HiRez Poll Genesis - WIND AND WUTHERING [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of Genesis - WIND AND WUTHERING


  • Total voters
    62
So after going to see The Musical Box the other night, I felt it was time to get into the final leg of my Genesis binge and put this one on. (It was a treat to hear rarities like "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Wot Gorilla" performed live.)

A very pleasing mix here. It's very immersive. Like the other titles in the mid-period box set, the keyboards often are mixed to fill up the whole space, rather than being hard panned to one corner like the albums in the Gabriel era. There are some very sweet moments here. The softer section during "Eleventh Earl of Mar" is very sweet, with acoustic guitars behind you. There's a nice spread of multiple guitar parts across all speakers during "Your Own Special Way." The instrumental break during "One For the Vine" has some cool percussion flying around the surround field. Phil's layered vocals at the end of "Afterglow" sit nicely in the rear channels for a very effective ending to the album.

As for the fidelity, I did hear a little bit of what others have commented about regarding the high end. But it wasn't headache inducing like Invisible Touch. And for much of the album it wasn't really noticeable at all.

As for the material, it's an amazingly strong collection of progressive rock. There's a real confidence here. The previous album and tour proved that they could survive and thrive without Peter Gabriel. "Afterglow" would remain a concert staple up through the band's final tour in 2007. "Blood on the Rooftops" is stunningly beautiful. "Unquiet Slumbers/Quiet Earth" is as great as instrumental prog rock gets. "Eleventh Earl", "One For the Vine" and "All in a Mouse's Night" are all fantastic epics. There isn't a weak cut here. Fortunately they really knew what their best material was. The weaker tracks from the session were relegated to the Spot the Pigeon EP. Hackett was apparently upset that he didn't get any songs on the album where he was the sole writer while Banks got three. But the proof is in the pudding. Banks' three songs are all excellent. Hackett wanted the band to include his song "Please Don't Touch" (which would surface the following year on his solo album of the same name.) But for me that song doesn't stand up well against what's on Wind and Wuthering. To include it (and therefore then have to remove a song) would have only lowered the overall quality of the album. (And it was Collins who rejected "Please Don't Touch".)

Musically the album gets a 10/10 from me. I will give 9 out of 10 on fidelity and 9 out of 10 for the mix. (The mix is very enjoyable, but for me it doesn't quite scale the heights of the best mixes from the Gabriel era box.) A very strong 9.
 
Working my way slowly through the 1976 - 1982 SACD box, I'm going to give this a 9, but not necessarily a strong one. The mastering is slightly inferior to A Trick of the Tail in that if anything, it's even more bright. The mix is fine, and the music is great - perhaps the last time a Genesis album could be called so. And I'm happy that if one acquires the two Genesis SACD boxes then one has the core 1970 - 1976 albums in 5.1 and all of which get a 9 rating in my humble opinion. I'll review the rest of the the box of course, but it's these first two LPs that I'm the most interested in.
 
I'll review the rest of the the box of course, but it's these first two LPs that I'm the most interested in.
Close to my view on this, though I draw the line after Trick Of The Tail. I have all the Genesis I need with the 1970-75 SACD box, Trick of The Tail stand alone SACD and the Live box set (of which I do not listen to anything after Second's Out). I would argue that the 5.1-mixes on all these are excellent. The mastering is a tad hot with TOTL being the worst offender. The Rainbow concert in the Live box set is to die for... Also took the time to listen through all the reissue interviews with all band members and they are to me very interesting and well invested time.
 
Close to my view on this, though I draw the line after Trick Of The Tail. I have all the Genesis I need with the 1970-75 SACD box, Trick of The Tail stand alone SACD and the Live box set (of which I do not listen to anything after Second's Out). I would argue that the 5.1-mixes on all these are excellent. The mastering is a tad hot with TOTL being the worst offender. The Rainbow concert in the Live box set is to die for... Also took the time to listen through all the reissue interviews with all band members and they are to me very interesting and well invested time.
Speaking of that live box. Do you know the difference between the Rhino version and the other one?
 
The Live Box set is a great set to have since you get Live '73 expanded with 5 bonus tracks from the Lamb tour, Seconds Out in 5.1 and of course the Rainbow concert. The only disappointment is Three Sides Live & The Way We Walk being CD only. FYI: To make up for that check out Three Sides Live on Blu-ray which has the best songs isolated in 5.1 as a bonus! BTW if you get a chance, The Musical Box (Official Genesis approved cover band) is an amazing experience since they use all the effects/backgrounds and recreate each tour the band did.
 
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