Live Month continues with Bootleg Week, which is admittedly odd considering my penchant for clear, immersive production when it comes to live music, something typically not the case with bootlegs. But for certain artists, getting to hear specific albums or eras, hearing bands really work and stretch out their tunes is an irresistible draw. This goes double for progressive rock, and Genesis specifically. Getting In Tune (terrible title, I know) showcases the band supporting A Trick Of The Tail, their first with Phil Collins taking over vocals from Peter Gabriel and with the legendary Bill Bruford taking the drum seat (ignore the inaccurate cover art – Chester Thompson would join in ’77). The recording, from their second night at London’s Hammersmith and broadcast for radio is solid, showing a band still fearlessly charging forth unabated by the lost of so prominent a front man.

The band opens with “Dance On A Volcano” the opening track from the latest album, and really my first full introduction to the classic prog era of Genesis. I had heard the song “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” first as a Paul Gilbert cover (it’s amazing) before buying the album…and promptly never listening to it. So A Trick Of The Tail was really my first conscious “let’s check these guy out” experience, and that track remains a favorite. I love Phil Collins’s voice, And he shows how capably he could cover the Gabriel era by then launching into a trio of cuts from Lamb jokingly titled “Lamb Stew” and featuring the title track, “Fly On A Windshield” and “The Carpet Crawlers”.

The sound is great, a soundboard recording taken from a radio broadcast and mixed decently, giving everyone a chance to shine, including Steve Hackett, who would be repressed on the following year’s proper live album Seconds Out proving to be the last straw for him and the band. Bruford is a more than capable replacement for Collins on the kit, allowing him to focus on being the more accessible, charming frontman. His voice has always been amazing – the small opportunities at lead and his gorgeous harmonies with Gabriel were always a highlight of the earlier albums – but now in a full lead role I think everyone was standing up and taking notice. You can also hear in his light banter and intros to the tracks a man slowly growing into the persona that would lead the band to massive success in the 80s.

But here, on tracks like the beautiful 13-minute epic “The Cinema Show” and early favorite “White Mountain” it’s all about the band showing just how phenomenally talented they were. Tony Banks is a keyboard fiend, making it sealer when you talk about the giants of progressive rock keyboards like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson, Banks should be there standing shoulder to shoulder with them. Almost all the songs you could want are here, with prog epics like “Firth of Fifth” and the massive “Supper’s Ready” present alongside more accessible hits like “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” and a number of songs from Trick including “Sqonk” and “Los Endos” before finally closing with a track that Hackett in particular has used to open his shows countless times, the fantastic “Watcher Of The Skies”.

Would I choose Getting in Tune over the “official” albums Genesis Live and Seconds Out? Honestly, I definitely turn to this more than Seconds Out – I love the performances here, the sound is a little rough but it has a bite and aggression I really enjoy. Overall it’s a great live document of a band in their musical prime and worth tracking down if you’re a fan.