Genesis-Seconds Out (1977)

The departure of Peter Gabriel from Genesis had meant a setback, as well as a huge challenge for a band that was left without its undisputed leader.
The short-term result will be settled with the publication of two memorable albums, "A trick of the tail" and "Wind & Wuthering", in which Phil Collins took the role of new frontman of the band and the consequent incorporation for the shows of a battery that allowed Collins himself to take care of the main voice.
The first chosen for this task was initially Bill Bruford, former member of the legendary bands such as Yes or King Crimson, however his career was short-lived, being replaced by ex-Frank Zappa, Chester Thompson, a drummer that will remain until the end of the band well into the 21st century.
At the beginning of 1977 the group decided to publish a double live that they would call "Seconds Out", in reference to the famous phrase used in boxing to indicate that the fight is going to begin and the boxer will be left alone in the ring without any extra support.
The album in double LP format was recorded almost entirely in the shows held in Paris between June 11 and 14, 1977. By then the group's performances had grown massively supported by large individual performances and concerts with a spectacular staging unpublished that accentuated the always latent drama of his music. The magnificent achievement of this sound document is that many of the recordings sounded superior to their studio originals.
Just listen to "Robbery, Assault and Battery", for example, or the transcendental instrumental "Los Endos", which would become a perennial classic of his live performances. The gems on the album, masterfully executed, were two classic songs from the album "Selling England by the Pound"; with the insurmountable "Firth of Fith" (with Tony Banks and Steve Hackett in a state of grace) and "Cinema Show", the only recording on the album where Bill Bruford appears on drums. Perhaps one of the best progressive rock recordings ever heard.
As the list of songs that make up this superb double album goes by, we come across true gems like the powerful and tearful "Squonk", the iconic and eternal "The Carpet Crawl", the also iconic "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" , linked to the final section of a jewel of theatrical rock that Genesis masterfully embodied, such as the dramatic "The Musical Box".
And so the group is encouraged to reserve one of the four sides of the discs to include the complete fantastic mini opera "Supper's Ready", with more than 20 minutes of duration, where all the interpretive and compositional virtues of a key group in British and world progressive music, which over the years would become a sacred icon of symphonic rock.
"Seconds Out" is and will be a timeless classic of 20th century popular music and one of the greatest live recordings of all time.