Now Available: Genesis, R-KIVE

According to the supercomputer Deep Thought, 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, a revelation which we can only presume must somehow be tied to why Genesis has decided to release R-KIVE, a new box set which covers 42 years of music from not only the band but also the various members of the band, including three selections each from the discographies of Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford…and in case you’re wondering, yes, in this instance, when we say “Mike Rutherford,” we do mean “Mike + The Mechanics.” (Sorry, fans, there’s no “Maxine” to be found here.)

This is far from the first box set to emerge from the Genesis camp, of course, but it is the first time they’ve put something together which covers the members’ work inside and outside the band, thereby providing a fuller picture of what each individual brought to the table.

The three-disc, 37-track collection kicks off with “The Knife,” a nine-minute number which was actually written before Hackett or Collins joined the band; from there, you’ll get 21 more other Genesis songs interspersed with the solo efforts, all delivered in the chronological order of their initial release dates. As a result, Tony Banks ends up closing out the proceedings with “Siren,” from his 2012 album, Six: Pieces of Orchestra.

You may be surprised by some of the songs that’ve been selected for inclusion – if we asked everyone to raise their hand who expected to see “Wake Up Call” as one of Collins’ picks, or who predicted that the title track from Calling All Stations would make the cut, and we wouldn’t expect to see a single hand in the air – but as Collins commented in the official press release for R-KIVE, “This album jogs memories about old albums, things people might have missed the first time around. Most of the time, the singles always seem to be the things that are remembered from albums. Sometimes the lesser-known tracks deserve better than to be forgotten.”

Obviously, we’d agree, because we’re the label that’s putting it out, but R-KIVE really does provide a very unique look at the history of Genesis, and while we’re sure fans will grouse about this inclusion and that omission, you can’t say that the band didn’t put a great deal of thought and consideration into the final product.

R-KIVE

Disc 1

1. “The Knife” – from Trepass (1970)
2. “The Musical Box” – from Nursery Cryme (1971)
3. “Supper’s Ready” – from Foxtrot (1972)
4. “The Cinema Show” – from Selling England By The Pound (1973)
5. “I Know What I Like” – from Selling England By The Pound (1973)
6. “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” – from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
7. “Back In N.Y.C.” – from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
8. “The Carpet Crawlers” – from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
9. “Ace of Wands” – from Steve Hackett’s Voyage of the Acolyte (1975)

Disc 2

1. “Ripples” – from A Trick of the Tail (1976)
2. “Afterglow” – from Wind & Wuthering (1976)
3. “Solsbury Hill” – from Peter Gabriel’s first self-titled album (1977)
4. “Follow You Follow Me” – from And Then There Were Three (1978)
5. “For A While” – from Tony Banks’s A Curious Feeling (1979)
6. “Every Day” – from Steve Hackett’s Spectral Mornings (1979)
7. “Biko” – from Peter Gabriel’s third self-titled album (1980)
8. “Turn It On Again” – from Duke (1980)
9. “In The Air Tonight” – from Phil Collins’s Face Value (1981)
10. “Abacab” – from Abacab (1981)
11. “Mama” – from Genesis (1983)
12. “That’s All” – from Genesis (1983)
13. “Easy Lover” – (Originally released in 1984)
14. “Silent Running” – from Mike + The Mechanics’s self-titled album (1985)

Disc 3

1. “Invisible Touch” – from Invisible Touch (1986)
2. “Land of Confusion” – from Invisible Touch (1986)
3. “Tonight Tonight Tonight” – from Invisible Touch (1986)
4. “The Living Years” – from Mike + The Mechanics’s Living Years (1989)
5. “Red Day on Blue Street” – from Tony Banks’s Still (1991)
6. “I Can’t Dance” – from We Can’t Dance (1991)
7. “No Son of Mine” – from We Can’t Dance (1991)
8. “Hold On My Heart” – from We Can’t Dance (1991)
9. “Over My Shoulder” – from Mike + The Mechanics’s Beggar On A Beach Of Gold (1995)
10. “Calling All Stations” – from Calling All Stations (1997)
11. “Signal To Noise” – from Peter Gabriel’s Up (2002)
12. “Wake Up Call” – from Phil Collins’s Testify (2002)
13. “Nomads” – from Steve Hackett’s Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth (2009)
14. “Siren” – from Tony Banks’s Six:Pieces of Orchestra (2012)