And Then There Were Three

Peter Gabriel had left a few years earlier and the fan base had become used to drummer Phil Collins as frontman. No doubt Gabriel was still sorely missed by some, but the new arrangement seemed to be working. After all, "A Trick of the Tail" and "Wind and Wuthering" had both been decent records and the release of "Seconds Out" meant that there was available testimony that the band were still a solid live act, even if the dramatics of Gabriel were now absent. But honestly, could the band seriously continue after the departure of fine guitarist Steve Hackett. Surely not.....

Wrong! "...And Then There Were Three..." is a fantastic record that arguably was never beaten by the 3-man version of Genesis. The flaunted progressive rock traits that had made the band so successful were dying away here, although the roots are still evident. Sure, there are no extensive structures or virtuoso solos, but that orchestral backdrop, those contrasting section, and virtuosity of the group as a whole can still be heard throughout the record (as it can in most, with the possible exception of `Invisible Touch'). In any case, it was probably a wise decision to drop any strong leanings towards progressive rock at this point, as people had grown rather tired of it. Some fans, therefore, would probably accuse them of selling out from this point onwards. Well, lets just say that from this point onwards, they certainly sold!

The album opens with the familiar dramaticism of previous Genesis. High resonating keyboard notes and chords are first heard, creating an image of lights in the distance, before the guitar riff begins towards the back of the mix moving forward, as if this light is coming towards you. Suddenly, there is an explosion, and Collins rolls around the drum kit at what sounds like a death-defying rate around before the band masterfully handle the track's slightly awkward 9/10/11 beat riff. The song is aggressive and impressive. `Undertow' then offers a contrast as something of a ballad with an admirably solid yet fascinating melody. `Ballad of Big' offers two contrasting sections that the song seems to write itself around. The sudden shifts from the rhythm of one section to the other is something Genesis were more than used and, therefore, deliver flawlessly, offering and element of surprise whilst maintaining a seamless performance.

Highlights include the track `Snowbound' with its powerful melody and vocal performance, and its reflecting verse and intense chorus, and the sudden chromatic figure that seems to appear from nowhere in `Scenes From A Night's Dream'. Once again, melodic mastery cannot be denied in `Say its alright Joe', and of course, there is the closing track, the brilliant `Follow You Follow Me', surely one of the greatest `love songs' ever conceived. The melody is strong, the chorus is alluring, and the sound is captivating. This song was a hit single at a time when many of these production techniques, sounds, and keyboard solos were not all that familiar to a singles buying audience. The whole mix slides up and down, and the mellotron shadows the vocal, finally creating a chorus that overpowers the vocalist as the album fades to a perfect finish.

There is something hugely addictive about this album, something in its sound. It was a signal that Genesis were moving away from their progressive rock roots and beginning to exclusively favour the 3-minute pop format. As mentioned above, this was not necessarily a bad thing, and certainly this record does not suffer from this new direction.

As with 'Wind', I have afforded this new stereo mix (I have not heard the surround mix) 5 stars, not because it is perfect, but because it is nevertheless so much improved over the poorly mixed original.

The vocals are bright and clear, having been stripped of the original cheap muddy reverbs and delays (echoes).

The guitars and keyboards are nicely balanced also, with Rutherford's guitar given a little more prominence than before.

But for me the biggest gain is in the sound of the drums, which no longer sound like Collins bashing a load of cardboard boxes. Ok, I exagerate, the sound wasn't quite that bad, but you take my point.

There are a couple of tracks, however, where - inexplicably - the drums (particularly the snare) are mixed far too low. 'Follow You Follow Me' is a case in point, and my favourite track of the album 'The Lady Lies' also lacks some drumming dynamics.

As with all of the five re-releases, the overall mix suffers with some harsh brick-wall compression flattening the dynamics and stopping the music 'breathing'. But when set against the improvements in clarity over the original (which was never that dynamic in the first place) this is tolerable. Who knows - maybe in another 10-20 years time these historic albums will be re-mixed/re-mastered once again and treated to a more subtle and sympathetic compression.

The DVD contains some nice extras. As with all the re-releases in the series, it houses a roughly 15-minute section of the band interview, in which all members - particularly Banks - speak eloquently, fondly, and critically of the album and the period.

A rather quaint 50-minute BBC documentary from 1978 documents pop combo Genesis on tour! Some of the naive narration from the BBC reporter is hilarious: 'You may have never heard of them, but you can bet your children have' - this of a band that had already been around for about a decade! Tremendous fun.

Buy this, be awed by the new clarity, and stick your original in the loft.

And then there were three is Genesis' most underrated albums of their career. This album is a break-away from the old Genesis sound into a new tighter,more structured feel that results in shorter songs. However,the music is a refreshing change with some superb tracks. Perhaps the best song on the album is 'Undertow', which to me is an outstanding track with a totally
absorbing chorus; closely followed are Burning Rope, Deep in the Motherlode, Many to Many and Snowbound. The rest of the album is a collection of great songs. For me the weakest is 'Scenes from a nights dream', although I consider it the weakest it is still a colourful and catchy tune but does not shine like the others.
Anyone considering buying this album should. Anyone who is familar with the new Genesis should invest in this album as a link to the old, progressive rock Genesis which still remains their best work to date. The loss of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett is apparent, but this is an album that I can listen to on a Sunday afternoon and drift away into a nostalgic, tranquil state of indulgence in a truely fabulous album.