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 last to feature guitarist Steve Hackett prior to his departure. 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 the previous year at the Pavillon de Paris during their A Trick of the Tail Tour.

Seconds Out
Live album by Genesis
Released	14 October 1977
Recorded	23 June 1976 at Pavillon de Paris, Paris ("The Cinema Show") 11–14 June 1977 at Palais des Sports, Paris
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	95:31
Label	Charisma, Atlantic
Producer	David Hentschel Genesis
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. Its release coincided with the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett who left the group during the album's mixing stages, thus reducing Genesis to the core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and drummer and singer Phil Collins who recorded ...And Then There Were Three... by this time. Seconds Out has been reissued for CD in 1994 and 2009, the latter as part of the Genesis Live 1973–2007 box set.

Background

Most of the album was recorded at the Palais des Sports, Paris

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 from the 1977 tour for an official release, becoming their second live album —-the first being 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. The shows were recorded and broadcast in part by French radio station RTL. One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded at the Pavillon de Paris on 23 June 1976 during the 1976 tour supporting A Trick of the Tail (1976). This features Bill Bruford on drums. "I Know What I Like" contains a snippet of the 1953 song "I Love Paris".[1]

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

Hackett's departure

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.[2] 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.[3] On the 1990 documentary video Genesis – A History, Banks joked that Hackett was mixed out of Seconds Out as a result. Although Hackett's guitar is audible, it lacks the volume of previous albums or rough soundboard mix bootlegs from the 1977 tour.

Release

Seconds Out was released on 14 October 1977.[2] 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.[4] In the US, the album was released by Atlantic Records.[5] It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 47 on the US Billboard 200.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Rolling Stone	(average)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Sounds

Hugh Fielder of Sounds gave the album five stars out of five.[1] Melody Maker reporter Chris Welch, with assistance from Bob Gallagher, also praised the album.[10] 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." However, they criticised the album for being nothing more than a recreation of their studio recordings, making it an essentially pointless release.[8]

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."[7]

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has described Seconds Out as "one of my drum bibles" and "one of my favorite-sounding drum records too."[11]

Reissues

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 remaster.

Track listing

All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, except where noted.[12]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Squonk"	Banks, Rutherford	6:39
2.	"The Carpet Crawl"		5:27
3.	"Robbery, Assault and Battery"	Banks, Collins	6:02
4.	"Afterglow"	Banks	4:29

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Firth of Fifth"	8:56
2.	"I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"	8:45
3.	"The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway..."	4:59
4.	"...The Musical Box (Closing Section)"	3:18

Side three

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Supper's Ready" a. "Lover's Leap" b. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" c. "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men" d. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?" e. "Willow Farm" f. "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)" g. "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)"	24:33

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Cinema Show"		10:58
2.	"Dance on a Volcano..."	Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford	5:09
3.	"...Los Endos" (instrumental)	Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford	6:20

Personnel

Credits taken from the album's sleeve notes.[12]

Genesis

• Tony Banks – RMI Electra piano, Hammond T. organ, ARP Pro Soloist, Mellotron 400, Epiphone 12-string guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford – Shergold electric 12-string and bass guitar, 8-string bass guitar, Alvarez 12-string guitar, Moog Taurus bass pedals, backing vocals
• Steve Hackett – Gibson Les Paul, Hokada 12-string guitar
• Phil Collins – lead vocals, Premier and Gretsch drums

with

• Chester Thompson – Pearl drums, percussion (except "The Cinema Show")
• Bill Bruford – Ludwig and Hayman drums, percussion ("The Cinema Show" only)

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

References

1. Fielder, Hugh (15 October 1977). "Round ten, and still ahead on points". Sounds. p. 34. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
2. "Double elpee recorded at this gig, and Hackett leaves Genesis". New Musical Express. 8 October 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
3. Genesis, Chapter and Verse pg 186. 2007.
4. "Promo flyer – Genesis – Seconds Out". Charisma Records. 1977. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
5. "Seconds Out – American – Atlantic Records – Press kit". Atlantic Records. 1977. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
6. Genesis UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
7. Bruce Eder; William Ruhlmann (2011). "Seconds Out – Genesis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
8. Milward, John (26 January 1978). "Genesis: Seconds Out : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
9. 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.
10. Welch, Chris (15 October 1977). "Genesis' peak of creation". Melody Maker. Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via The Genesis Archive.
11. "Foo Fighters' Skin Walloper Comes Out Swinging". fooarchive.com. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
12. Seconds Out (Media notes). Genesis. Charisma Records. 1977. GE 2001.CS1 maint: others (link)