ready" featured, in the Archives box, some re-recorded vocals by Gabriel in the mid-1990s. The rest of the material—Selling England's "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight," "Firth of Fifth" and "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"—is largely the same as on Archives, including the less-vilified guitar overdubs by Hackett. Only Selling England's Rutherford/Banks duet, "More Fool Me," was issued in completely original form.

Live at the Rainbow restores everything largely to its original form, though Hackett's overdubs and some of Gabriel's remain. Expanded out to a full CD, it also includes Selling England's "Cinema Show" and "The Battle of Epping Forest." The DVD disc also includes two additional songs that, since already appearing on Genesis Live, were deemed if not exactly superfluous, then an unnecessary duplication that would have necessitated stretching the single CD to a double-disc set. Given the group's largely literal, solo-light performances, the Rainbow takes of "Watcher of the Skies" and "The Musical Box" are simply not different enough to warrant changing the formatting of the release, but for those who want to experience a full Selling England concert (minus the group's usual encore, "The Knife"), it's all there on the DVD.

Equally, in order to fit all the material onto the CD—and another potential bone of contention for Genesis purists and completists—Gabriel's curiously enigmatic introductions to songs like "Supper's Ready," originally included on Archives, Vol. 1, have been excised here. A purely practical decision, and thankfully it's still possible to hear them on the less time-constrained DVD version.

With a couple of almost cringe-worthy flaws in Gabriel's Lamb performances (that still don't stop them from being a significant improvement over his re-dos), it's hard to imagine why he was so unhappy with his original Rainbow performances as to compel him to re-record them with a voice that had aged considerably, deepened and no longer sounded the same as it did back in the day. There are, indeed, a few pitch problems in the Rainbow show, but in this case authenticity trumps perfection, with Gabriel's delivery far more in context with the music—and possessing a certain in-character playfulness as well. Gabriel's delivery on "The Battle of Epping Forest," surely Genesis' zaniest epic, is a treat as he shifts persona throughout its constantly shifting 12 minutes—as are Banks' dramatic mellotron parts, especially near the song's end, pushed up in the mix by Davis. And even though Collins replaces Genesis' touring drummer,