One For The Show (Highland HL589/590)
Stadhalle, Vienna, Austria – August 28th, 1978
Disc 1 (69:46): Eleventh Earl Of Mar, In The Cage, Burning Rope, Ripples, Deep In The Motherlode, The Fountain Of Salmacis, Ballad Of Big, One For The Vine
Disc 2 (66:13): Squonk, Say It’s Alright Joe, The Lady Lies, The Cinema Show / …In That Quiet Earth, Afterglow, Follow You Follow Me, Dance On A Volcano, drum duet / Los Endos, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway / The Musical Box
Genesis not only expanded their commercial appeal with 1978’s And Then There Were Three… by writing more songs with catchy hooks, but also playing in new venues. One Of The Show documents their first performance in Vienna. Highland use a second generation, very good sounding audience recording of the complete concert.
The emphasis is upon the high end which tends to make it sound rather thin at times. There is also some distortion present, some deterioration of the tape during “The Lady Lies” and a cut in the encore at 3:19 eliminating the transition between “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” and “The Musical Box.”
For all of Genesis’ popularity in continental Europe and their constant touring there, this is the first time they ever played in the Austrian capital. Keeping their fans in there starved for live appearances for so long aided in the warm reception heard on the tape.
Austrians seem much more subdued than other audiences and are attentive throughout the show. The opening numbers are delivered at a deliberate pace with “Eleventh Earl Of Mar” and “In The Cage” building much excitement in the venue.
“My deutsch is nichts gut” Phil confesses to the audience. “So I will read it.” And then goes on to say they will play new songs and old songs.
The new song “Ballad Of Big” was added to the setlist for the European dates and it’s good to hear a live version of the song. Collins leads the audience in participation during “The Lady Lies” before they play the medley with “The Cinema Show” leading into the instrumental “In That Quiet Earth” and “Afterglow.”
The set ends with the “Dance On A Volcano” and “Los Endos” medley with the Thompson / Collins drum duet in the middle. “I Know What I Like” was the normal encore but they play “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” for the only known time in Europe instead.
The cut in the tape eliminates the transition into the finale of “The Musical Box.”
Overall One For The Show is a solid release of a less than perfect recording with very good packaging.
