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By 1993, the members of Genesis (drummer/lead vocalist Phil Collins, guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks) realized that their fanbase consisted of two distinct groups: fans of the older, more progressive rock-based material, and fans of their newer, more pop-rock music. The prog fans felt betrayed by the chat successes of the newer albums, the pop fans didn't understand the long, meandering instrumental numbers. So, in an attempt to please both, following their "We Can't Dance" tour they released two separate live albums.
This is the second of the two, "The Way We Walk Volume 2: The Longs". It was released as a 'limited edition', assuming that the fans of the older material were far less than the millions who bought "Invisible Touch". So they split out the longer sings from the tour, the songs too long to have been singles, but still beloved by their hardcore fans. The plan was not wholly without merit, but it overlooked a couple of key points. First, Genesis has always been a very precise, well-rehearsed band. They generally follow a single set list throughout a tour, so to break it up by song length broke up the flow of the whole show. Most real fans were likely to get both discs, so they now has essentially two greatest hits live CD's instead of a live album.
More importantly to this album was the treatment of the 'old' material, which is primarily what the hardcore fans wanted to hear. It was largely lumped into the "Old Medley", where only pieces of songs like "Firth of Fifth", "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "Dance on a Volcano" were played in succession. The whole point of having an album called "The Longs" was to give the longer songs time, so playing small pieces seemed like a slap in the face.
Concept aside, the music is, of course, outstanding. Road guitarist Darryl Steurmer does much of the heavy lifting, and he is the rare guitarist that can play Steve Hackett's solo from "Firth of Fifth" with the same precision and atmosphere as the original. Road drummer Chester Thompson likewise can play Collins' style not only with the man present, but WITH the man. One of the most curious choices for the disc is the Drum Duet. The playing, featuring simply Collins and Thompson in a dual drum performance, is fantastic, but not a sing most will find the need to return to very often. It's truly more of a visual site take than anything.
Thankfully, some of the Genesis prog standards are here in their entirety. "Home By The Sea" and "Domino" are standout performances, both instrumentally and vocally. Debuting with this tour were the "We Can't Dance" tracks "Fading Lights" and "Driving the Last Spike", two lengthier prog-influenced tracks that feature like instrumental portions. These sons harken back to the older albums in structure, but don't quite capture the magic like "Domino" and "Home By The Sea" do.
This should never have been released on it's own, but it was, so it should be reviewed as such. The music is great, but incomplete without the rest of the show. Genesis has always been a great live act, so to break up parts of the performance is to take part of the soul away from it. There are certainly better choices for Genesis live albums; the two tracks that are essential here, "Domino" and "Home By The Sea" appear in their next live album, "Live Over Europe" from the 2007 tour. So this will come down to whether or not you need to hear the tracks from "We Can't Dance" live. You might be better served getting just those tracks and making your own live 'best of' compilation, as the record company didn't put a whole lot of thought into this one. Worth it for the performances, not for the concept.
This is the second of the two, "The Way We Walk Volume 2: The Longs". It was released as a 'limited edition', assuming that the fans of the older material were far less than the millions who bought "Invisible Touch". So they split out the longer sings from the tour, the songs too long to have been singles, but still beloved by their hardcore fans. The plan was not wholly without merit, but it overlooked a couple of key points. First, Genesis has always been a very precise, well-rehearsed band. They generally follow a single set list throughout a tour, so to break it up by song length broke up the flow of the whole show. Most real fans were likely to get both discs, so they now has essentially two greatest hits live CD's instead of a live album.
More importantly to this album was the treatment of the 'old' material, which is primarily what the hardcore fans wanted to hear. It was largely lumped into the "Old Medley", where only pieces of songs like "Firth of Fifth", "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "Dance on a Volcano" were played in succession. The whole point of having an album called "The Longs" was to give the longer songs time, so playing small pieces seemed like a slap in the face.
Concept aside, the music is, of course, outstanding. Road guitarist Darryl Steurmer does much of the heavy lifting, and he is the rare guitarist that can play Steve Hackett's solo from "Firth of Fifth" with the same precision and atmosphere as the original. Road drummer Chester Thompson likewise can play Collins' style not only with the man present, but WITH the man. One of the most curious choices for the disc is the Drum Duet. The playing, featuring simply Collins and Thompson in a dual drum performance, is fantastic, but not a sing most will find the need to return to very often. It's truly more of a visual site take than anything.
Thankfully, some of the Genesis prog standards are here in their entirety. "Home By The Sea" and "Domino" are standout performances, both instrumentally and vocally. Debuting with this tour were the "We Can't Dance" tracks "Fading Lights" and "Driving the Last Spike", two lengthier prog-influenced tracks that feature like instrumental portions. These sons harken back to the older albums in structure, but don't quite capture the magic like "Domino" and "Home By The Sea" do.
This should never have been released on it's own, but it was, so it should be reviewed as such. The music is great, but incomplete without the rest of the show. Genesis has always been a great live act, so to break up parts of the performance is to take part of the soul away from it. There are certainly better choices for Genesis live albums; the two tracks that are essential here, "Domino" and "Home By The Sea" appear in their next live album, "Live Over Europe" from the 2007 tour. So this will come down to whether or not you need to hear the tracks from "We Can't Dance" live. You might be better served getting just those tracks and making your own live 'best of' compilation, as the record company didn't put a whole lot of thought into this one. Worth it for the performances, not for the concept.