Genesis: 1970-1975 [Box] [CD & DVD] by Genesis (CD, Nov-2008, 13 Discs, Atlantic USA)

The long awaited earlier releases from Genesis are finally available in an excellent box set of 13 discs (13 because the "Lamb Lies Down" only fits on two discs for CD stereo)in six special jewel boxes/books. I bought these old albums again because I am a fanatic about surround sound for music. These remixes did not let me down, with special effort given to bring out the individual tracks in a 5.1 multi-channel format.
Each of the five releases with Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett have their own DVD with an option of Dolby Digital or DTS playback. The bonus disc also has its DVD, with bonus video, but the surround feature is essentially wasted on these old stereo recordings. There is an interesting live recording, for which Gabriel gives a disclaimer because the vocals were never meant for public release, with an intimate view into what the band evolved as during the Genesis to Revelation transition period; many of the themes showed up on later albums. However, that's not what made me buy the box set. I have always loved the old Genesis sound while Peter and Steve were a major influence, and these new mixes were not only an aural treat, but an emotional re-discovery.
The presence of the 5.1 mix is always different from a stereo mix, if it is a true surround mix. You are in the room with the music, and it plays all around you. These remasters have been carefully and skillfully crafted to give you one of the best musical experiences of a lifetime (if you are a diehard Genesis fan, as I am). Even Trespass is given a new breath of life! As far as the bonus features go, I don't mind old video, so you'll find no objection from me as to the quality of any of the clips chosen. The "remastered interviews" are worth watching, if not only to see a glimpse of what these veteran musicians really think about their own work from three decades ago. (I think the language has improved from the later interviews, i.e. ABACAB or GENESIS DVDs, but I haven't watched them all yet...)
In short, this box set from Genesis: 1970-1975, sits proudly on the shelf with my slim but cherished collection of DVD Audio and Super Audio CDs. My recommendation: BUY and you won't be disappointed! outerbeing

The Genesis camp really went out of their way to make all sorts of stuff available. I'm particularly happy with all the TV and live footage in the bonus DVD's. Early Genesis' live footage was always pretty rare to begin with. I had personally never seen any with Peter Gabriel at the helm, so I spent a long time watching the stuff. Steve Hackett really did come up with two-handed tapping! Exclusive to this set is a bonus disc of rare songs as well as a bonus DVD with interviews and a VH1 documentary (plus a pretty extensive booklet with essays on each album). The box set is becoming pretty hard to find and it can get rather pricey, but with some patience, you can find it for a decent price (like I did). My only gripe is that the CD's are not hybrid SACD/CD's like the European and Japanese releases. I really wonder why the whole thing wasn't a uniform release worldwide as far as the CD's go. The Japanese version's DVD's are NTSC, so it's not like it couldn't have been done for the North America release. But oh well. I recommend this set if one can get it for say, less than $100 shipped.

Bought this for my husband and he is over the moon for this collection. He likes the variety of music and the also the videos that are on the DVDs as well.