It's that time again.
The proof is in the box sets and greatest hits reviewed today.
Although some of the reviewed releases had DVDs included in the package, they were mainly audio reviews.
But there is a noteworthy music-DVD box set — Genesis' "Movie Box, 1981-2007."
This collection features five DVDs — 1982's "Three Sides Live" (which fit on a single DVD); 1984's "Genesis Live — the Mama Tour"; 1987's "Genesis at Wembley Stadium"; 1992's "Genesis: The Way We Walk — Live in Concert"; and "Genesis: VH1 Behind the Music (Revisited)," a documentary that aired on VH1 in 1999.
However, there are spaces reserved for three additional live DVDs — 2008's "When in Rome" (which is comprised of two DVDs) and the accompanying documentary "Come Rain or Shine," all of which are sold in a separate package.
Even with the absence of those DVDs, "Movie Box" is an impressive collection that gives a visual account of Genesis that focuses on when Phil Collins was the lead singer. The "Behind the Music" disc reaches back to the days when Peter Gabriel was in the band.
Arguably, "Three Sides Live," "Genesis Live — the Mama Tour" and "Genesis at Wembley Stadium" are the most popular of the entire collection. Those shows captured Genesis at its peak of popularity. Songs such as "Turn It on Again," "Man on the Corner," "Abacab," "Illegal Alien," "Invisible Touch" and "Land of Confusion" were the band's hot singles during that time, and they are played to the audience's delight.
There is something to be said about "The Way We Walk: Live in Concert." This concert was filmed four years before Collins' departure, and the band was at its peak. The band members — Collins, bassist Mike Rutherford, keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Daryl Stuermer and drummer Chester Thompson (who plays drum duets with Collins) — were unstoppable, and their musical finesse was unmatchable.
The DVD extras feature behind-the-scenes views, including a home movie filmed by Collins.
This box set is geared for fans, not the casual Genesis listener. It is impressive, nonetheless.
e-mail: scott@desnews.com