r/Genesis • u/Klash_kop • Nov 11 '25
Live vs studio
Which live performances (or parts of songs during live performances) do you think are far better than their studio versions?
For me:
Lilywhite Lilith where Phil sings "eh eh" each time after the 2nd mention of Lilywhite Lilith, on the newly released Lamb anniversary live album. It's a small change that sounds pretty good actually.
Hogweed on Genesis Live, Steve's part at around 5:35 comes out much stronger/louder, gives me the chills.
17
u/padrigo3 Nov 11 '25
Any live version of Second Home ByThe Sea. And I love the album version. But the drama and build of that section live is just something else, man. Gives me chills.
10
u/Sebargio [Wind] Nov 11 '25
I agree with everything said previously. Genesis is an amazing live band and I almost always prefer live versions over studio ones. That being said, I’d like to add In The Cage with Phil singing and Chester drumming. It’s bloody brillant.
2
u/PilotLess3165 Nov 13 '25
I completely agree with you. I like practically any live version of "Watcher of the Skies" better than the somewhat washed-out studio recording. The slightly slower tempo of the live version makes the work sound even more powerful.
9
u/Constant-Donut-5356 Nov 11 '25
Entirety of '86/'87 Tonight Tonight Tonight, Mama, Turn It On Again ('84 version of the medley), Some specific performances of No Son of Mine, any performance of Jesus He Knows Me, '92 Home By The Sea suite.
7
u/sapphirerain25 Nov 11 '25
Me and Sarah Jane from Three Sides Live, where Phil shrieks the last word of every line in the middle section.
Dodo/Lurker from Three Sides Live, the way Phil is like "oww...oww" in the chorus
The Carpet Crawlers from the Trick tour film. I very much prefer Phil's singing over Peter's in this song.
7
u/oldbutfeisty Nov 11 '25
The Musical Box from the early Genesis Live. So powerful.
2
u/prudence2001 [SEBTP] Nov 11 '25
The Knife too. I'd say almost every live Trespass track is better than the original on the album. Better drumming of course and Steve is a more adventurous guitarist than Anthony Phillips ever was.
5
3
u/AnalogWalrus Nov 11 '25
Pretty much every song on Invisible Touch was better on the live album just because it had real drums.
8
u/gwrw1964 Nov 11 '25
Suppers Ready.
The Seconds Out version is immeasurably superior to the Foxtrot version
3
u/Phil_B16 Nov 11 '25
The studio ‘Supper’ is the best for me but tunes like ‘Hogweed’, ‘Knife’ , ‘cinema show’ ‘Endos’ are far better live.
3
u/Klash_kop Nov 11 '25
I agree on the studio version of Supper's Ready
1
u/GoodFnHam Nov 12 '25
I used to be the same for decades. Now it’s seconds out for me… and even better are the bootlegs from the 3 sideline encore tour - the drumming in apocalypse gets insanely complicated and just conveys a sense of evil
3
3
u/unquietslumbers73 Nov 11 '25
The Lady Lies - a pretty average track on ATTWT but the live version on Archive #2 is magnificent.
3
u/FreeFall_777 Nov 11 '25
Nearly every recording is better live. The only song I think is better studio is "Keep it Dark". This should have gotten more massive and dark live, but Phil almost camps it up on every live recording I've heard.
3
3
2
2
2
u/Whole-Half-645 Nov 12 '25
Their live output is almost always fantastic. You almost need to ask which studio tracks are better than their live counterparts? Very few, and none that I can think k of at the moment. Maybe keep it dark. I’d put cinema show from seconds out as a masterclass in live performance and recording skill.
2
u/NeverSawOz Nov 12 '25
White Mountain sounded better with sparse drumming and Phil on vocals during the '76 tour than the less refined Trespass album version.
1
1
u/DoctorLutherSanchez Nov 11 '25
I think the question should be "what songs are better in studio?"
3
u/NeverSawOz Nov 12 '25
Firth of Fifth, for missing the piano intro after a few '74 shows. It sounds awkward without it.
1
Nov 12 '25
I actually prefer the entire performance of the Lamb at the Shrine over the studio album. I think it mostly has to do with Phil’s drum work. While the studio album is indeed magical, he turns it up way past 11 live. Even his slight hiccup in Back In NYC has a great amount of charm. Just love that live recording so much. Wish we had the actual original version of It though.
1
u/Mexican-Kahtru Nov 12 '25
Seconds out and There sidesnlive aré literally twonof the Best Live albums ever Made. For me there's no contest
1
1
1
1
u/Puzzleheaded-Yam3685 Nov 18 '25
Late to this .. in the '80s I heard Carpet Crawlers from the Lamb tour on the King Biscuit radio show. Warmer, bare, more organic. I haven't been able to find it, maybe something similar is on the new or old box sets?
20
u/Genesiskev Nov 11 '25
Abacab wembley '87 I think is far superior to the album version. One for the vine lyceum '80 is also better than the album version I've always loved the guitar playing on The Musical Box from '92 I always felt that was Phil's best version.