Seconds Out

Most of the album was recorded at the Palais des Sports, Paris

In July 1977, the Genesis line-up of lead singer and drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett, and touring drummer Chester Thompson finished a seven-month tour supporting Wind & Wuthering (1976). For their next step, the group began the process of selecting live recordings from the 1977 tour for an official release, becoming their second live album —-the first being Genesis Live (1973).

Seconds Out is compiled mostly from the band's four dates at the Palais des Sports in Paris between 11–14 June 1977. The shows were recorded and broadcast in part by French radio station RTL. One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded at the Pavillon de Paris on 23 June 1976 during the 1976 tour supporting A Trick of the Tail (1976). This features Bill Bruford on drums. "I Know What I Like" contains a snippet of the 1953 song "I Love Paris".[1]

The album's credits include details of which drummer(s) are playing on each song. Mixed in with these credits are the notes "Robbery Assault & Battery – keyboard solo Phil" and "Cinema Show – Bill Bruford, Phil keyboard solo". This should be read to mean that Collins played the drum kit (along with Thompson or Bruford) during that solo, not that Collins played keyboards.

Seconds Out was released on 14 October 1977.[2] Charisma Records organised an extensive promotional campaign for the album that included double page spreads in newspapers, window displays, colour posters, and commercials on national radio.[4] In the US, the album was released by Atlantic Records.[5] It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 47 on the US Billboard 200.[6]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Rolling Stone	(average)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Sounds

Hugh Fielder of Sounds gave the album five stars out of five.[1] Melody Maker reporter Chris Welch, with assistance from Bob Gallagher, also praised the album.[10] Rolling Stone praised the contemporary incarnation of the band, noting they had "less reliance on theatrics" than before Peter Gabriel's departure, "and an added dollop of jazz-rock inclinations." However, they criticised the album for being nothing more than a recreation of their studio recordings, making it an essentially pointless release.[8]

In their retrospective review, AllMusic wrote that Genesis's renderings of songs from A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering surpass the studio recordings, with "superb vocals by Collins throughout," and drumming by Chester Thompson, which they described as "at least a match for Collins' best playing." They considered the tracks from earlier albums to be weaker, however, finding Collins "...can't match the subtlety or expressiveness of Gabriel's singing, though he comes close."[7]

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has described Seconds Out as "one of my drum bibles" and "one of my favorite-sounding drum records too."[11]

In 1994, a digitally remastered version was released on CD by Virgin Records in Europe and by Atlantic Records in the US. Seconds Out was reissued with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes completed by Nick Davis and released as part of the Genesis Live 1973–2007 box set in September 2009. On the original LP, "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos" are banded as one track. This error was corrected on the box set. In November 2012, a 35th anniversary LP was pressed using the 2009 remaster.

All songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, except where noted.[12]

Credits taken from the album's sleeve notes.[12]

Genesis

• Tony Banks – RMI Electra piano, Hammond T. organ, ARP Pro Soloist, Mellotron 400, Epiphone 12-string guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford – Shergold electric 12-string and bass guitar, 8-string bass guitar, Alvarez 12-string guitar, Moog Taurus bass pedals, backing vocals
• Steve Hackett – Gibson Les Paul, Hokada 12-string guitar
• Phil Collins – lead vocals, Premier and Gretsch drums

with

• Chester Thompson – Pearl drums, percussion (except "The Cinema Show")
• Bill Bruford – Ludwig and Hayman drums, percussion ("The Cinema Show" only)

Production

• Genesis – production
• David Hentschel – production
• Neil Ross – assistant production
• Armando Gallo – sleeve photos
• Robert Ellis – sleeve photos
• Graham Wood – sleeve photos
• A&D Design – sleeve layout
• Frank Sanson – art direction
• Tony Smith – management
• Alex Sim – management
• Brian Murray-Smith – management