Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited

Personnel: Steve Hackett, Paul Carrack, Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, John Wetton, Alphonso Johnson, Chester Thompson, Ian McDonald, Colin Blunstone, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
WATCHER OF THE SKIES contains covers of early Genesis material.
Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has assembled a wide variety of musicians to rework many classic Genesis songs. The end result is quite interesting. Some songs are quite true to the original, while some are very big departures -- some are wonderful, some not quite so impressive. In general, this is an intriguing work, that is quite satisfying for the fans of old Genesis. The biggest named musicians joining Steve Hackett on the album include John Wetton, Bill Bruford, and Tony Levin. The most unusual cut on the disc is "Waiting Room Only" in that it was never actually released on a Genesis album. To quote the liner notes, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway had an atonal jam called 'The Waiting Room' -- we tried to recapture its spirit by similarly abandoning form here and creating a whole new piece in the process which we've titled 'Waiting Room Only.'" This track is the only one that was not originally recorded by Genesis. ~ Gary Hill