Genesis - "Test Pressing"

Genesis
"Test Pressing"
Bootleg
Recorded Feb. 24-25, 1973

Guess I'm on a bit of a Phil Collins kick.

Ostensibly, this bootleg is taken from a test pressing for Genesis's 1973 "Live" album.

One story is that "Live" was originally a double album and that test pressings were made before the record company decided to trim it down to a single LP. Another is that these recordings were supposed to air on King Biscuit Flower Hour and were later trimmed into the official release. It is also speculated that it was a promo LP sent to Dutch radio stations several months before "Live" was released (as the above image might indicate).

Whatever the origin, this is one of those "Holy Grail" bootlegs that had attained mythic status before the Internet and file-sharing killed the bootleg black market (thankfully). Now it is relatively easy to find through online bootleg-sharing websites.

Listening to it, it is obviously sourced from a vinyl LP - there are occasional pops throughout, although nothing particularly distracting - which gives credence to its fabled origin. And the performances are definitely the same as the official release.

In fact there are only two notable differences between "Test Pressing" and "Live":

1) It includes longer stories introducing the songs.
2) It includes "Suppers Ready."

So owners of "Live" already have 3/4s of this boot. But that last quarter makes all the difference.
There wasn't an official live release of Peter Gabriel singing "Supper's Ready" until the Genesis "Archives" box set of the late '90s, and non-audience bootleg versions were equally scarce.

And this is a tremendous performance of the epic track, complete with an hilarious introduction about worms.

Why Genesis never released the full version is unknown - why they never released this additional track as a CD bonus is equally puzzling - indeed, whether the complete tapes still exist is a mystery.

But thank goodness for the tape traders who unearthed this gem and have brought it to light.

There are several different versions of this recording floating around in trading circles. All have the same basic tracks, but are sourced from different recordings of the LPs so there are differences in sound quality, especially tape hiss.