The Annotated Discography
Supplement #2:
Bootlegs
Supplement #2:
Bootlegs
As a supplement to this supplement, I have included an incomplete list of Brand X live recordings, the beginnings of which were lifted (with permission!) from Scott McMahan's unparalleled electronic tome, The Genesis Discography.
A note about bootlegs: Any information printed on the packaging of such unauthorized productions is extremely suspect, and often painfully inaccurate. Dates and other details listed here have been cross-checked with more reliable information, and can be considered verified unless otherwise noted.
Another note: The editor would like to emphatically deny any similarity between Bootlegging and Pirating. The latter is a truly abhorrent injustice and should be punishable by drawing and quartering. The former practice, however, simply fills a market niche upon which the artist failed or declined to capitalize.
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A somewhat mysterious item, apparently only released as a cassette, and unverified info suggests that the band actually produced it. Tracks with * are credited as "Dudley University, 1979" with Percy and John only. "Jonestown" is an unknown source. As for the remainder, this is apparently the same recording that now appears on Missing Period.
A Japanese CD release called "Live in Lybia" on the Pony Canyon label has shown up on several import lists, but this is actually just an alternate package for Missing Period.
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Fellow listener Dan Buxbaum writes the following of his copy of this LP:
The sound on this is absolutely incredible, it could easily have been mixed for broadcast, if not, one of the best sounding and balanced soundboards I ever heard. Better, more balanced and cleaner than Rated X and San Francisco '77.
I must concur entirely. The only complaint to be had is a stretch: at times the lower frequencies are subdued, to the point where Percy is tough to hear in the mix. This can be EQ-ed to compensate. Overall this is the cleanest, clearest, best-balanced Brand X bootleg this listener has heard. The performance is of course fantastic, including some effects and sounds on keys and guitar that differ markedly from those used in the studio or on other tours and performances.
This has at times existed with varying track orders and some variants include the elusive b-side from Product "Pool Room Blues" as a bonus track. Note that a much more complete version this recording was released officially as disc one of Timeline in 2000.
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The misspelling is consistent throughout the package except for the CD itself, where the main title is emblazoned. This is a reasonably worthwhile item, featuring radio broadcast material on both sources. Tracks 1-5 have prominent hiss, but enough dynamic range remains to make it quite listenable. Track 6 is slightly better.
Another fine performance with lots of comments from Robin between songs. It includes an even more boistrous than usual "Nuclear Burn," and this listener's favorite send-up of "Access to Data." The second "Deadly Nightshade" is truly epic, with a great percussion jam followed by a very thorough and spontaneous "exploration" of the climactic pre-coda section.
Consumer Alert: The first four Rochester tracks surfaced in May 2000 in the form of a cheap Japanese knock-off (CD-R) called Livestock II, on the "Interface" label. Nothing new there.
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Sound quality is very good on this soundboard feed, but primitive enough to suggest it was not produced for broadcast. It's also a few generations away from the master, and some hiss and dulling is apparent. Nonetheless, this one will probably go down in my book as the best of all the Brand X boots. "Disco Suicide" is played in its entirety, not just the tail end as in the '79 tour. John's solos, particularly on "Malaga Virgen," are even more wacked-out and spacey than usual. Stands up to many listenings.
Musicians:
This is a very nice soundboard feed, obviously mixed for the tape (or somebody tapped the subs), but probably not for radio. Percussion is a little dull and flat, but not disturbingly so, and there's some hiss and minor distortion that were probably on the master. "Earth Dance" comes in abruptly and a few seconds underway, as does "Deadly Nightshade," and TGoML is cut off slightly before it manages to dwindle to an end, but it's a great recording, easily weighing in as the best among Brand X boots to date. Hats off to Highland for putting it together.
The boys were in fine form. Several tunes, most notably "Earth Dance" and "Nuclear Burn," are particularly extended and departed from the usual treatment. Morris Pert is introduced as playing electric piano on "Black Moon," and the personnel are all introduced before "Nuclear Burn." The performance date listed on the insert is '79, but lucky fellow listener Alan Barlett attended this show on Sunday, October 1, 1978, and Peter Hammill was the opening act (thanks Alan!).
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This is a typical raw sounboard feed, with some distortion on the peaks, but nothing disastrous. The lineup is rather departed from the usual studio crew, but still delivers the "Brand X-cellence" we've come to expect and enjoy. The primitive mix can get a bit tiresome, and there's a bit more drum solo activity than I'd ever care to hear, but for occasional listening the energetic and dynamic performance make it totally worthwhile. After "Earth Dance" and a couple of thankyous, an audience member is clearly audible shouting "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Having been present that night, I certainly would have agreed. The following is printed in the insert, in English and Italian:
A rare episode of the BRAND X american tour of 1978 with an unusual line-up playing a very interesting repertoire characterized by an impressive technical level and interpretative feelings.
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The source tape for this CD is an American college radio broadcast, many generations from the master. This distance gives it a dull sound and prominent hiss, but it is stereo and the original was a professional mix, making it fairly listenable (with, of course, the exeption of "Don't Make Waves," which features vocals WAY out front and embarassingly bad). At one point between songs, Robin mentions "a bootleg album of ours called 'Live at the Cardiff Room, Lybia'." The scantily-marked inserts and disc are rumored to have been produced in Japan, but that may only be a major distribution point. There is no indication of date or origin anywhere on the product.
This recording has been released more recently by Highland Records (Japan) as "Phil's Masques" and possibly also by another label. The source for "Phil's Masques" is of noticeably inferior quality.
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Sound quality is similar to the previous, coming out slightly duller with about the same amount of hiss. As usual, the performance more than makes up for what is lacking in the reproduction, though it suffers equally from the presence of "Don't Make Waves." The vocals are again too loud, though some might suggest that being audible might fully qualify them for that description. That misfortune aside, this performance is especially improvisational and exploratory, with a "Malaga Virgen" that may surpass all others for this listener. As with the previous package, production credits are conspicuously absent. A nice set of mugshots of the five members adorns the back insert, along with some mildly humourous musician credits. The spine of the insert says "Don't Make Wades."
| 1976-00-00 | BBC, London | CD/SB 40min w/Phil Collins | |
| 1976-02-20 | Nashville Rooms London, England | (unreleased material!) (70min. VG ) | |
| 1976-07-15 | John Peel Session London, England | FM (15min. EXC) | |
| 1976-07-30 | Marquee Club, London | aud 90min w/Phil Collins | |
| 1976-08-29 | Reading Festival' Reading, England | 51min. VG+ | |
| 1976-12-00 | Ronnie Scott's, London | "Rock Around the World" LP/SB 25min | |
| 1977-06-16 | Marble Bar' Baltimore, MD | 1st show (50min. VG+) | |
| 1977-06-16 | Marble Bar' Baltimore, MD | 2nd show (60min. VG+) | |
| 1977-06-19 | Smucker's, Brooklyn, NY | FM 45min w/Dennard | |
| 1977-06-20 | Cellar Door, Washington, D.C. | aud 90min | |
| 1977-08-05 | Hammersmith Odeon, London | aud 45min (performance for some of Livestock) | |
| 1977-09-28 | Glass Onion, Rochester, NY | FM 2nd set 60min w/Kenwood Dennard | |
| 1977-09-28 | Glass Onion, Rochester, NY | 1st show (54min. VG-) | |
| 1977-09-28 | Glass Onion, Rochester, NY | 2nd show, FM (60min. EXC) | |
| 1977-09-28 | Glass Onion, Rochester, NY | aud 1st set 65min | |
| 1977-10-18 | Cellar Door Washingon, DC | 1st show 70min | |
| 1977-10-30 | Beacon Theater, NYC | aud 60min | |
| 1977-10-31 | Beacon Theater, NYC | aud 45min | |
| 1977-11-16 | Schaumberg, IL | FM 60min w/Kenwood Dennard | |
| 1977-11-17 | Chicago, IL | 60 min. FM (same as Shaumberg Nov. 16/77?) | |
| 1977-11-28 | The Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA | CD/FM 60min w/Kenwood Dennard | |
| 1977-11-30 | Roxy, Los Angeles | aud 75min | |
| 1977-12-01 | Roxy, Los Angeles | 1st show aud 75min | |
| 1977-12-01 | Roxy, Los Angeles | 2nd show aud 75min | |
| 1978-06-19 | Congress Centrum Halle, Hamburg, Germany | aud 60min w/Goodsall | |
| 1978-07-00 | Glass Onion, Rochester, NY | FM 45min w/Goodsall | |
| 1978-07-14 | Bunky's, Madison, WI | aud 90min w/Goodsall, Mike Clarke | |
| 1978-07-16 | Dooley's East Lansing, MI | 70min | |
| 1978-07-23 | Cellar Door, Washingon, DC | 1st show 65min | |
| 1978-08-02 | Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA | 1st show 70min | |
| 1978-08-02 | Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA | 2nd show 70min | |
| 1978-08-20 | Karen, Stockholm, Sweden | FM (58min. EXC) | |
| 1978-08-30 | Karen, Stockhom, Sweden | FM 57min w/Mike Miller, Chuck Burgi | |
| 1978-10-01 | Rainbow Theatre, London, England | FM (74min. VG+) | |
| 1978-10-03 | Rainbow Theater, London | SB 75min w/Mike Miller, Chuck Burgi | |
| 1978-10-24 | Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA | aud 135min w/Miller & Goodsall one song | |
| 1978-10-25 | Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA | aud 105min | |
| 1978-10-27 | Hofstra University | aud 80min | |
| 1978-10-29 | My Fathers Place, Roslyn, NY | aud 75min w/Mike Miller | |
| 1978-10-31 | Bottom Line, NYC | FM 75min w/Mike Miller, Mike Clarke | |
| 1978-11-07 | Kent State, OH | FM 115min | |
| 1978-11-11 | Park West, Chicago, IL | FM 70min w/Mike Miller (53m also exists) | |
| 1978-11-27 | Roxy, Los Angeles | aud 80min | |
| 1978-11-28 | Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, California | aud (80min. VG+) | |
| 1979-00-00 | BBC, London | FM 10min w/Phil | |
| 1979-00-00 | Dudley University | SB 30min w/Mike Clarke | |
| 1979-09-00 | interview- Los Angeles | FM Boffomundo Radio Show 30min w/Phil & John | |
| 1979-09-21 | Roxy, Los Angeles, CA | aud 80min | |
| 1979-09-22 | Roxy, Los Angeles, CA | SB, also aud 110min w/Phil | |
| 1979-09-23 | Roxy, Los Angeles, CA | SB 72min | |
| 1979-09-25 | Park West, Chicago, IL | FM 60min w/Phil | |
| 1979-09-26 | Bottom Line, NYC | FM 70min w/Phil | |
| 1979-09-30 | Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA | aud 80min | |
| 1979-10-28 | Long Isalnd, NY | ?FM "The Illegal Planet" 30min w/Phil | |
| 1992-12-06 | Bottom Line, NYC | aud 75min | |
| 1992-12-15 | The Estate, Milwuakee, WI | aud 70min | |
| 1993-03-25 | DNA Lounge, San Francisco, CA | aud 80min | |
| 1993-06-26 | Bottom Line, NYC | early SB 75min | |
| 1993-06-26 | Bottom Line, NYC | late aud 75min | |
| 1993-06-27 | Max's On Broadway, Baltimore, MD | SB 70min | |
| 1996-05-30 | Philadelphia, PA | SB 75min | |
| 1997-03-31 | Osaka, Japan | aud 125min | |
| 1997-04-03 | Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo | aud 125min | |
| 1997-06-04 | Rome, Italy | FM 50min | |
| 1999-05-17 | Baked Potato, Hollywood | aud 110min | |
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