The Spectrum, Philadelphia, November 27, 1983

A Phantastically Phabulous Philly
The Spectrum Philadelphia
November 27, 1983
Pre-FM
The Coaster Factory

Overall Rating :
I'm not sure how much work the Coaster Factory project put into remastering this Pre-FM recording, but it's one of the best ever Genesis boots. Sadly, since it was meant for radio, it's not the complete show, missing the Drum Duet, the Old Medley and Whodunnit, but it's by far the best recording from the tour. Phil's audience chats are edited which is good for repeated listening. Some of the performances of older songs surpass those on Three Sides Live. Genesis should consider releasing this as a lost live album. CD Package also has some excellent artwork available at http://genesis-movement.org/.

Sound: * * * * *
One of the best sounding Genesis boots ever.

Mix * * * * *
Perfectly balanced. Great work.

Performance: * * * * *
The band were at the top of their game here. The performance is tight and energetic.

Raw Notes

Disc 1:

1. Dodo/Lurker - Great performance. Crowd is strangely quiet early in the show. May be the mix? Phil is at his vocal peak during this tour. Very tight. Phil has fun tweaking the lyrics. Tempo slows slightly during Lurker. Like Three Sides, segues into...

2. Abacab - Energetic. Phil tweaks a lyric again. Amazing that the instrumental section stays the same from show to show given its improv feel. This version is more solid and consistent than Three Sides Live. Nailed. May well be the best recording of this song. Tony makes a change (or lucky mistake) right at the end.

3. That's All - Crowd comes alive. Good response. Very good performance.

4. Mama - Not much reverb on the drum machine. Makes for less atmosphere, but reveals the other instruments. Crowd cheers the evil laughs. Guitar sounds great! Again, the band nails it! Later tours never quite reach this level of intensity for this song.

5. Illegal Alien - Shortened introduction from Phil compared to audience recordings from the tour. Who is singing backup in the last chorus?

6. Home By The Sea/Second Home By The Sea - Again, shortened intro. Simmons drums either misfire slightly at the beginning of Second Home or Phil misses a note or two.

Disc 2:

1. In The Cage / The Cinema Show - The first half of the famous Cage Medley. During the "Outside the Cage I see my brother John" section, there is a loud digital delay on the vocal. Phil tweaks the lyric again... "Pinned for kill" becomes "Dressed to Kill". Daryl's lead guitar always shines during the "round... round..." section. Cinema Show seems to be missing a little bass in the mix at the beginning. May not improve on Three Sides, but definitely threatens to.

2. ...In That Quiet Earth/The Raven - The Cage Medley continues. By the time we get here, the audience, who are almost certainly there to hear That's All, Abacab and Mama, are sitting in stunned silence. Tony weaves his magic around the rest of the band. This version of the Medley contains some of my favorite Genesis music and this is a great performance of it.

3. Afterglow - The Medley concludes in high drama. After many years of playing this song, the band soars through it yet again, effortlessly. Medley nailed.

4. Keep It Dark - An under-appreciated song from Abacab. The live version improves on the studio recording. Feels warmer. Nice reverb on the vocal during the "I wish that I could really tell you" sections. A brief key change right at the end, segues nicely into...

5. It's Gonna Get Better - Another under-appreciated song, though it might have been more at home on one of Phil's early albums. The band performs the 12" version on this tour. As far as I know, the shorter LP version was never played live. Tony's CP-70 piano is more up-front than on the studio recording. Chester's loud CRACK percussive sound isn't as intense as I remember it live.

6. Los Endos - A little surprising without the Drum Duet which was almost certainly played, but edited out. I have yet to hear a bad version of this jaw-dropping instrumental. It doesn't seem to change much from tour to tour, even with the variations in Tony's keyboard rig over the years. Except for the missing Mellotron choir (replaced here by 1983 technology) , this could have been recorded on the Trick of Tail tour. Makes a great finale as always. Nailed.

Encore:

7. Misunderstanding - Strange now to think of this song as being part of the encore. But it was a hit here in the US. Again nearly identical to Three Sides Live. Except it segues into...

8. Turn It On Again (with That Damned Oldies Medley) - Yes, we all need somebody to love. Genesis plays covers of songs that inspired them. This recording was released as a 12" b-side.