Syria Mosque
Pittsburgh, PA
April 13, 1976
SB04
Overall:
Probably the best unofficial recording from the Trick of the Tail tour. A post FM radio show, I believe. The sound is decent, but not great. There are several tape glitches and some distortion here and there. But this tour contains a number of rarities making this boot a must-own. Most notably, the drummer is ex-Yes, ex-King Crimson player Bill Bruford. Also, there is a rare and curious performance of White Mountain with Phil on vocals.
Although Bruford is an amazing drummer, for some reason he isn't a good fit with Genesis and this entire recording is evidence of that. Something just doesn't work, especially on the very early material. I think it was a wise move for both the band and Bruford that they went their separate ways after this tour.
Sound: * * *
At times, it's difficult to hear the bass and the tape itself has some issues, including some distortion.
Mix: * * *
As mentioned above, the bass is hard to hear at times, especially early in the recording. Also, the Mellotron is quite loud which may be a treat for some listeners.
Performance: * * *
The band hasn't quite yet filled the void left by Gabriel. Tony chooses some odd, sometimes grating sounds to replace the flute. Also, much of Bruford's drumming sounds out of place and even off-time. But the band is also quite tight in places.
Raw Notes
Disc 1
1. Dance on Volcano - Abrupt crowd noise. Bill Bruford on drums. Mellotron choir a bit loud. This is the only tour where they play the whole song. Probably the only tour where Phil sings "Out of the night and out of the dark." Bill's approach to drumming is interesting here. Band is a bit weak going into second half. Phil on bongos? And coach's whistle? Song ends... a bit of retuning guitars between tracks. Phil mistakes Pittsburgh for Baltimore. Only 40 miles away?
2. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Tony's electric piano is right up front in the mix. Not much bass in the mix, but the rest of the instruments are well-balanced. Steve is a bit low in the mix, but audible. Piano loud again during "Lamb seems right out of place". Phil comes in early for "Suzanne tired..". The band either compensates or they rehearsed it that way. Segues into...
3. Fly On a Windshield - Instrumental section only. Bass pedals are audible. Good performance. Into Broadway Medley... still instrumental. Segues into...
4. Carpet Crawlers - Intro sounds a bit clunky. Doesn't really take off like later performances. May be Bill's drumming? The band doesn't seem...comfortable for lack of a better word.. Phil already singing "Stickleback...back...back." on his first tour as singer. Decent performance. Crowd likes it! Phil: "This is far too embarrassing. You're not allowed to clap like that this early on!" Romeo and Juliet story. Phil seems just a bit nervous, but doing well.
5. "Cinema Show" - Nice wind chimes (or bell tree?) in the intro. Bill adds some nice percussive touches throughout early verses. Does a bit of a strage start/stop thing going into first chorus, though. Sounds like a mistake at first, but if it is, he does it a second time. Strange wind sound effect. Wow, background vocals during "Na na na na..." section. Nice! Into synth solo. Phil on drums with Bill. Nice! Bass pedals and Mellotron choir distort a bit. A few dropouts in the recording (probably more clipping). Tony nails it! Good drumming! Tony noodles on organ and Mellotron while Phil talks about Harry the Criminal. "Before Harry could say Patty Hurst"...
6. Robbery, Assault & Battery - A lot of reverb on the vocal. Vocal drops low in the mix during the chorus. Good performance. Bass is audible. Tony nails his solo again. Phil on tambourine. Vocals still sound odd in last first. Mike tells story of the Wolf finding a copy of Trespass. "One-Eye, the straggly old wolf from Pittsburgh.
7. White Mountain - The reason to own this recording. The band plays the song from the very beginning, resisting the temptation to chop the eerie intro. Phil sings "Where no wolf may go" instead of tread, which changes the rhyming pattern. Tony plays a bit of synth in background which wasn't on the original recording. No drums? Bill just does some cymbal swells. Mellotron choir loud with some synth notes following the bass. Tambourine, but still no drums. Sounds a bit odd. Drums come in at the end of the last verse? Is that Phil whistling? Band does the full outro. Phil introduces Mr. Bill Bruford.
8. Firth of Fifth - Piano intro is gone, never to return. Steve has an unusual sound going during his solo, but nails the performance. Bass pedals/Mellotron distort again. (or tape drops out). Steve switches to a cleaner sound going into final verse. Phil holds out "...constant chaaaannge" until almost the end.
Disc 2
1. Phil introduces Steve who introduces Entangled. Mentions lyrics based on Kim Poor painting.
2. Entangled - Bill on xylophone? Two maracas... More background vocals. Not sure who it is. Might be Bill. Strange, eerie performance. Very different from the album version.
3. Squonk - Feels a bit uninspired and sluggish in the beginning. Low intensity... never really gets off the ground. More tuning and noodling. Mike tells us three things we need to know to play in a group. Number three is tap dancing. Phil tap dances. "Did you know you're on the radio tonight?"
4. Supper's Ready - an early Phil performance. More xylophone from Bill during first verses. Phil a bit flat on the "Moon seems very bright". Nice atmosphere early on, although some of Bill's percussion gets a bit distracting. Sanctuary Man a little sluggish. Tony chooses an annoying sawtooth waveform to replace Pete's flute at the end of the section. Phil having some trouble with high notes, using falsetto. "...cannot contain my emotion. Oh, no, no, no....". Phil doesn't seem comfortable with this one yet. A bit sloppy going into Willow Farm. "Everyone... we're growing everyone." Nice atmosphere going to 9/8... Tony chooses another annoying sound for Pete's flute part. Phil really intense into "Guards of Magog!" Loud delay on the vocals. Almost shouts himself hoarse. Nice, though. Band maintains some intensity through the whole section. Firing on all cylinders for the "666" section! Crowd responds at the end, going into "And it's hey babe..." . Phil stretches his vocal cords rather than do falsetto like earlier. Nice ending! The second half of this is the only time I haven't noticed the new drummer.
5. I Know What I Like - This is where the song begins to get drawn out into an extended jam, but the eight minute version would wait until the next tour. Bill does a strange pause after "I can always hear them talk". No tambourine dance. No Stagnation fragment yet, just an extra chorus. This was a good length for the song. Tony plays with the Mellotron while Phil thanks the audience for waiting in the cold.
6. Los Endos - The only tour where the this song is played from from the beginning. As much as I still love the drum duet, I always missed this intro. Phil and Bill don't quite have the drum pattern down live yet. In fact, the drums sound quite odd here at the beginning. Not quite yet the show stopper it would become on the next tour. Performance improves toward the end. Good intensity. End is chopped of slightly on this recording. Good crowd response.
7. It/ Watcher of the Skies - Encore. Some tuning. Phil starts on the tambourine before everyone else is ready. Good mix. Steve and Mike are tight on the twin leads. Slowly, the Mellotron fades in to take us to Watcher. Much looser performance than ended up on the UK version of Three Sides Live. Great way to end the show! Audience is faded out quite quickly.
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