Not many know it yet, but there is a beautiful live recording for band and orchestra of Genesis' epic "Supper's Ready". Recorded and filmed in January in Iceland, the result is stunning. The band is called Todmobile, an award-winning prog band, founded in the late 80s in Reykjavik. The orchestra is the Northern Symphony Orchestra. Guest star: Steve Hackett! I've never been to Iceland before, and when Steve visited me in Los Angeles last December and told me that he was going to play some concerts with a local prog band there, I was fascinated and amazed.
"The whole thing will take place in mid-January," Steve told me. "I won't take my own band, I'll play as a guest." And he quickly added: "I love playing with musicians from different countries and cultures." Although I was curious, I also thought: "Who the hell is going to Iceland in mid-January, when the sun comes out there for only a few hours and it's always snowing? I wish Steve all the best. During the holidays, I got an e-mail from a friend in Boston. Jack Beerman is a Harvard professor and a huge Genesis fan. "I'll see Steve in Reykjavik," he wrote.
"He plays with Todmobile and a seventy-piece orchestra. They're performing Supper's Ready. You must come with me, Armando!" After a short research I found out that Todmobile is the Icelandic band that recorded a live recording of the masterful Yes piece "Awaken" with Jon Anderson and the Icelandic symphony orchestra plus choir. I called Steve in early January and he confirmed: "Yes, it's the same orchestra that worked with Jon, and Todmobile are the same band. They asked me if I wanted to do Supper's Ready with them. I really like what they did to Jon. This is gonna be fun. Will you be there?" I booked my flight the same day.
Jack was happy and informed me that Volker from Germany would also come with me. Volker Warncke is another huge Genesis fan [his impressions of Hackett's Islandtrip can be found on the homepage of the German Genesis fanclub "it"]. We met at the airport of Reykjavik and went straight to the Harpa Concert Hall, where Steve rehearsed for two days with Todmobile and the orchestra...
