...AND THEN THERE WERE THREE...

What a great album from the evolving Genesis. It's important to remember that pretty much all the top prog bands went through huge changes by the late 70's. All considered, this effort really has so much to offer if you give it the time. 'Down And Out' opens in prog mode with Phil sounding more confident than ever on vocals. I love the floating, spacey keyboards throughout this record. There are many rich and interesting sounds. Not all of those sounds are the same as before, but of course, new things had to happen. "Undertow" is a particularly beautiful track and a highlight along with "Burning rope" and "Lady lies". You'll hear plenty of nice harmonies as well as brilliant synth work, especially during the solos. There are some nice shorter numbers like "Say it's Alright joe" which is quite different for a Genesis number with a slight jazzy feel. Everywhere you can still notice some brutal changes of speed, mood and contrast that the band always had on previous works. Some of the steps into more popular areas don't stop this from being a wonderful record. In all, "And Then There Were Three" is pretty enjoyable from start to finish. I find it very addictive actually. If you liked the other post-Gabriel Genesis stuff, then there's no doubt, you should get this one. Four solid stars.