Rhino Vinyl & CDs

Review: Genesis' double concept album from 1974 is a seraphic work, telling the surreal, mythic story of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth navigating a dreamlike New York City filled with bizarre characters and symbolism. Also Peter Gabriel's last album with Genesis, it marks the moment that the 'Solsbury Hill' singer left to pursue a solo career, thus curtailing the era of "progressive Genesis". Hailed as one of the most influential prog rock albums of all time, it exalts Genesis as early users of ambient, synth-driven moodscapes, which serve as transcendent backdrops for Rael's "ashy to classy" bildungsroman. As a Puerto Rican street kid embarks on an odyssey of personage, the album reaches a staunch climax in an archetypal castration scene. Also doubling as a live show in which Peter Gabriel donned grotesque costumes and leathery hides to represent Rael - not quite Broadway, but close - this new set comes complete with a 1975 tour programme reproduction, replica ticket, poster and a 60-page coffee table style book featuring rare images and new liner notes by Alexis Petridis.