In the beginning there was … well, Genesis. The prog giants of the 1970s have endured well into the 21st century and but for the wretched pandemic would now be touring the UK for the first time for more than 13 years.
Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks had all committed to the reunion of a group that has sold millions of albums and become one of the great live acts. Then Covid-19 intervened.
The tour has been pushed back for a year but for their many fans The Record Album offers a consolation. By coincidence we have received a wonderful treasure trove of Genesis material from someone who has worked for the band for more than 30 years, from the early days when they were led by Peter Gabriel to the modern version that was about to tour.
In this marvellous (and very large) collection we have many versions of almost all their albums, including some very rare pressings, Japanese issues and several signed records and sleeves. It also includes a number of albums still sealed in shrinkwrap or taken directly from the stock box in which they were first distributed.
In other words, you are very unlikely to find original pressings in better condition – they are, in the truest sense, mint. Among the items are most of the Genesis albums and many of the solo releases by all the band members.
In due course many of them will make their way online but for now they are only available to visitors or callers to the shop, which will re-open on Wednesday December 2 after lockdown ends. The whole collection will be available to view then along with a number of other treats we have found during November’s enforced closure.
The Record Album will be open every day from December 2 up to Christmas from 10am to 6pm, 11am to 4pm on Sundays.