A RELIGIOUS SECTION RECORD?

Been listening to the 2 cd version of Genesis debut album"From Genesis To Revelation" issued by Edsel in 2005.
With the original 13 track album from March 1969 on cd 1 and 13 bonus tracks on cd 2,that include 1967 demos,1968 demos,45 sides,and rough mixes.

It makes for a pretty neat package,with a replication or as close to the original sleeve design,some liners and notes,lyrics,and some snaps.

As for the sound quality,because of a mudddy sounding,and split channel mix,its not been the greatest,or brightest sounding album,but Edsel did their best with what they had,and its the best i've heard it,but this album has had so many cheap tatty cd reissues through the years,but this is by far the best package and detail and due respect given for this debut album,remembering this was issued in 2005,so quite possibly theres been improved cd reissues since then,but i've not saw any.

The album itself,is a very enjoyable listen indeed,and does not deserve the cold soldier it gets or it being treated as a pre fame embarassment,as it is anything but!!

It IS a smashing 60s Bee Gees influenced pop album with psych overtones,very much of its time,with nice strings,and everything but the kitchen sink in the sound,BUT unfortunately Jonathan King,the albums producer,has gave it a muddy mix,and split channels,with orchestration coming out one side,and the rest of the band,out the other,resulting with some unbelievable smashing fuzzed up guitar parts low down in the mix,giving priority to the orchestration,and softer parts of the sound,but if those guitar parts could be brought up in the mix and cleaner sounding,this album would be much more psychedelic sounding,to my ears anyway.Personally i don't think there is a below par song on this album,and considering most of the band were 17,that is some achievement.

It does sound as if Jonathan King was in charge,including the addition of orchestral arrangements and other embellishments,and made the decisions in how to mix the album.
Luckily i do think the added embellishments of strings etc does enhance the album,and does add something to the whole sound,its just that darn muddy mix and awful sound seperation....gggrrr!!

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong or sub par concerning the songs and compositions,and shows strong songwriting from the band from the get go....but still in need of the right assistance and guidance,as at this time,everything was new to the 17 year olds,who where still in education at a rather elite private school,they say it is one of the reasons they sent tapes and made contact with Jonathan King,as he too was an ex pupil at their school,plus he had success himself as a songwriter,producer,arranger....

Unbelievably,the songs for the album where recorded in one 15 hour session,with added overdubs etc,still to be done.So for the stars they became,maybe because the album was recorded so quickly,THEY,as now experienced and succesful elderly men, may just be a bit shy and red faced by this youthful adventure,they really shouldn't,its a fabulous first recording venture,but which did NOT sell at the time,and was quickly forgotten about in their quest for more progressive ideas and sounds!!

As i said,i dont think theres a bad number on the album,,but my faves are Where The Sour Turns To Sweet,In The Beginning,In The Wilderness,In Hiding,One Day and Silent Sun.

The prize for me though,are the tracks on the bonus disc,shorn without the strings and other embellishments,"In The Wilderness" (68 rough mix0 sounds tougher without the strings,and does change the sound of it considerably,the 67 demos "Patricia","Try A Little Sadness",and "She Is Beautiful" are very melodic pieces of sketches of late 60s pop,the non album single sides,"Thats Me(Feb 68)"",A Winters Tale(May 68)" and "One Eyed Hound(May 68)" are all good numbers still with a whiff of psychedelia,and talking of psychedelia ,both versions of "Image Blown Out" are certainly that,in particular the rough 68 mix

THE BOX SET DEMOS.GENESIS ARCHIVE 67-75.

I've also got the 4 cd book set Genesis Archive 1967-75,cd 4 of that set,has even more demos NOT included on the 2 cd Edsel set,first of i will say the demos on this box set compared to the Edsel ones are a step up in sound quality,with more punch.

Its the songs ive never heard that are of the most interest,some real period pieces, like the 68 rough mix of "Build Me A Mountain"is a find with with its heavy fuzzed guitar parts,and 1968 demos of"The Magic Of Time"and "Hey"are both pleasant,pieces of rather commercial sounding period pop with a twist,but are only sketches."Hidden In The World Of Dawn"is a piano led number,with nice backing vocal parts,and acoustic strumming,nothing spectacular,but its only an idea,"Sea Bee"is a progressive pop piece in the making,"The Mystery Of The Flannan Isle Lighthouse"is certainly an ambitious sounding number and also from a 1968 demo""Hair On The Arms and Legs" presents a more progressive approach,these demos only give a little idea of what they would sound if fully formed,and complete,but it seems piano is a well used instrument on all the demos.

There's also 2 demo numbers from 1969"Going Out To Get You"and "Dusk"certainly show a move away from the pop music and sound,with more complex sounding arrangements and vibe,with Peter Gabriel utilising the character off his voice,far more,but 2 very interesting songs,with Dusk having a mellow flute part to it,demod between their debut album and their second album "Trespass".

Also included are 3 songs from a BBC session from 20th February 1970,"Shepherd","Picady"and "Let Us Now Make Love",give evidence of the direction they where heading,gone are the strong 60s Bee Gees pop influence,though "Shepherd"is beautiful,with its oboe,violin and complex backing vocals and acoustic guitar lines,"Picady"is much more melancholic and dramatic in sound and feel,with organ,flute and spiraling fingerpicking guitar lines,"Let Us Now Make Love" has a wonderful flute or recorder part,with excellent vocals,and a dramatic feel,again with organ,acoustics and a slight Thunderclap Newman fee i think,but it's clear the band start to find and create a sound of their own,and certainly steretching out in the length of their songs and their complexity..
Its intersting to hear and have all those early demos and other recordings from this early part of their career.
The album "From Genesis To Revelation"is certainly worth hearing,if youve never heard it!!!