...And Then There Were Three...
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...And Then There Were Three... is a studio album by the British band Genesis and was released in 1978.
A pivotal release in the band's history, the title is a wry reference to the recent departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, reducing Genesis to a trio (which would result in their longest unchanged line-up until 1996). As a result, the roles of the remaining members of Genesis became more sharply defined. Tony Banks handled all keyboards, Mike Rutherford all guitars, and Phil Collins vocals and all percussion. Additionally, ...And Then There Were Three... heralded a move towards shorter radio-friendly songs and marked the band's strategic move away from progressive rock at the height of punk rock, and included a song based on the fantastic adventures of comic strip character Little Nemo, ("Scenes From a Night's Dream"). As a more direct and accessible release, Genesis' fanbase increased considerably, with the album reaching #3 on the UK Albums Chart — having been bolstered by the Top 5 success of Follow You, Follow Me, which also became Genesis' first hit US single. As a result, ...And Then There Were Three... reached #14 on the US chart, becoming their first Gold (eventually Platinum) album there (see RIAA certification).
For many fans of the band's earlier work, this album indicated a crisis in the musical direction in the band, and rumors abounded of Genesis' potential demise. While many of the shorter songs were still clearly avant-garde in terms of instrumentation and lyrical material, few were longer than five minutes in length, and the arrangements went from the more classical, movement-style composition of previous albums to the more standard verse/chorus/bridge/chorus format of popular songwriting.
Some of the songs harken to earlier days - "Burning Rope" sounds like many of the more complex numbers of A Trick of the Tail, "Snowbound" is as pristine a ballad as anything on Wind & Wuthering, and the opening track "Down and Out" (with its 15/16 time signature) is as musically difficult and dramatic as "Dance on a Volcano".
Album cover
The LP sleeve cover was designed by Hipgnosis, design studio founded by Storm Thorgerson (best known for his work with Pink Floyd). In an interview, Thorgerson called the design a "failure", and described the concept being conveyed:
Track listing
- "Down And Out" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 5:25
- "Undertow" (Tony Banks) – 4:46
- "Ballad Of Big" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 4:49
- "Snowbound" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:29
- "Burning Rope" (Tony Banks) – 7:09
- "Deep In The Motherlode" (Mike Rutherford) – 5:13
- "Many Too Many" (Tony Banks) – 3:30
- "Scenes From A Night's Dream" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins) – 3:29
- "Say It's Alright Joe" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:19
- "The Lady Lies" (Tony Banks) – 6:05
- "Follow You Follow Me" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 3:59
Personnel
- Phil Collins - percussion, drums, vocals
- Tony Banks - keyboards, vocals
- Mike Rutherford - basses, guitars. bass pedals
Notes
| Genesis |
| Tony Banks | Phil Collins | Peter Gabriel | Steve Hackett | Mike Rutherford |
| Anthony Phillips | John Mayhew | John Silver | Chris Stewart | Daryl Stuermer | Ray Wilson |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums and extended plays: From Genesis to Revelation | Trespass | Nursery Cryme | Foxtrot | Selling England by the Pound | The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway | A Trick of the Tail | Wind & Wuthering | ...And Then There Were Three... | Duke | Abacab | Genesis | Invisible Touch | We Can't Dance | Calling All Stations | Spot the Pigeon | 3 X 3 |
| Live Albums: Genesis Live | Seconds Out | Three Sides Live | ' | ' |
| Compilations: | The Platinum Collection |
| Box sets: Genesis Archive 1967-75 | |
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