Music Disc Reviews

Last but (in other ways) not least, we have the Three companion piece Three Dates with Genesis - a documentary about three concerts (although live excerpts are woven in), peaking with Knebworth 1978. The attraction here isn't just the wealth of behind-the-scenes footage on the takedown, trucking, and restaging of the band's gear, but the unintentionally hilarious narration by the doc's reporter. Not to mention a clip of Collins, age 16, in the 1967 film Calamity the Cow. And at 49 minutes, the doc is only 4 minutes shorter - and much more entertaining - than the album it accompanies.

So, to recap, the bonus tracks and the videos aren't prizeworthy. But if you don't already have them, then this box provides everything. If you factor in that quantity along with both the quality and quantity of the interviews and featurettes, you'll understand why the set ultimately earns that overall "Extras" rating of four bullets. The live material alone is enough justification - even if it's only in stereo.

Do you hear a segue? I hear a segue!

THE SURROUND MIXES

Again, the overall "Mixes" rating is four bullets. (Same with the "Music" rating. Because I'd be hard-pressed to give even three bullets to Three.) The fact is, although Nick Davis has in general done a remarkable job, the multichannel mixes work better for some of the recordings than for others. So let's consider the mixes album by album.

A Trick of the Tail, of course, is a brilliant reminder of how inventive Genesis remained after the departure of Peter Gabriel. And now, heard 30 years later, it's nothing less than a five-bullet triumph over seeming adversity - made all the more rich and dramatic by the surround sound. In fact, one of my favorite things in the entire box occurs in the very first track, "Dance on a Volcano." As Collins starts to sting, check out that wonderfully skillful, skipping riff under the verse - except that it's no longer under the verse. Instead, thanks to the expanded sound field provided by 5.1 channels, the riff is allowed to assume its rightful majesty all around you, while still deferring to the vocals of Collins - who's not only in the left and right front but also nearly alone in the center channel.