...AND THEN THERE WERE THREE...

And Then Then There Were Three... The 3 being the last 3 memebers that are left because Gabriel and Hackette have quit the band.Phil Collins does the singing and still does the drumming.From this album on, the style will be much more pop oriented but that doesn't necessarily mean not good.This album is very Ballad oriented but they are very well made.The strong song to me is Down and out.There first pop hit Follow you Follow me is from this album.

This album marked a decline after Wind and Wuthering. Hackett was missed and Collins fills the soundstage with lots of (very good) tom toms. Genesis were now doing more "songs" than prog compositions and this album sounds more American to me too. A very good album by any standards, but lacking the freshness and originality of previous works.

Again a couple of ballady pop songs in Many Too Many (really good) and Follow You Follow Me (not so good) but the rest isn't pop by any stretch of the imagination, I never remember the top ten being littered with songs like Down and Out and deep In the Motherlode. Songs are slightly shorter on average but are only let down by a muddy production, Hacketts absence is felt but theres an amazing guitar solo at the end of Burning Rope. Not their best, but not their worst. Worth getting into.

2,5 stars really!!

How can a band survived the departure of such a great guitarist as Hackett and not replace him? Well the band will not do that well but all things considered this album is not as catastrophiic as most people tell it out to be. Sure, they will have their first top 10 hit with the atrocious Follow You! Sure, the epics are gone (save one that is relatively unnoticed)! Sure, they have no great instrumental passages , but this is a transitional album, not just musically as Collins was also close to slamming the door as his marriage was on the rocks..

Many tracks still have a Genesis touch , and no-one mentioned in the other reviews mentioned the only track referring to their previous stuff: Deep in the Motherlode . With this track being the only "epic" of the album (written by Rutherford on top of it - this actually almost makes up for the atrocious and endless tear-jerker Your Own Special Way on the previousalbum) telling the quest (a very common theme in Genesis tunes) about a young man who "still has mother's milk still wet behind his ears" in the great wide west human jungle.

But clearly the band chose to explore a different alley and explain it in the opening track, Down and Out as they apologize for the change to happen. Burning Rope , Allright Joe, Ballad Of Big are all decent tracks but have that unfinished feel as if they were waiting for Hackett to come back and put his guitar parts. And when guitars do intervene , they sound like Hackett (Many Too Many). Undertow is also worthy of note, but clearly the album is not of the calibre we had been so used to. But still quite good with what to come in a couple of albums later.

Of course , this pivotal album is the start of Genesis's metamorphosis from a Progressive Butterfly into a Pop Larva, but this album still has a few things going for itself. Those who blame Collins for the changes are simply wrong , his writing credits are few and far between. And nothing gets done in Genesis without banks 's consent.

I actually admired their work (from 'From Genesis to Revelation' till 'Wind and Wuthering'). Their music was a true revelation to me. So I was very pleased to listen to 'And Then There Were Three', but... although there are some quite nice songs on the CD, it did not offer me the same feelings as the previous ones did. I had the feeling that the soul of Genesis was a bit ill. And I know I was right at that time, because soon after this CD, the 'real' Genesis died.

Rough at the edges at first, but eventaully the album grows on you. The departure of Hackett made this album even tougher to bear for long time fans, although Mike did and admiral job amongst the pressure of re-learning the 6 string all over. Tony's Keyboarding is too upfront, but his songwriting is still first rate, maybe the best of the three at this point. Phil's drumming would never sound any better than here, adding some of his best ever. Charles

I think there's been a little too much "GENESIS SOLD OUT!!!" screaming reguarding this album. Yeah, the songs are getting shorter at this point... but I think that, in general, they're tighter as well. I enjoy most every Genesis CD, but I'd say my favorite "era" is from "Trick" through "self-titled," with "Duke" as probably the best of the bunch. Before that, while terriffic, they could sometimes fall into a meandering pace (for example, the last third of "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight"... or, god help me "Supper's Ready" which I always found rather forced) and yes, starting with "Touch" they maybe did get a little poppy (although We Can't Dance is a pop masterpeice).

In any event, I've never really thought that Genesis' strong point was in musical pyrotechnics... leave that to the Rushs and Dream Theaters out there. I think their biggest contribution to progressive music has been to marry it with pop music and add intelligence to the genre which I feel they really began to do on this album. "Down and Out" is probably as "rocking" as Genesis ever got and what Phil manages to do (drumming-wise) with the 5/4 time is damn near unbelievable. "Burning Rope" would have been right at home on "Wind & Wuthering," compare it to the second half of "One for the Vine." "Deep in the Motherload" combines Mike's penchant for that shuffle bass line with an explosive recurring riff and a tremendiously evocative middle section. "Undertow" is as good a power ballad as the 70s saw. And come on... "Follow You, Follow Me" doesn't move you? It's lyrically and musically beautiful and Phil sings it so ernestly... a defenite must-play at my wedding.

As far as Hackett leaving... I really don't think it changed things THAT much. I mean, he was easily the least important member of the band at this point. Let's face it, no matter what the line-up, this has always been Tony Banks' band. Listen to his solo works and then listen to what the band was doing around the time of each one. He IS the Genesis sound. The keyboards have always carried the melody, the guitar has never been more than an atmospheric shading. I'm not knocking Hackett, he's an incredibly original guitar player, but if Genesis had to lose someone at this stage, I'm glad it was him.

All in all this is probably my second or third favorite Genesis album behiend "Duke" and maybe "Wind & Wuthering."

This is the last GENESIS' record that I can listen all the songs without being bored, except maybe "Follow You Follow Me", which was a big hit during those years. Despite Steve HACKETT's departure, Mike RUTHEFORD took the control of the guitar elements, and succeeds very well. We feel here that the songs are less loaded, more floating and romantic. The longest tracks are still quite progressive ("Burning Rope", "Lady Lies"). The keyboards are absolutely omnipresent, varied and rather floating and melodic: There are some parts where the keyboards get so coloured and deep that it becomes almost quintessential ("Burning Rope"). The rythmic guitar and melodic solos are well suited for the modern keyboards. Mike RUTHEFORD's bass is quite impressive, and we can easily listen to it because it is not hidden by the guitars. COLLINS' drums are quite good, but obviously not as good as on "Trick of the Tail".

The line on . "And Then There Were Three" says that it marks the beginning of the band's commercial reinvention, which is misleading. Despite the loss of Steve HACKETT and the presence of the popular "Follow You, Follow Me", the band still has one foot firmly planted in the progressive rock of yore. The opening track, "Down and Out", actually addresses the pressure they felt to create more commercial music -- tellingly, it's one of the album's more complex tracks. With the trio splitting the songwriting and Mike RUTHEFORD assuming guitar duties, some different styles emerge. Tony BANKS' are the better tracks, as he may well be the most complete songwriter of the three; "The Lady Lies", "Many Too Many", "Burning Rope" and "Undertow" each invoke some small degree of majesty.

RUTHEFORD doesn't attempt to fill the void left by HACKETT, instead playing his typically polite guitar on songs like "Snowbound" and "Say It's Alright Joe". Phil COLLINS' drums assume a larger role in the mix, and he's clearly grown more comfortable as a vocalist, belting it out on songs like "Deep in the Motherlode". One of the best tracks from the album, "Scenes From A Night Dream", recounts the story of Little Nemo and includes some fantastic subject matter that prog rock fans will enjoy.

If there's any knock on the album, it's that the band can be noisy in their pursuit of a suitably "large" sound as a trio. (Oddly, GENESIS seemed to recover better from the loss of Peter GABRIEL than HACKETT.) They would re-think this approach on "Duke", abandoning prog's sprawling spires in favor of tighter arrangements that a trio could capably climb.

Many people call it the end of the old GENESIS, and I can't disagree on that. Here they go for shorter songs, but I still can't call this album a sellout. Yes, it does have "Follow You, Follow Me" (which I felt is the album's low-point), their first exploration in to '80s pop (although this is from 1978), and it sounds like it fits better on their self-entitled album from 1983, but to me, most of the rest of the album is actually quite bearable. Steve HACKETT is gone, to pursue his solo career, so he wasn't around telling them to be more progressive. I have to admit I do like many of the songs here like "Burning Rope", "The Lady Lies", "Snowman", and "Say, Is it Alright, Joe". Addmited none of the album reaches the heights of the GABRIEL-era matieral. It doesn't even reach the heights of "Wind & Wuthering" (nothing like "Eleventh Earl of Mar" or "One For the Vine" here). The Mellotron has all-but vanished (a little is buried on "Many too Many", but that's it). Tony BANKS started to use more polyphonic synths in place of the Mellotron, and this was also the first album he used his Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano (something he'll use much more extensively on Duke). And since HACKETT is gone, it forced Mike RUTHEFORD to play regular guitar as well as bass. Yes, this album is a disappointment compared to what has came before, but it's to me a worthwhile album.

This was the first Genesis album released in Perú, and I remember buying it the morning it reached the stores, with great emotion I opened the album and.........???? This is not Genesis.

The album itself is not so bad, some songs like Undertow and Burning Rope are progissh, but the weak sound of the keyboards plus the absolute lack of darkness and atmospheric guitar makes it depressing.

"Follow You Follow Me" along with Your Own Special Way" (from W&W) are the simplest and most clearly pop songs, created only to gain female audience and attract teens.

A friend once told me "Genesis is dead and the only thing you can read in their tombstone is And Then There Were Three". With great sadness I must accept he was right.

''The Genesis Sell Out Album' as many would have you believe.Actually this is a real 'belter' of an album that carries all of the pomp and power of classic Genesis but married with shorter peices.In particular I love the wall of sound on 'Deep In The Motherlode' while 'Burning Rope' is one of the best Genesis songs around.There are no weak songs though.I would prefer to think of this is as the perfect 'pop' album for prog fans!

Anyone here play guitar?

The departure of Steve Hackett led to the title, his distinctive guitar sound being instantly missed. Genesis however were clearly conscious of this, and the songs are generally shorter in structure, with Tony Banks tending to dominate the relatively few instrumental passages.

"Burning Rope" is the most progressive track, with echoes of the Genesis of old and superb lead guitar from Rutherford. The track has a power and majesty which is not immediately apparent, but which shines through with successive hearings. The final track, "Follow You, Follow me", was a surprise hit single. The song is admittedly very lightweight and commercial, but it still retains a certain creditability in Genesis terms and it makes for a very pleasant ending to the album.

There are many other highlights, such as "Snowman", "The lady lies", "Many too Many" and "Undertow". When compared with what went before, these are pretty straightforward songs, with little real prog to them. Seen in that context, they are highly accomplished pieces of music, well crafted, and competently performed.

As long as you're not looking for a "traditional" Genesis album, "And then there were three" has a feel of quality to it from start to finish, and indeed is thoroughly enjoyable. This was probably the last Genesis album where band members had a reasonably equal influence, before Phil Collins dominance began to come to the fore.

Gong! Sorry to those who dislike this but yet again Genesis prove the pundits wrong with this great album, 1 year on from Wind and Wuthering. Goddnesss if only bands to day could be as creative over such short periods. Sure this album has a totally new feel to it without Hackett but it brings a new edge and well some of us grew to love the Genesis that evolved into the 80's. For me best tracks are ' Undertow', ' Ballad of Big', ' Burning Rope'' Deep in the motherlode' and ' Say it's alright Joe'. Sure they were getting more commercial but so what not all commercial music is bad and these guys were well above the flotsam and jetsom.

If one is in a nostalgic mood, sipping chamomile tea and wants to pretend like they are in a Yes or Procol Harum concert of yesteryear this album is contraindicated. But if you want change pace and enjoy something moving - sometimes real peppy, and not at all boring, and just happens to have been recorded by Genesis then by all means crank this one up.

The electrifying, fast-tempo "Down and Out" opens the Lp and actually is my favorite. No it isn't Peter Gabriel rehash but it is quite a distinctive rocker. Phil's drums are really, really swift on this and frankly I sometimes wonder whether Neal Peart of Rush had emulated his best style from this one song. Not saying it's true, I just don't know which came first.

So a couple of the songs are a little insipid, but ALL fine rock albums have these parasites in them. Some hard-core Gabriel heads make fun of the short melody "Many too Many", but the louder you play this one the more it really knocks you on your *ss - whether you want to be on the ground or not. Short, pseudo-romantic but quite powerful.

Play it loud...and do yourself a favor and just forget that it's 'supposed to be' long, drawn out and artsy-rehash. 'Cos it's not.

Once again Genesis find themselves having to survive the loss of a key member (Steve Hackett), and taking it all in their stride. Some fans hated this album and saw it as the beginning of the end. I would disagree. There was clearly a conscious effort to write shorter songs on ATTWT, while trying to avoid losing the power and melody that was typical to the genesis sound. Writing songs as individuals rather than as a group, is also very much in evidence. Possibly a reaction to Steve going. Although it should be said, Mike Rutherfords bold decision to play lead guitar pays off impressively. There are some absolute classics on this album, starting with the opener 'Down and out' one of my favourite Genesis songs of all time. In 5/4 time, in chugs along with aheavy down beat before building to an uplifting and memourable chorus. The track also features some of Tony Banks' best work on the album, both interms of chords and soloing. 'Burning Rope' is another all time Genesis classic IMO as are 'Deep in the Motherlode' and 'Say its alright, Joe' AND 'The lady lies' All full of Genesis melancholy and melodrama. The album as a whole is rich in melody and mood, but is more accessable than 'Wind & Wuthering'. IMO it's just as good an album, but for different reasons. Its also more tunefull, but less commercial than 'Duke' its successor. With the exception of 'Scenes from a nights dream' and 'Follow you follow me' there is not a weak track on ATTWT. For all those who snubbed this album first time around I highly reccomend you give it another go. Listern to it LOUD and without prejudice and you may find that all things that made Genesis great before were still there, in force, but in a more concise, and tastefully modernised package.

This is a fine effort by Genesis. There are alot of pleasant songs on this album and it is certainly worth having. It is a far cry from their earlier works but different in this case is not a bad thing at all. "Down and Out" is a good album opener, nice and aggressive, and also sets the tone for the album well. "Undertow" and the next few following songs are good songs, but seem to be missing that Genesis complexity of old. Still, they aren't horible songs and you can listen to them and enjoy them. Starting at "Deep in the Motherlode" the album picks up and shows off some of it's better compositions. "Many Too Many" seems to be a commercial ballad, but listen to it again and you can hear some beautiful chord changes. The bass work by Rutherford is awesome in many places, for me particularly "The Lady Lies" and "Scenes from a Night's Dream" show excellent and beautiful work in this respect. "Say it's Alright Joe", again, is not quite commercial, it is quite a sad tune and not "pop" as you could call it. "The Lady Lies" is truly an awesome song, it smacks of disco, but it isn't Bee Gees, high tenor, let's do lots of coke disco... it's Genesis disco. Genesis disco actually sounds creative and has people playing instruments in it. genesis disco is good... very good indeed. Don't let the cheesy keyboard instrument 'stripper' sound in the beginning of the song fool you. The rest of the song is just cool. "Follow You, Follow Me" is really the only 'commercial' work on the album and not a very good commercial effort at that. It isn't bad and it isn't good, it just is, which to some people may be worse than just plain stinking. The album is actually enjoyable and in truth a more rewarding listening experience than many would criticize. Using comparitive criticism is an easy route to take for this album, but it isn;t the right approach. Face it, albums like 'Selling England by the Pound' do not come along everyday, or every year for that matter. Their sound has totally changed, but they are minus 2 out of 5 of the power lineup so what do you expect? Take the main vocalist and the lead guitarist out of ANY band and see if the sound dosen't change. Look at King Crimson, excellent band, but have to be seperated into periods because it was a band that constantly morphed. Most people would enjoy this album and it has enough complexity to satisfy the average progger. Although power proggers may not be impressed. If you are looking for long compositions like Yes' Close to the Edge or ELP's Tarkus than this isn't what you want. If you are looking for a collection of short, excellently written songs, than this album will make you happy. Not a bad album by any stretch and is worth 4 stars.

I had just got into Genesis' music between '74 and '75 and was totally blown away by the release of 'Wind and Wuthering' - my favourite Genesis album at that time. The music I had always wanted to hear was being made by this truly amazing band. The departure of Steve Hackett was a shame, but with a keyboard player the likes of Tony Banks, how could they ever fail? I was awaiting the new album in 1978 with so much anticipation it made my toes curl. And then it came...

...like a slap in the face. History now tells us that it marked the end of a truly great, innovative, progressive band. And, sadly, it proved to be all downhill from here. Sure, there are good moments on this album (and, unknown to me at the time, much, MUCH worse was to come), but just count the number of tracks... That speaks volumes. I suspect Phil Colins was beginning to get that stranglehold on the band's output by now and he was aiming for chart material - that meant shorter songs, fewer instrumental passages and all that wonderful mysticism was thrown out with the bathwater. Rutherford's guitar work is painfully clunky (imagine what Hackett would have done with 'Burning Rope'!) and Banks seems happy to just fill in the those chords. That Phil allowed him to play his treasured Pro-Soloist through 'Follow You...' was a blessed relief from the tedium.

I'll admit to enjoying a few moments on this disk, but it is what it stood for that depresses me enough to have shelved it long ago. I was hoping it was all a temporary blip back in 1978. But things just got worse. By the time the band were producing tracks such as 'Illegal Alien' they had lost me completely. I attended a gig in the 1980's: A guy by the side of me clapped his hands all the way through 'Illegal Alien', then pushed past me to go to the toilet during 'Supper's Ready. That said it all really... Eventually the band relegated anything pre-1976 to a 5-minute medley, played almost as an apology. I felt insulted.

Watching the band on 'Top of the Pops' miming along to 'Follow You, Follow Me' was one of the lowest points in my life. This album reminds me of that moment. Depressing.

The first I ever heard of Genesis was the 'The way we walk live nr. 1' and I found this music very pop but still very special. Of course when I heard the Gabriel-stuff I was completely addicted. Have been ever since. I bought all the records, but there was one I never quite listened to, and that was 'And then there..' So after owning it for years, I brought it to work about two years ago, and listened to it while working. Every day. Before the end of day one I thought 'hey, this is ok..', after day two I thought 'wow, this is really good' and after a week I was looking forward to coming to work just so I could listen to this fabulous album. The only track I skipped was 'Follow you..' Although the compositions are a bit easier and light-weighted they manage to stand alongside with much of the greater genesis work, and I feel the best way to describe it is 'Wind and wuthering lite'. Any genesis/prog fan that never bought this album because he/she heard or thougt it was no good, must run to the local recordstore and buy this one. It's beautiful

some good writing and good music but there is and always will the lack of steve hacketts excellent guitar riffs otherwise good songs undertow or many to many or perhaps go buy a steve hackett album

Maybe the GENESIS trio was tired of Progressive Music. Maybe they were pressured by their labels in the U.K. and in the U.S. to record more simple songs. Maybe it was a combination of both things. But this album is very good, and it also was their first record that I bought after reading a review in a Rock magazine, and after listening to "Nursery Cryme" in early 1979. Also this album is very special to me because it brings me good memories from that year. I think that the decision of recording some shorter "commercial" songs like the criticized "Follow you, follow me" was a responsibility taken as a whole band, not only influenced by Phil Collins, who in those years still wasn`t a main composer in the band and he still didn`t record a solo album. The songs are shorter, but they are still interesting and with some Progressive Rock elements. "Down and out" is considered as GENESIS`s explanation of the change to shorter and "commercial" songs. The drums are interesting, and Banks` keyboards are very good, particularly the solo. "Undertow" has a very good electric piano. "Ballad of Big" has some good atmospheres. "Snowbound" is one of my favourite songs, with acoustic guitar, very good keyboards and Collins`sensitive vocals (which are present in all the songs of this album). "Burning Rope" has a lead guitar by Rutherford and very good drums. "Deep in the Motherlode" has distorted guitars by Rutherford. "Many too many" is one of those songs composed about being bored and tired of being a musician all the time due to contractual obligations. "Scenes from a Night`s Dream" has the first lyrics only written by Collins with GENESIS. "Say it`s alright, Joe" is the story of a lonely drunk man. "The Lady Lies" is a song about a "bad lady", which has very good keyboards, including a synths solo. "Follow You, Follow Me" is a very good ballad, and it was a hit for GENESIS.

This was the album that was the turning point for Genesis from Progressive Music Idols to Popsters. In my opinion ...only half the tunes are worthy of the moniker, GENESIS! With "The Lady Lies" , being the best. After this release, Phil Collins "pop machine" clearly takes over the band.

This is the first Genesis record I purchased way back in '79. I didn't know much about them at the time but liked the atmosphere. A few tracks still stand out, "Many to Many," "Snowbound" "The Lady Lies" and of course "Follow." The recording always bothered me because it's too soft, though it did mesh well with the Pete Townshend record I bought at the same time.

Among other things, 'And Then There Were Three' is a document of Genesis music thriving in the short-song format. This would not last long, as their less-is-more approach would eventually just lead to less. But for what it is, this album is a total creative triumph, proof that, at least for now, Genesis could shapeshift through all kinds of creative phases and come up with the goods.

It's quite obvious Steve Hackett is missing, and even though his role seemed subtler than ever on 'Wind And Wuthering', it's clear Mike Rutherford didn't intend to cover the loss with his own stunning guitar work--because Rutherford's not a stunning guitarist. But what he does here on guitar, as well as his more familiar bass, is suitable for the material. Tony Banks lays down incredibly thick beds of keyboards all over these songs, all having a more linear flow than anything the band had done since their curious debut album. Some songs revolve around bouncy syncopation, like the agile "Scene's From A Night's Dream", "Ballad Of Big", "The Lady Lies" and odd-time opener "Down And Out". The rest of it is like being on some sort of pleasant morphine daydream. "Scene's From A Night's Dream" is an incredibly underrated Genesis tune. It's a quick one, at 3:30, but the energy put out by Phil on vocals and his active drum part is addictive. A fun little tale with a whole lot of spirit. "Down And Out" is based on a strange rhythm. The first time I heard it I had to check to see if the CD was skipping. It's a great choice for opener, a powerful, huge, lumbering thing with a foreboding quality that second song "Undertow" wipes away, brightening the tone for the rest of the album. Most of the songs-short for Genesis at this time-run into one another, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. "Deep In The Motherlode", "Many Too Many", and "Say It's Alright Joe" offer some of the most accessible Genesis yet, but are easy to get into and enjoy. High points come in the aforementioned "Scene's.", the arresting "Down And Out" and the emotional intensity of "The Lady Lies", as well as the pleasant chill of "Snowbound" and the absolutely massive epic strains of "Burning Rope" (the longest song at 7:07).

Phil's vocals are usually multi-tracked, fitting the multi-layered keyboard atmospheres. He's more assertive and emotional on this album than the previous two. Despite having a rather limp ending no thanks to "Follow You Follow Me" (the only poor song here), 'And Then There Were Three' is a powerful journey, offering an immense and delightful production that perfectly suits the material. It also signals the end of the grand symphonic Genesis era. Good stuff was yet to come, but this album seems like the final bow before heading toward a more conservative way of doing things. Life goes on, people get older, c'est la vie.

And Then There Were Three...

...musicians, two of them with some decent virtuosity on their instruments but limited talents as composers and too little progressive sensibility who were trying to create an album worthy to carry the name GENESIS after seven releases that where of high or just phenomenal quality. IMHO one has to emphasise on the word "trying" since this task was simply impossible to be managed after the demise of the two most important musicians. BUT I have to say as well all people rating this album below 3 stars are doing the mistake to compare ATTWT to the previous albums and I think that's not quite a fair comparison. Simply It just CAN'T have the same quality because the band is now COLLINS-BANKS-RUTHERFORD. Maybe they should have changed their name to "CBR", then there would't be that many discussions. So let's say ATTWT was "CBR's" admittedly quite decent and good debut and compared to any of their following releases (I think the only valid comparison) undoubtedly their best one. Sure it's not that much progressive (as my co-reviewer Proghead stated correctly, HACKETT was not there anymore to tell them), but I still regard it superior to Duke. Actually there is only one real dropper, their first world hit, but it's more or less just an "appendix" of the album and can be easily ignored.

I've got to admit that I like most of the songs but rather as a kind of background music because there is not any very special or outstanding one, the best and the one with the highest Prog potential being THE LADY LIES. Bass and drums are excellent, Tony Banks is introducing some new sound in his solo and even Phil Collins' vocs are excellent on here. Other fairly good ones are DOWN AND OUT (a little bit of reminiscence to "the good old days"), UNDERTOW (one of their nicest,but not too cheesy ballads) and SCENES FROM A NIGHT'S DREAM (good vocs and lyrics although being quite pop- ish). The worst after FOLLOW YOU FOLLOW ME is BALLAD OF BIG in my opinion and the rest are quite mediocre but not really bad rock songs or ballads, admittedly with a more dominating pop-ish character.

So finally how could ATTWT be rated as a Prog album? I would say it's still a rather good one of GENESIS (actually the last one that can be called such), but I'm hesitating to call it an essential one of, maybe only for fans of "CBR" which is officially not existing as a band's name. This is a site dedicated to Prog and we're speaking generally about the band called GENESIS and in this context I'd rather give it only 3 stars . Actuall the average of all ratings which is 3,5 probably reflects the fair value. Taking into account that two of the three musicians will become famous later on for their popular releases, ATTWT is within Prog still a decent album, that can be recommended not only to fans of "CBR" but as well to any lover of "light-prog" or Neoprog.

Beeing a fan of the old (1969-1976) Genesis I do not like the late Genesis work. Not that is bad music but you cannot just compare it with the old work. After Gabriel and Hacket where gone they went to another direction in music. More accisible, simplicstic songs wich can be appreciated by a huge group of people. This album is something in between the old and new Genesis era. There are still excellent compostitions on this record and remembers me of the old work. But there are also shorter and more commercial songs on it wich will inspire their music for the comming years! As many reviewers mention before, there are a view brilliant songs on it wich makes it worthwhile buying it! Undertow, Burning rope and Many too Many are my favorits and I am not the only one as you can read. I give this four stars because this three are still geniuses without the other two who left the band.

An Excellent album . even though without Hackett .

It has been so long I have not spun this CD until last night when I was in my car, the classic rock FM station down here in my country aired "Burning Rope" from this album. WOW! man ... my adrenaline exploded! It meant that I had been longing for the music of this album. The keyboard solo in Burning Rope reminded me to my teenage days when I first listened to this album with a very sad feeling due to the departure of the pivotal member of the band: Steve Hackett. Even though his departure was commemorated with a seminal live album Seconds Out, I felt so sad about his departure. Even though, I found later that his solo albums were all excellent. Despite my sad feeling and preconceived mind that Genesis would lose its soul with Hackett's departure [the same preconceived mind I experienced when the vocalist - Peter Gabriel - left the band years before], this album proved that the Genesis sound was still around.

I remember vividly that I first purchased this album in a cassette format sometime in late seventies when the glory of great band started to erode. The music industry was swept by the strong wave of punk rock. Later, when I can afford it, I bought the CD version. I was truly amazed by the fact listening to the opening track Down And Out; it's a wonderfully composed song with a weird time signatures. The disparities of tempo between keyboard and drum beats have made this track weird but it's very unique and enjoyable. Undertow and also Ballad of Big are beautifully composed. Snowbound is a nice song that - I think - has inspired many neo prog bands in later days.

As I mentioned above Burning Rope is a beautiful song with catchy melodies created by keyboard sounds. The song flows nicely from tasty keyboard sounds at the intro part to the transition into quieter passages after singing line by Phil Collins. This song has a strong structure and excellent arrangement. When the music reaches keyboard solo, it sounds nicely and the melody line has landed firmly into my mind and it became a melody that I have kept emulating it as Burning Rope part. Great tune!

Many Too Many is a straight forward slow rock music with a catchy piano and keyboard work. The melody line as sung by Phil Collins is so catchy. The Lady Lies is a masterpiece and it has become my all-time favorite. The composition is great; the structure is tight and cohesive; the melody is killing and . the punchy solo keyboard is truly top notch! The Lady Lies is at par excellent with Gabriel era music, in a bit different vein.

Yes, Hacckett's gone but .. This album is recommended still. Keep on proGGin' ..!!!

Yours progressively,

GW - Indonesia.

This one is the same case as Tormato of Yes. They say it is the end of gold times and the beginnig of the decay. But to be really fair, i cannot agree with that point of view. It is an amazing collection of simple, very melodic and beautiful songs. Nothing less, nothing more. I cannot point the best track, all the songs are great and to remember. But to tell one representative, Say its all right, Joe. The essential of Genesis.

Not really a bad album, though the absence of Steve Hackett surely sets it's marks in the music featured here, with the notable lack of his unique guitar playing. The style of this album can remind you of the neo-prog movement that evolved in the early 80's, notably Marillion, only that it kinda fails to catch focus and general direction throughout the 53-minute playing time. This album has a nice handful of good songs, like the explosive opener 'Down and Out' (one of their best, IMO) but also some really weak ones as well, making this one very uneven overall. Definitely not one of their best albums though fans should give it a spin, though it most likely will give mixed feelings. A brave though lacking album which to me stands out as good but non-essential. 3/5

Despite wondering how wonderful this could have sounded with Hackett still around to soften its edges and further advance the searing guitars that leak in and out of the tracks, '...And Then There Were Three...' still stands as a superb album. The three piece most certainly moved onward to new ground here - while still retaining the sense that they were offering a complete package, for the first time in their 70s material Genesis were out to empower their shorter pieces more than anything else, so this is very much an album of separates, with little thematic continuity from track to track. But this is by no means a hindrance to the record, and there are some intriguing moments captured here that can't be found anywhere else in the band's history.

The music almost feels like a natural progression from the heavy synth and drum-led prog of 'Wind And Wuthering', now refined into smaller bursts of energy. The opener 'Down And Out' firmly states this, moving from its tense, fragile synth (very much an introduction for the album and not just the track) into a veritable overdrive of marching drums and guitar, rolling in and out of step, laden with Banks' favourite key sounds of the time. If you're playing the record at the proper volume, you'd have to seriously be looking the other way to miss the power here, as Phil launches into a rendering of some ruthless executive imparting his 'wisdom' to players in danger of being ousted by the times - applicable of course to the music business as much as anything else.

This is followed up by the beautiful 'Undertow', a Tony Banks piece featuring both his thoughtful lyrics as well as the trademark washes of piano and synth. It's worth mentioning the credit that must go to the band and David Hentschel for managing to mix so many dense sounds together equally without completely burying the drums and the vocals, particularly in the chorus strains of this piece about surviving through 'dark nights of the soul', where Phil's aching vocal fights a wall of sound from Banks. This effect is mirrored in the Rutherford piece 'Snowbound', a fairytale-like piece in which hides a glimpse of something sinister and quite sad, where in the ending the distant calls for the snowman ring out against a backdrop of soaring, thick, undulating synth waves that Tangerine Dream would have been proud of (let it be a commentary on the quality of this album that even though my favourite Genesis era is the earlier era, and my favourite albums are Trick and The Lamb, 'Snowbound' is still among my favourite tracks).

The priceless offerings continue with tracks like the towering 'Burning Rope', 'Deep In The Motherlode', 'Many Too Many', and 'Say It's Alright Joe', all offering more excitement, dynamics, and moving lyricism in their short minutes than entire albums by the band would achieve in later times. Rutherford handles all the guitar duties rather well, and even though Hackett's absence is obvious, the usual range of sounds can still be found, from delicate 12-string passages to pronounced soloing (check out the awesome break in 'Burning Rope').

If there are blemishes on the album, they would be the somewhat pointless story of 'Ballad Of Big' (a shame, since the piece is musically very strong), and the pop song 'Follow You Follow Me', where the band create a simplistic summary of their own style and run with one hook melody while Phil sings in a mode nobody ever really wanted to hear Genesis enter... it's not 'More Fool Me', and it's not even 'Your Own Special Way', this is a one dimensional love song. For shame, lads. Four and a half stars - a half star off for closing this majestic album with a turkey.

Wonderful review by Thulëatan of a wonderful album by Genesis. Just want to add that a lot of Genesis 'fans' miss the boat on this one. Make no mistake, this is pure Genesis, inspired, sensitive. A kind of feeling of melancholy and hope permeates the album, and it has a darker feel to it than it's sunny predecessors. The group's sound was maturing. Most songs are superbly crafted, instant Genesis classics, excepting perhaps Many Too Many. But that little mistake can be forgiven. This is the last great Genesis masterpiece, and you cannot possibly find yourself without it if you are any kind of a fan.

This is the album "and then there were three" by Genesis. It was released in 1978 and was the first after Steve Hackett had left the band.

On this album the long instrumental passages are truncated a lot. The few instrumental parts that are left are really good, as inspiring as their best stuff, but there is much less of the long-instrumentals on this one. There is also a lot more of a verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure to the songs, so it could definitely be seen as more 'pop' oriented. In fact, excluding the first album, if you join Home by the sea with Second home by the sea on their 1983 album, this album has the shortest "Longest Song" at about 7 minutes flat for 'Burning Rope'.

To try and compensate for this, the band have given this one a big, sonic echoey sound to give it some prog edge. Also they throw up a lot of very striking synthesiser sounds. The songs also have a dark 'aura' surrounding them. In some way it's a bit hard to approach, with it's dark, swampy sound and songs with eerie melodies, but lacks the instrumental wizardy of the previous albums.

This album begins with a couple of exuberant pop-rockers "Down and out", "Ballad of Big" and a couple of very passionate ballads "Undertow" and "Snowbound". All these songs would get five stars from me. Unfortunately the first side is rounded out with "Burning Rope" which is a much less than passionate song. The second side begins with the excellent prog-blues/rock number "Down in the motherlode", but generally the second side is not as strong as the first, but still very strong with the fun "Scenes from a nights dream" and the melodic "Follow you follow me".

The band is in great shape, they are coming up with a lot of ideas, although avoiding more complex song structures. Tony is full of ideas, Phil is singing nicely and Rutherford is playing well, I mean you'd hardly realise Hackett wasn't there; maybe this was Hackett's last album "in spirit", with a guest appearance on "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End". There are a couple of weaker tracks but generally a great album, plenty of 'atmospherics', maybe 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Let's clear up some confusion here: a lot of long-time Genesis fans feel Genesis fell apart when Steve Hackett left the band prior to "And Then There Were Three." This isn't true, and this album is very, very good, with great writing and production, and a progressive sound. Genesis' fall from grace was caused not by personnel changes, but rather by attitude changes immediately after this album. This album is, in many ways, as good as its predecessor, "Wind and Wuthering." The album opens with a bang: "Down and Out" is pedal-to-the-metal prog, with huge organ riffs and wild time signatures. "Burning Rope" is a classic mini-epic with inspiring, if not slightly cliché, lyrics. "The Lady Lies" is a great effort at spinning a classic Genesis medieval tale. "Undertow" and "Snowbound" are pleasant ballads. Even the hit single "Follow You Follow Me", which cynics have criticized, has a very pleasant vibe (and is infinitely superior to Wind and Wurthering's awful ballad, "You Have Your Own Special Way.") This is the last good Genesis album. And then there were none...

FIVE STARS! This is the last "progressive" Genesis album, and it's one of their best! (although it's very dark...but CAS is darker) YES! It'slike their prevous albums, listen to "Burning Rope" or "Deep In The Motherlode" and you'll know what I mean..... ATTWT is one of my favourite Genesis albums! "Down & Out" is the first track, very unusual for Genesis (weird effects), but good. Next is "Undertow". The lost intro from this track can be found on BANKS' solo album A Curious Feeling (called "From The Undertow", because it's FROM THE "UNDERTOW"...) It sounds a bit like Heathaze on Duke, but above all it reminds me of the previous W&W. "Undertow" would also have sounded good as a closer (instead of "Follow You, Follow Me"). "Ballad Of Big" has a good intro. Then it fades into a silly story about Big Jim, a cowboy or something like that, but the chorus ("Must be mad!") is very good. Because of the lyrics it's one of the few low-points on the album. "Snowbound" is beautiful. Wonderful chorus. The first half of the album is the best. "Burning Rope" is the only "long" epic song on this album (at 7:05), which also contains a strong instrumental section. One of the best songs on this album! "Deep In The Motherlode" sounds a bit like the chorus in "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", a western-like story (like "Ballad Of Big", but not such crappy lyrics), with a great musical arrangement. "Many Too Many" is average, not the best song on this album, but not a low-point. "Scenes From A Night's Dream" (about the dreams of Little Nemo) is good again, and I also like "Say It's Alright Joe", a melancholic, quiet song, and "The Lady Lies", which sounds like a closer, but the closer is the best-known song on ATTWT, "Follow You Follow Me", the first pure Collins ballad on a Genesis album, but if you compare it to later songs like "I Can't dance", "No Reply At All", "Illegal Alien" or "Who Dunnit?", it's not really bad. (Although it's not the best closer for this album, any other of the songs would work better....) But it's still Genesis, also without Hackett, but we all know that 3 years later the Genesis we all like died with ABACAB, the first Genesis album where only pop songs appeared.....

Farewell, Genesis!

This is not a masterpiece.. This is not a Gensis prog style album.. Neverthless, considering the changes occurred to the band (the title of the album is self explanatory) we must appreciate a good product with quite good melodyc songs (not prog anyway) such as Undertow or Many too Many. This album is half way between old Genesis prog style, and the decadent Genesis pop style which lead to the end of the group...

I dunno, I really enjoy this album...the production is muddy, but there's enough of that old Banks synth magic to keep proggers interested, in my opinion. Shorter songs, but great lyrics and good themes. Even Follow You, Follow me is quite pleasant to listen to, especially if you are in a happy relationship at the time. A controversial album, but it sounds a lot more like Wind and Wuthering than it does Duke to me. Hackett is missed, but that's life, folks.

Well....Hackett left,and with him the prog Genesis.... The previous EP Spot the Pigeon shows us that Genesis started to fill their albums with pop..... But this is not the through-and-through pop album! Sure, it's also not a through-and-through prog album, but for example 'Burning Rope' has got nothing to do with songs like 'Illegal Alien'. When you listen to Undertow, Snowbound, Burning Rope, Deep In The Motherlode and Say It's Alright Joe, you can still feel the "progressive power". The first track is a very important track on ATTWT. It's a bit aggressive, but Undertow is a wonderful ballad. Snowbound is very beautiful. Burning Rope is another mini-epic, the most notable track on this one. Deep In The Motherlode is my favourite track. Listen to it and you can feel some Gabriel-ish moments.... Many Too Many is a pop song, but a good pop song, like All In A Mouse's Night on Wind and Wuthering. The rest isn't very good, but it's also not very bad. Say It's Alright Joe is also a wonderful ballad. The end of The Lady Lies makes you think "A cool album, I've enjoyed some of the tracks, it's not as bad as I thought. Now up is the closer. It must be a very strong song for such an album" but........ STAY WITH ME MY LOVE I'LL HOPE YOU'LL ALWAYS BE..... they've written better love songs! MUCH better! This is brainless and the first Collins pop song (maybe More Fool Me and Your Own Special Way were also pop, but not the 80's Genesis pop I mean) that appeared on a Genesis album..... Maybe Hackett would have done it better, maybe not. They've just started with pop.....

the Sorcerer

And then there was melody, and this album has it in spades. If you're looking for instrumentals, go elsewhere, it's all about the tune. Clocking in at 7:03, "Burning Rope" is the longest and most proggish song on this album, and it sports the only guitar solo. Banks keyboards are the main thrust for most of the songs, and that's not a bad thing. Everything is rounded out nicely, filling your speakers with massive keyboards, Collins excellent drumming, and the occasional guitar flourishes. Songs subjects are set in the American west, "Ballad Of Big" & "Deep In The Motherlode" and fantasy-based, "Scene's From A Night's Dream" & "The Lady Lies", with others very well written. You won't find the poppish, pap stuff until a few years later, (okay, "Follow You, Follow Me" is here, but I have a soft spot for the song since it was played at my wedding in church by friends :-p) This album is a blueprint for Neo-prog, so if you are a fan of such, 4-stars for you. Otherwise, for the forward thinking prog fan who likes the more complex, time change style of old Genesis, 3 stars. Good, but non-essential.

This is Chapter One of MY BIGGEST PROGROCK DESILLUSIONS. Imagine my sheer euphoric mood because of the wonderful symphonic albums in the post-Gabriel-era 75-77 and then the confrontation with the poppy tendencies on this album, what a cold shower! Of course this is not a bad album and of course it contains some great songs but in general 'the Phil Collins-trio' fails to generate the excitement I was used to while listening to the symphonic rock dinosaur Genesis between 70 and 77. It's unfair to judge Genesis on the commercial crap entitled "Follow you , follow me" but I simply conclude that from this album it was over with the compelling and captivating Genesis compositions. So I decided to follow Steve Hackett solo, GOODBEY GENESIS!

Well boys, this IS masterpiece, stop delirium now. The music is pushed very high, the melodies are beautiful and the aesthetic is permanently in presence. Without Hackett? -Not a tragedy. BTHW he was not so happy to be alone in his creation neither. Maybe Follow me is not enough well placed at the end (just like Rubbery in Tricks), but the common impression is so nice, majestic, sad and serenic. This is another kind of magie thant in Tricks of the Tail, but there are no other group who catched this emotional state... Very serious work. Highly recommended for professionals. Buy it. Igor Panov composer Paris

I bought this album back in 1978 when Genesis were my number one band and I could forgive them for almost anything. Recently bought it again on on CD and on reflection if they had ditched FYFM, SIAJ, MTM and BOB and developed the remaining songs it could of ranked as a classic. E.g the middle section of Undertow was crying out for an instrumental break ala Mad Man Moon and Cinema Show. But alas the shorter songs and change of direction into pop/rock meant the beginning of the end for this once great band.

I gave up on Genesis after Abacab (I could not forgive then for Whodunnit).

An unremarkable late 1970s work!

Still it is far more listenable than, say, "Tormato" by YES of the same period. Hackett left the previous year and his absence is more than obvious. The trio continued to pursue succesful and more commercial career from then on, trading however the genuine adventurous musical approach with the chart-topping mainstream pop products. It is announced here with "Follow You Follow Me", their first big hit. Two opening tracks, "Down and Out" and "Undertow" are still interesting, while the rest of the album is less inspired, if listenable "soft-prog" that fades away quickly from memory. In no way essential staff that can appeal to GENESIS fans only. 2,5 stars.

Rolling Stone mercilessly dubbed them "the Incredible Shrinking Band". Reduced to a trio, and clearly one with a paucity of good ideas, they probably should have at least instated a hiatus to stop and rethink (which they did AFTER this album).

Obviously the band are at an impasse, trying out all sorts of ideas. Unfortunately, most of them don't stick. On the plus side, "The Lady Lies" is a nice sort of farewell to their extended prog epic stuff, and "Down And Out" brings some dense fusion influence (courtesy of Collins' tenure with Brand X?), making for one of Genesis' most memorable album-openers ever! And "Many Too Many" and "Follow You Follow Me", while explicitly turning towards a pop direction, are just fine for what they are.

On the other hand, there is the matter of the rest of the album. It's a LONG album, too. 53 minutes WAS long for a vinyl record, remember! The repetitious "Burning Rope" showed that they had run out of ideas where epic sympho-prog was concerned. And with the exception of the superior "The Lady Lies", the story-song format was on its last legs here. It becomes almost self-parodic with the silly "Scenes From A Night's Dream", easily the most TORMATO-esque thing here. And what was up with all those Wild West-themed songs, anyway?

In the end, this feels like a mess, like a collection of demos. An exquisitely-produced collection of demos, but demos nonetheless. I think they were rushed into the studio too soon, probably pressured by Atlantic to bank on the success of WIND & WUTHERING. While "Follow You Follow Me" performed well, becoming their first American top 40 hit, it just felt like they weren't ready to make a whole album just yet.

As a long time Genesis fan, I always liked this album because the songs sounds so great. But yes, the Genesis wizardry is lacking there-- minus some pieces. The presence of Bank is well felt and I particularly like Down and Out very much for its unusual treatment with the rythm. Banks tried to cover the absence of Hackett with some sounds stylistically close to Hackett. This is a very enjoyable album indeed.

Used to have this one on LP, will have to look out for it in the $10 cd stores. I'll have to re-explore their earlier albums prior to 'A Trick of the Tail', which is where I came in with this band. Remember this as being very mellow, full of beautiful tunes, dreamy. Really liked the keyboards on this. One of their best since 'A Trick of the Tail'.

Good but not great.

This album proves that the loss of Steve Hackett was probably the worst blow to the band musically wise. There are very little acoustic parts on this album, very little mellotron, and very little of that magic that made early Genesis so interesting. Still, it's not a bad album, at least in small doses.

Down and Out is very good, as is The Lady Lies and to a lesser extent Burning Rope and Deep In the Motherload. The rest ranges from average to not so good. Follow You Follow Me was actually their first number 1 hit. It's a nice little song, but unfortunately its success would eventually lead to their descent into 80's pop and away from prog.

The biggest problem I have with this album is that it sounds too much the same. Banks seems to overuse annoying synths on this album, a problem that will worsen on later albums, and there is not enough guitar present to counter that balance. I very quickly tired of the synth sound, but never got any relief from it. Which is why I think this album is better in small doses. Listen to a song here and there and you will enjoy it more. Listening to it all together gets rather tedious though.

Just when you think that all is lost after Steve Hackett left, the remainding 3 members released a solid album that is probably as good as Wind and Wuthering. I like it because the songs are tight and catchy. Also, Tony Banks did a good job and unlike Wakeman in the late 70s, his keyboard sounds are great.

Note: This is pop, not prog at all! Also, there's little guitar playing here. Tony Banks and Phil Collins are the 2 most dominant members.

Down and Out is a strong opening track that shows how much Genesis changed without the guitar master. It is more uptempo, is dominated by beautiful keyboard playing, and Phil Collins stopped trying to sound like Peter Gabriel. The next two tracks are not very remarkable. Thanksfully, Snowbound redeems them. This track has only mellow verses and energetic choruses. The contrast between the two is what makes this song work. Burning Rope and Deep in a Motherlode are two tracks nominated by synth riffs, the latter being better. The next 2 tracks are good, but not great. Say it's alright joe climbs back to good music. The Lady Lies is another highlight with Tony Banks at his best. Nominated entirely by synth riffs, keyboard playing, and a magnificent synthesizer solo ... this is what Genesis is about! The album ends strongly with a pop song.

Highlights: Snowbound, Deep in a Motherlode, The Lady Lies Let Downs: Undertow, Ballad of Big

My Grade : C

I have to admit that I'm a very big Genesis fan and that in the prog scheme they are (were?) my favourite band of all times. But to me this album is their worst. I would not blame the departure of Hackett for that - while I consider "Duke" and "Abacab" much higher in rank I can't find the prog here. When I was young, "Follow you, follow me" was I song I knew from the start, but after listening to what they really can perform, ATTWT is step in wrong direction and perhaps laid the foundation to the mixed feelings aroused by listening to the more pop oriented sounds of the later albums. Although I'm stil able to see some benefit in the 80's albums - ATTWT is no good. Even "Burning Rope" is not good enough...and there a lot of fillers. The points I give are for nostalgic reasons - and that is emotional, but of course this is also something music is about. Most Interesting Song: "Many too many"...but it won't save it!

This album should have been titled "Three Blind Mice" because they were obviously lost without a clue on this one. Perhaps it's because Phil was absent while he dealt with his personal family difficulties. Maybe it's because Mike was trying to become a better guitarist in order to attempt to replace Hackett and Tony was trying to make a leap to composing shorter, more commercial melodies. In any case, it didn't work on any level and belongs way down the list just above "Genesis" and "Invisible Touch." (Those two compete for the title of worst album.) There's not a memorable song included and, if not for the fluke hit "Follow You Follow Me," it may have sunk the band's ship altogether. They must have realized this fact themselves because their next effort, "Duke," is one of their all-time greatest. Some will disagree but I have to call 'em as I see 'em and this one is a stinker.

This is a pivotal point in Genesis' career where they took stock of the failure of WAW to sell records and rejigged as a prog influenced pop band. It was the beginning of a disaterous era in the evolution of rock where the playing of instruments was progessively abandonded in favor of more reliance on technology. So it is impossible to be entirely happy with this record even though it has two potentially classic singles ( Many too Many and Down and Out ) and some other more than worthy tracks (Undertow,Burning Rope and The Lady Lies ). Two major irritants on this album is the Americanised lyrics and where as Genesis previously had an ability to contrast moods there is a certain sameness that pervades the tracks. Probably if you picked it up now you would find it enjoyable but it was a disappointment at the time. However it was going to get a lot worse than this. About 3.5 stars.

The first thing you notice like a slap in your face when you listen to this album is the absence of the prodigious guitar touch of Steve Hackett. Peter Gabriel's departure was something bad. Steve's was a disaster. Not only because of guitars, but also because the progressive nature of the band would slowly fade away in this album and the next and would completely dissapear in 'Abacab'. But that is another story. However, this album and its follower would still keep some decency, and even I consider "Duke" the closest record in terms of quality to those previous to this point, since, although Mike Rutherford's guitar work is only average, he still plays the bass well, Tony Banks still takes his duties seriously and Phil Collins still plays his drums very well (and in some cases even better than before)

The present album is probably the weakest of the two preceeding 'Abacab', probably because the band is a bit disoriented, Phil Collins' mainstream nature is quite present and some songs are too corny and melancholic.

The best tracks we can find, at least for me, are "Down and out" (where we can find clearly that Steve is missing, though), which keeps some kind of energy, specially with Tony Banks playing the organ. "Ballad of Big" is similar to the previosly mentioned one, and "Burning Rope","Scene's from a Night's Dream" and "Many too many" have good moments, being more or less mellow.

The rest of the album is quite weak, with a sad lack of inspiration and it shows the well known Phil's tendency for ballads. He is not a bad balladist, but these are not of his best.

As a final mention,"Follow you, follow me" is not a song I dislike much, but it is clear it was thought to make this album sell. And it did. You can consider it as one of the 'good Genesis mainstream songs' as I call them.

maybe not prog but a good Rock album!

This effort is a more even one than Duke. Nothing here is as good as "Duke's Travels"/"Duke's End" but nothing is as bad as "Please don't ask" either.

My favourites are "Deep in the Motherlode" and "The lady lies". The last track, "Follow You Follow Me", is their first pop hit and certainly better than many of their later ones. Nothing really bad in here but it doesn't reach the standards Genesis had before Hackett left.

On this album, the Genesis sound changed drastically. The reason is: no more Steve Hackett. The compositions are shorter and more direct but the songwriting is still solid. Rutherford is not Hackett but is solo on Burning Rope shows that he is a reliable guitarist. At all this album is not great but there is no bad song and I'm still very attached to this particular record because I started listen to it when I was 3 years old!! This album is the album of my youth and I will never forget songs like Down & Out, Burning Rope, The Lady Lies, Undertow and Deep in the Motherlode. The other songs are very good as well. An easy recommandation even without Hackett.

Taken from a 2001 interview:

Tony Banks: The one I find least satisfying? I tend to like everything. 'Genesis to Revelation', I don't tend to rate that very highly, it's got some good moments on it. If you want one from a later period then one that I find the least satisfying would have to be 'And Then There Were Three', although it's got two or three songs that I love on it. As an overall thing it doesn't quite get there.

Mike Rutherford: I agree with 'And Then There Were Three', barring a couple of tracks. It was the album on which we decided not to do any long songs in the same way as normal and it suffered because I think the contrast between the long songs and the short ones is a great contrast. But I haven't heard it for about 15 years.

When the band members themselves consider this their worst album, you know it is definitely worth investigating, even if it just to validate the band's opinion. Luckily I bought this album the first time (secondhand vinyl) without knowing anything about its supposed weaknesses. Had I heard it was even the band's least favourite, I might have stayed away completely and never bought the remastered CD edition. Hopefully this review will prevent that from happening to some people.

Admittedly, upon first glance, there are some things to raise alarm: the longest track runs for 7 minutes; no Steve Hackett; three Rutherford-only writing credits. But just approach it like this: this is ¾ of the line-up that recorded A Trick of The Tail and Wind and Wuthering within the previous two years. Those albums were great, right? (RIGHT?!) They couldn't have changed that much and suddenly became bad songwriters!

Comparisons can definitely be drawn between this album and the previous two I just mentioned, especially Wind and Wuthering. However, as much as it draws inspiration from previous works, it heads in a new direction which would bring the band to a much larger (and some might say dumbed-down) audience. But that's another discussion. Let's just look at this album for what it is.at face value (hint, hint):

Down and Out (05:27) - a classic Genesis album opener. Energetic, soaring, even angry-sounding. Phil Collins' drumming is so amazingly complex and jaw-dropping, that it just baffles me when people say that this album has no redeeming features whatsoever. On this track, you have to admit, they were still Genesis the Prog Legends. Tony Banks dominates this song, however, from the very first note with the vibrant and spacious keyboard sound. At 03.35, in particular, he launches a wonderfully sinister-sounding solo punctuated by Phil's intermittent bursts of machine- gun drum-fills. This song hardly lets up in intensity for its entire duration. (10/10)

Undertow (04:46) - this is one of those typically melodramatic ballads that Tony Banks is so good at writing (see also: Afterglow, Heathaze). Not much in the way of musical complexity to be found here, but it does have a soaring chorus enhanced by Phil's increasingly confident vocals. (8/10)

Ballad of Big (04:50) - a much more upbeat number with an almost tribal feel to the drumming. Banks is very prominent once again. Mike Rutherford's bass rumbles underneath it all like the pulse of an elephant on heat (or something to that effect.). Sure, this song may be missing that certain something, but it is enjoyable none the less (tip: listen loud) (8/10)

Snowbound (04:31) - the first Rutherford-only composition of the album. Not half bad, really. It can be compared to "Ripples" from A Trick of The Tail. Gentle 12-string guitar verses with a soaring (there's that word again.) chorus with dramatic key changes by both Banks and Collins. (7/10)

Burning Rope (07:09) - the closest thing to an epic on this album. Another Banks composition with a slightly complex and weaving chorus which is just impossible to forget once it sticks with you (and which will probably cause cerebral collapse in someone like Jessica Simpson should she ever attempt to sing it). Some great shifts from major to minor create an ever-changing landscape of sound. Mike Rutherford's guitar solo at 04:02 is very Hackett-esque and pretty respectable, although I can't help but imagine how Hackett himself would have approached it. A short instrumental section follows before the chorus is repeated ad infinitum. Arguably the best track on the album, but I dare say it could have been improved by adding about three minutes to that instrumental section. This song had the potential to be even better than the legendary "One For The Vine" from Wind and Wuthering. (10/10)

So that's the "first side". Pretty good so far, I would say. And it doesn't dip in quality either..

Deep In The Motherlode (05:15) - Mr Rutherford, you spoil us! What a great and strangely underrated track to start the second half! It starts with a veritable explosion of synth which leads into a wicked creeping rhythm. Phil delivers his best vocal performance of the album. The more subdued middle part of the song (02:00 - 03:30) was probably the foundation for the entire first two Marillion albums (which is no bad thing IMHO). Once again Rutherford's bass is the song's gigantic, beating heart. (10/10)

Many Too Many (03:31) - another Banks enormo-ballad T. Nothing very spectacular. It lacks the same heart-stopping impact of Undertow. It just sort of comes and goes, too short to really leave a big impression. The song fades out to the sound of a wistful Rutherford guitar solo. They actually made a (pretty uneventful) music video for this one. (6/10)

Scenes From A Night's Dream (03:30) - one of my absolute favourite short Genesis songs! Some have described it as prog-disco because of the catchy rhythm and perky basslines. Well, I'll tell you one thing: this is one disco I will go to! But, good music aside, this song's lyrics are worth mentioning. It paints a very vivid picture of a sort of dreamworld filled with bizarre things and people. Probably Tony Banks lyrics (the credits don't specify), because he has always been the best with words in this band, IMHO. (10/10)

Say It's Alright Joe (04:21) - another Rutherford composition. The song starts off real gentle and dreamlike, and then shifts up the tempo a bit and adds some portentous keyboards and vocals. It does this twice and then fades out. Once again, it's pleasant enough, but not something to really set the pulse racing. (6/10)

The Lady Lies (06:08) - another near-epic courtesy of Mr Banks. The track has some impressive moments, especially at 00:41 when it sounds like the tape has suddenly slowed down or something, and the keyboard solo starting at 02:39. Phil Collins' drumming just before and during the fade-out reminds me of Neil Peart of Rush's style (particularly on Rush albums from around the same time). As with Burning Rope, I do feel it could have benefited from an extra minute or two of music. (9/10)

Follow You Follow Me (04:00) - the one that divides fans due to its hit single status and its sinister connection to the uber-successful stadium rock Genesis of the 80's. The song itself I find kind of enjoyable. This really is no more commercial than, say, Ripples (from "A Trick of The Tail") - musically speaking. The lyrics, however, are about a girl. And not a mystical girl who stares yearningly into a magical pool - because those would have been acceptable prog lyrics. But it is a plain old love song. Which is a little hard to digest after the obtuse and bizarre lyrics of "Snowbound" and "The Lady Lies". Whichever way you look at it, though, this is definitely not a BAD song by any stretch of the imagination. It's just different. Stay until the end for Tony Banks's short but very melodic synth solo, at least. (8/10)

THE BOTTOM LINE: This album is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I do think it is not the greatest introduction to Genesis (that would be "Wind and Wuthering" or "Selling England By The Pound"), but it should be on your shopping list if you've heard those other albums and enjoyed them.

Thank you for your time.

Aptly titled And Then There Were Three... after the sudden departure of Steve Hackett during the mixing sessions for the live album Seconds Out, this album would mark the beginning of the three man incarnation of Genesis comprised of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins. This would also mark the final album Genesis would release in the 70s, and while not even remotely close to the best album they released, it still was a fitting closer to the decade that saw them (and many other progressive rock groups at that note) reach infamous heights. And though there is no Peter Gabriel or Steve Hackett, this album is still pretty solid and shows that Genesis still had some progressive rock left in them (this is probably the most progressive of the three piece band albums, with Duke following shortly behind). Now if you're one of those types that think that Phil Collins ruined Genesis, you'll be surprised to hear that this album will be surprisingly good and along with Duke made a fine farewell to their old sound before they made their cross-over into pop music. Furthermore, it wasn't entirely Collins' fault for the format change, you can hear more pop influences in the Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks penned compositions than the Phil Collins' penned ones. But enough of my ranting.

The album opens strongly with the bitter and aggressive Down and Out. Powerful drumming from Collins and a solid foundation from Rutherford are augmented by rich organ chords and floating synthesizers from Tony Banks in an interesting 5/4 motif (at least that's what I think). It opens the album on a sullen and distant note, but I think it is one of the best songs on the album. You can hear an underlying guitar theme in Undertow, and you can just hear the spot where Hackett could have put a solo on top of but alas he's not there. This track reminds me a bit of Afterglow off of Wind & Wuthering, and it's a pretty somber (yet far from sparse) piece. Ballad of Big has a more upbeat feel and Collins' drumming keeps a marching/stampede style beat. Rutherford's bass performance is also pretty interesting and during the breakdown section molds well with Tony Banks' organ and synthesizers (you'll find quickly that Banks is the dominant musician on this album). Snowbound brings back hints of when Peter Gabriel was in the band as a very mellow introduction with an underlying flute melody (or so I think). It's a majestic piece that feels like Ripples off of Trick of the Tail. Burning Rope is the longest and most musically expansive piece on the album, that said, though, it does tend to meander around the same riff throughout the entire piece and there really is no sense of evolution in it. Rutherford tries his best to imitate a Hackett style guitar solo but for the most part comes up a bit short, still it is a pretty cool guitar solo.

Deep in the Motherlode has an expansive synthesizer intro with a rich sound overall. Collins' drumming is ever so consistent and Rutherford plays a subdued role this time with a fairly simple bass performance. It's a good song, but nothing truly captivating. Many too Many is filled with an aura of melancholy and mystery. The majestic orchestrations and instrumentation give way to a strong chorus and some hints of more Hackett influenced guitar can be heard. It's an okay song, but it could have been a lot more than it turned out to be. Scenes from a Night's Dream has Collins attempting a lyrical narration of sorts with the lyrics telling a story. The music is majestic and has a genuine upbeat feel but it's more of a throwaway piece than anything else. Say It's Alright Joe is another throwaway piece in the end, but Collins' heartfelt vocal when comibned with the mysterious instrumentation comes off quite effectively overall. The Lady Lies is one of the better pieces on the album with expansive performances from everyone as well as a superb rhythmic performance from Collins and Rutherford, who perform incredibly well under Banks' lush synthesizer solos. Follow You Follow Me ends the album on a lighter note with a more commercially oriented piece, though the mixed percussion is very nice and the chorus is somewhat catchy.

In the end, And Then There Were Three... would be the last true progressive album from Genesis, and though Duke would have a lot of progressive moments, this album edges it out on that. Do I like Duke more? That would depend on my mood, but what's for certain is that And Then There Were Three... seems to be missing something when you listen to it all at once, and I think that would be Hackett's signature guitar sound. But if you can get past that then you'll find some enjoyable music here. And once again, Collins didn't ruin Genesis, it was more Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford's fault in the end. 3.5/5.

Not a favourite album with many fans this was the first album post Hackett, and his absence shows itself throughout the record. Gone is the mystery, atmosphere and beauty of the earlier 'classic' albums, replaced here with more straightforward prog tinged rock songs. The tracks are shorter, and are more inclined to follow the standard verse chorus verse pattern. Not what fans of the band were expecting at all. Nevertheless, the music here is actually very enjoyable, and I have always thought the record more than a decent effort in the Genesis catalogue. 'Down And Out' starts off with a synth note, and builds into a mid paced song, quite aggressive vocally, with Mike Rutherford's guitar working away nicely in the background. His duties now extend to lead guitar as well as bass, and he actually does a very creditable job. Although I prefer Duke as an album to this one, Rutherford's guitar work is better on this record, at least to my ears. 'Undertow' is a slower track with a strong melody and good drums and percussion. Collins is in fine form throughout this album, as is Tony Banks; in fact, his keyboards are the dominant force on the record. 'Ballad Of Big' is another good song, with an eerie, trembly keyboard opening leading into another mid paced piece, with catchy chorus. Again, strong percussion here. 'Snowbound' is a quiet, gentle, melodic song, with nice chords from Rutherford and a lovely chorus, backed by Bank's wash of keyboards. Very nice. 'Burning Rope' ends what was the old side one of the vinyl. Many rate this the best track on the album, but I think it is just average, though it does have a nice guitar solo from Mike in the middle, where he tries, I think, to emulate Hackett a bit. 'Deep In The Motherlode' is one of the highlights here for me. Starting off abruptly with keyboards and drums, and a good bass line, it has some fine effects on it. I like the lyrics on this one too. The middle section is slower, and is backed by atmospheric keyboards, before the guitar screams in and the song picks up to mid pace again. Wonderful stuff this one, with Phil's drums adding a nice touch as the song fades. 'Many Too Many' is a lovely short track, with excellent piano work from Tony, and a well sung melody from Phil. As the song ends Mike supplies some simple but effective guitar. Very good. 'Scenes From A Night's Dream' has fantasy lyrics about, well, a night's dream, and Phil sings this one well, with again good percussion backing the dominant keyboards. 'Say It's Alright Joe' is another highlight. Nice piano again, and good low key guitar chords from Mike back a memorably melody, especially in the chorus, which is very powerful indeed. Superb. 'The Lady Lies' is another tour de force for Tony, with lyrics that could have come off A Trick Of The Tail. A catchy mid paced track, I love the piano work here. Finally comes my least favourite, the poppish 'Follow You Follow Me' which was, of course, a minor hit for the band. This track is the least Genesis like song on here, though, for some strange reason, I can actually imagine Peter Gabriel singing this one, almost as if it were a continuation of 'I Know What I like', though it isn't. All in all an album that deserves higher ratings than it usually gets. Although the sound has changed with the departure of Hackett, this album, and the next, were still decent efforts. It was Abacab that started the decline for me.

This is a significant record for a couple of reasons. First and most importantly it's the first record after the departure of Steve Hackett (as the title of the album implies). This also would be the last studio album that GENESIS would use mellotron on. Tony Banks would use the beloved mellotron on the song "Many Too Many". My favourite two tracks are "Snowbound" and "Undertow". The keyboard playing of Tony Banks is probably what stands out the most on this album for me and of course Phil's vocals.There is something about the overall sound of this record that takes me to a good place. Hard to explain really, but this is a special album for me. It's interesting too that the single "Follow You Follow Me" doesn't sound like it belongs here, it's different from all the rest but I still like it.

My least favourite track is the opener "Down And Out". I swear I thought this recording was defective the first time I heard it, the way it seems so chopped up in places. "Undertow" hits the spot for me. It's a Banks composition. Fragile vocals and keys. Sounds like mellotron too here. A full sound before a minute.The chorus just breaks me. Themes are repeated. Beautiful track. "Ballad Of Big" has a nice intro. it kicks in at 40 seconds. Once again a great chorus and song. "Snowbound" is a Rutherford song. It opens with fragile vocals in a mellow soundscpae.the chorus melts me. "Hey there's a snowman...".

"Burning Rope" is a great Banks tune with some nice drumming to open. I like the synths too. Vocals after a minute. Nice guitar after 4 minutes. "Deep In The Motherlode" is a feel good song for me, just listen... "Many Too many" opens with piano as mellotron comes in, then reserved vocals followed by drums. A fuller sound on the chorus. I like this one a lot. "Scenes From A Night's Dream" has some energy and harmonies too. "Say it's Alright Joe" is mellow with fragile vocals. It kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes. Nice. The contrasts continue. "Lady Lies" has a releaxing beat with organ as Phil sings. Lots of synths after 3 minutes. "Follow You Follow Me" is obviously a shot at a hit song. I like it anyway.

This album takes me to a good place everytime.

People love to shoot this album down as the biggest disappointment in Prgressive Rock. I wish these people would just accept the fact that Genesis went in a different direction. This album isn't "Selling England" or "Trick", but what can you want when such a great guitarist and such a great frontman are missing from an equation?

I have a special connection with this album. Think of me as Rael. "...And Then There Were Three..." is the black cloud that came down from the sky. When I woke up, I was in the cage of progressive rock. And quite frankly, I don't want to get out of this cage. This was the first Genesis album I heard and really was the door into progressive rock for me. Right from "Down and Out", I knew these guys were something special. I had no idea what was waiting on the other side of this door though.

This is another Tony dominated album. My favorites on this are "Down and Out", "Undertow", "Snowbound", "Burning Rope", "Deep in the Motherlode", "Many Too Many", and "The Lady Lies". I know I have the habit of listing prectically every song on an album. "Say it's Alright Joe" sadly got cut from my list to shorten it but it's great song too. But, that's how much I love this album.

Another thing, Lay off Phil. The man is phenomenal. He didn't take Genesis pop. It was all three of them. Just listen to it again if you are one of those people that hate this album. Man, I love these guys:)

Being a Genesis fan since 1973, I stopped the purchase of their albums after 1977 (Wind & Wuthering) for a very long period of time. It is only in 1996, that I entered their later repertoire. I must admit that I was quite astonished with "And Then There Were Three". I could find here a lot of fine moments which reminded me of "the good old days". There are virtually no weak tracks on this album. But there isn't either a great, fantastic nor epic moment. "Down and Out" is a good opener : good rythtm with heavy keys but weak melody. "Undertow" and "Snowbound" are in line with "Ripples" or even "Blood on the Rooftops": nice & poppy melody. Side one also contains a quite rocky song "Ballad of Big" which is very nice to listen to. "Burning Rope", the longest track on the album could have been the epic we all expected but that we won't get. It is a bit like "One for the Vine" but instrumental part is not on par. It is still one of my fave here.

The balance between rocking numbers ("Deep in the Motherlode", "Scenes from a Night's Dream") with more melodic ones ("Many Too Many", "Say It's Alright Joe") goes on. "The Lady Lies" being a mix of both. The closing number "Follow You, Follow Me" will be a hit single and does not bother me at all (reminds me of "I Know What I Like"). It will reach number 7 in the UK (23 in the US). Globally, I believe that there is a lack in intrumental passages and that is a pity. So, one feels quite disappointing that some tracks are not developped a bit more. IMO this will also be the last good studio album till "Calling all Stations" about twenty years later. But at the time of release, this not not known yet ...

Globally a good album (no highlights but no blunder à la "More Fool Me") and a good surprise for me. The album will peak at Nr. 3 in the UK charts and Nr. 14 in the US. It is their most successful record so far (even if "Selling" and "Trick" will also reach the third spot in the UK (but they won't get as high in the US). Three stars.

In a word: yuck. I don't believe this album's failure (musically speaking and from my p.o.v., of course) has anything to do with losing Hackett, or Collins taking a more active role in writing, or anything. I absolutely love "Duke" and it was done a couple of years later by the same people, but... what happened to the guys here??? Banks' synths are almost unbearable on occasions, and most of the songs are just... poor. Far west prog synth songs? I don't understand what they were trying to do. And the guys themselves seem to agree, saying that this album's songs seemed alright at the time... but never again in any other time.

That is, excluding the ones I consider the best tracks here: "Undertow" (maybe a little too emotional, that one, but what a nice chorus), "Burning Rope" (a very nice mini epic), and... yes, their career-changing "Follow You, Follow Me". Extraordinary pop song, people. I understand the prog purists hating this "sell-out", but thankfully I enjoy both ends of the spectre when done well... so while FYFM dies in a prog context, in the pop world it's almost an anthem.

Bottom line is, this album is only necessary if you're interested in following the transition from prog to pop in every chapter. If not, avoid it.

For some reason, this is one of the most underrated Genesis LP's. Ironically, it's also the one that finally brought them their long overdue superstardom in the US. There are MANY highlights here, including "The Lady Lies", "Burning Rope" (with its beautiful intro) and "Deep in the Motherlode". Yes, their big hit single closes out the album but doesn't really sound like anything else here. In a way, this is an end of an era for Genesis, their next LP would be much more commercial sounding....but that's not necessarily a negative thing.

The self-conscious reference to the group's title says all that needs to be said about this album, really. It's a chapter title from the famous Agatha Christie novel, and the loss of STEVE HACKETT does feel a bit like a murder. Certainly there's a hidden subtext. We've lost two of the five; who's next?

GENESIS ought to have waited until they'd worked through their loss before they went back to the studio. The material presented here had the potential to be excellent, but they have not come to grips with the limitations of being a trio.

Ah well. This disc is an enjoyable listen nonetheless. The rolling bassline and drums make 'Down and Out' an excellent opening track, followed by the cracking, dynamic ballad 'Undertow', good enough to fit on a GENESIS album of any era. 'Ballad of Big' is an incongruous thing, an enormous, bombastic sound fronting a strangely incomplete tale. Again RUTHERFORD shines with his rolling bass line, and TONY BANKS lights up with his keyboard. Fabulous climax to the song in the last 80 seconds - but not matched by the story, lending an odd feel to the song. This could really have benefited from a little more thought.

'Snowbound' is an obvious GENESIS ballad, derivative of their earlier work and my personal favourite from this album. I just adore the timbre of the keys here, allied to PHIL'S maturing voice. 'Burning Rope' is the album's 'epic' track, almost measuring up to 'Mad Man Moon' (of which it is derivative), with some competent guitar work in the central section.

The second half of the disc is much less essential. The muddied production and the use of fewer instruments means it begins to sound the same after a while - the first GENESIS album to overstay its welcome. The only real break is the closing track, the shiny 'Follow You,. Follow Me', the inoffensive, unwitting target for a generation of 'Genesis Sells Out!' protestors. Actually, I think it's the only song on the album that tries to move away from the 'let's do what we did last year' formula. The most progressive, if you like. The real crime is, of course, that it's catchy. Can't have progressive music appealing to the masses, don'tcha know. I want the music to remain my secret! Honestly, we're like over- jealous boyfriends ready to smack the face of anyone bold enough to admire our girl. Let 'em look, lads; she's still yours.

Overall an enjoyable release, if not up to previous standards. This has nothing at all to do with some 'sell-out'; it's purely a function of the band attempting to find out what they sounded like as a trio, and not quite getting it right.

This is their first album as a trio, hence the title. Their guitarist, Steve Hackett, had left because he felt not enough of his music was getting on the albums. He had already had some success with his first album, 'The Voyage of the Acolyte', and left Genesis to continue his solo career.

Unfortunately, with his departure a lot of the magic sound that had made Genesis a great band had also departed. Many point to the departure of Gabriel as being the major turning point. And it is true to an extent, because with the departure of Gabriel, the lyrics were never quite as good, and the emotional power of Gabriel's voice was also lost forever. But Steve Hackett's epic mysticism was still with Genesis, and I believe he comes from the same place musically as Peter Gabriel does. Lose one, and the magic is still there in some form, but lose two, and you wind up with trio Genesis.

So what is trio Genesis? Keyboardist Tony Banks, who had been the principle composer, was always the brains of the group. Guitarist Mike Rutherford's strength lied more in the melodic aspect. And drummer/singer Phil Collins brought a technical proficiency to the band that was unmatched by most other drummers out there, and he also had a very good singing voice. But without Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel, the band lost a lot of its heart and mystical sound. As a result, this album has a very stripped down sound.

There is very little acoustic playing on this album. No more classical guitar pieces, and very little piano. Tony also stopped using the mellotron, which had a very medieval and eary sound that really made the previous music sound truly epic. The band were obviously moving away from the long epics in favor of shorter, more to the point songs. As a result the stuff that made the music interesting is gone, and replaced by just the bare bones.

Songs like Down and Out, The Ballad of Big, and The Lady Lies are great examples of this stripped down sound done very well. The playing and technical ability of these three is, as always, top notch, and it shows on this album, in particular on Down and Out and The Lady Lies. Snowbound is also a nice soft song, reminiscent Ripples..., but without the beautiful piano interlude. And Follow You Follow Me is also nice song that proved to be their first #1 hit.

The problem with the album is that it is too much of the same. By stripping down the songs, they stripped away a lot of what made the old stuff so interesting to listen to. By the time you get to side two of the album, the album's synth dominated sound is already starting to get wearisome. Without a break from the electronics into more traditional sounds, it simply becomes too synthetic sounding, and not as organic and emotional as their older stuff.

Nevertheless, it's hard to say this is a bad album. In fact, it works very well in small doses. Some tracks, namely Many to Many, Undertow and even the minor hit, Say it's Alright Joe, are somewhat weak and although not bad, feel more like filler. The rest, while ranging from fair to really good, suffer by being on the same album. It's too much of the same synth textures, and it grows tiring.

My most favourite Genesis album although definitely not their best. I have so many nice memories regarding getting to know this album which marked my entry to the Genesis world. The majority of old fans disregards ATTWT and they are partly right. Songs have become shorter, less developed - Genesis were still loaded with great ideas as one can hear here. What is here brought to excellence is this blend of progressive touch and song accessibility for all kinds of listeners. For me, no other album by them showed such deep emotion and moods. Just listen to passionate Collins' singing and masterful keyboard arrangements. Two most progressive tracks are Down and out/Lady Lies. Driven by incredible drum pattern and memorable keyboard chords, Down and Out is one of the most progressive Genesis openers. Ever tried to play the stunning synth solo in the mid section? I've always wished to hear this masterpiece live! Snowbound, Undertow and Many to Many present the dreamy and romantic atmosphere that so much appeals to me here. Burning Rope suffers from suppressed development and it certainly deserves more than 7 minutes of play. Banks adds an irresistible colours to the epic song. Follow me has been always a letdown for me although I found some pleasure in the short synth solo.

How about the musicians performance? Collins - drums - well done but had shown everything before what is to be found here except marvellous Down and Out. Singing is as great as before. Banks - this cunning guy was constantly developing and shifting from mellotron towards electric piano exploring new territories. Appreciate it. Rutherford - average guitar playing and killer bass line in Lady Lies, also some interesting ideas in Deep in the motherlode.

All in all, it is an excellent addition for any music lover regardless his/her progressive taste. It is considered that the follow-up to this, Duke, is more cohesive and focused. Believe this but ATTWT beats Duke in instrumentation (Duke's Travels being the exception) and progressive leanings.

Give it a chance, for it may well grow on you!

...And Then There Were Three... is in many ways Genesis's most controversial album. It is frequently dismissed by fans, critics and even the band themselves. To some people, it was the end of civilisation as they knew it:

1. Eleven - count them - tracks. 2. Only four tracks over five minutes long. 3. Very few extended instrumental passages. 4. The absence of a virtuoso lead guitarist.

This last point is particularly pertinent as Steve Hackett had produced some of his finest work with the band on the preceding studio album Wind And Wuthering. Not replacing him inevitably meant that there would be nothing like Blood On The Rooftops or ...In That Quiet Earth. However, the dominant sound on both Wind And Wuthering and this first "three man era" album is Tony Banks' keyboards. And what a glorious sound it is, a veritable "wall of sound" if I may be so bold as to use Phil Spector's terminology. Of course in the case of ...And Then There Were Three..., this sound is delivered in shorter and inevitably more commercial tracks than previously. The two longest tracks - Burning Rope and The Lady Lies - should satisfy any fan of earlier 70s progressive rock by the band. The former track contains the album's only guitar solo by Mike Rutherford, but what a solo it is. You could even say that it is a fair attempt to "do a Hackett". The opening track Down And Out is stunning and one of the band's most powerful pieces ever. Definitely a track to play loud. It is driven by huge organ riffs from master Banks and Phil's drum fills are wonderful. The weird time signature and excellent keyboard solo also contribute to this track's excellence. The remaining track with progressive tendencies is Deep In The Motherlode, which is probably Mike Rutherford's best ever solo composition for the band. Of the other tracks, the best ones are Tony Banks' Undertow and Many Too Many. The former has a tremendously powerful chorus that can send a chill down your spine. The latter shows that it is possible to write a great three minute ballad. Mike Rutherford contributes two other very good tracks: Snowbound and Say It's Alright Joe. Although these are just traditional verse-chorus tracks, they are beautifully performed. What's left? Well Ballad Of Big is musically quite strong - big organ riffs again - but the cowboy lyrics don't seem to go down too well with most fans, this one included. Scenes From A Night's Dream is a track I could do without. It's not bad but I think it's weak compared to the rest of the album. And that just leaves us with the hit single Follow You Follow Me. In many ways, this track sticks out like a sore thumb because it is so different in style to the rest of the album. However, it is quite a pleasant little track and probably sounds best when you are sitting at home with your loved one. In addition, it contains another nice keyboard solo. So in summary, whilst ...And Then There Were Three... does not contain the extended compositions - and hence more complex musical ideas - of earlier albums, it has a sound which is a natural evolution from the previous albums. Musically it has more in common with 1970s Genesis albums than it does with 1980s Genesis albums. There is certainly nothing here that sounds like a Phil Collins solo track, which certainly isn't the case with the following studio release Duke, containing as it does Misunderstanding and Please Don't Ask. So if you are a fan of 1970s Genesis but you initially dismissed this album and haven't listened to it for years, I urge you to give it another listen. You may be pleasantly surprised.

The suitably titled "And Then There Were Three..." showed a significant departure for Genesis, both in personnel and the form their music would take. This wasn't just a one-off experiment or a lackadaisical attitude to this album, but really a foundation for the future musical direction of the band. The longest song on this album timed in at 7:09 with most of the songs around 5 minutes long or less. Many of the songs exhibited a commonplace radio-friendly structure, although they were all filled with flourishes of the group's prior symphonic progressive glory. However, for the most part, Genesis maintained interesting subjects for the lyrics of their songs like in the past, just shorter and to the point. The two most notable exceptions being Many Too Many and Follow You, Follow Me, which of course were released as singles and got a lot of radio play.

Steve Hackett of course was gone, leaving for a semi-successful solo career mostly because he felt the band was not agreeable to many of the songs he wrote for the band. Tony Banks and Phil Collins tended to get most of the songwriting credits since Gabriel left. Instead of looking for another guitarist, Mike Rutherford took over playing the dual role of bassist and lead guitarist. Rutherford was adequate, even fairly good at the guitar, but was a far cry from Hackett's talent.

So, is this worth your time? Yes, I'd say so, unless you have something against shorter format songs. Think of And Then There Were Three as a radio-friendly version of Wind and Wuthering. The keys are still dominating, maybe even more lush in places than on Wind and Wuthering and Phil Collins shows some improvement in his singing capabilities. What's missing are the extended instrumental sections filled with keyboard and guitar solos, and of course, Steve Hackett. Still, this is an exceptional release for 1978 considering the state of the times for prog rock.

Not a chance at being a masterpiece, but still a worthwhile and excellent album. I'd say maybe 3.8 rounded up to four stars seems deserving.

Something Missing...

OK, this sounds like Genesis, sort of, but spot the number of songs over 6 minutes. That'll be just the one, then.

Listen out for the theatricals.

*crickets*.

"I don't want to beat about the bush, but none of us are getting any younger. There's people out there who could take your place. A more commercial view! A fresher face!"

This accounts for the *gasp* accessible nature of this album - of course, it could be argued that Genesis progressed towards this approach... The lyrics to "Down and Out" spell it out further; "You and I both knew the score, you can't go on like this forever."

Lyrically, this is the most intimate Genesis album to date - and musically, too - the melodies are strong, and show the path that the trio would follow on the next album, as well as plundering heavily from the illustrious past of Banks and Rutherford's baby.

Rhythmically, "Down and Out" hiccups like a thing demented during the verses in a vain attempt, it would seem, to preserve a continuity between "old Genesis" and "new". I could care a whole lot less about the odd time signature being used - it sounds like a dance for Jake the Peg, and since it all hinges around a monotonous pedal point, it just sounds like old ideas being recycled badly. Even Phil's drumming sounds mechanical and uninspired, with occasional insane flurries as if to say "listen guys, we still play complicated stuff!". The dramatic chorus hovers around pedal points too, creating a big "symphonic" sound, but at the expense of musicality, and Tony Banks keyboard solo winds up and down pointless scales.

That said, there is a pleasing overall tone to the piece, and the melancholy vibe fits the autobiographical lyrics down to the ground.

When "Undertow" kicks in, I remember the point at which I gave up on this album on its release - oh no, not another "Ripples", I thought!

To be fair, it isn't another Ripples, as it is a lot more sophisticated, and spine-tinglingly autobiographical in places; "Stand up to the blow that fate has struck upon you, Make the most of all you still have coming to you". It does come across as a radio- friendly ballad - but, I'm pleased to say, there is a lot more life in this old dog; While obviously gunning for the bigwig-pleasers, Genesis maintained a fair level of musical quality in here.

"Ballad of Big", however, represents a drop in quality. The story is entertaining, about the bully who receives an important lesson in humilty from a tribe of Indians, but the music is insipid and doesn't tell the story, rather it provides a meandering and plodding backdrop to it. First real turkey on the album.

"Snowbound" begins like another "Ripples" - but with a suitable dose of icy production and arrangement. The chorus reminds me a little of Radiohead's "The Tourist", only instead of "Hey, man, slow down", the lyrics run "Hey, there's a snow man", and the entire song is weaker than Radiohead's monster, robbed of momentum by the arrangement on the line "Filled with the love of all who lie so deep".

"Burning Rope" kind of has that early Genesis sound, with an attractive melody that quickly grows old once you've heard it more than twice, but is an ear-opener the first few times. The instrumental section is pretty good, although a little artificial feeling in places. Rutherford turns in a respectable if unremarkable solo, the proceedings dominated, as usual, by Banks' keyboards and Collins' rhythms.

Essentially another autobiographical song ("You're old and disillusioned now as you realise at last, That all all you have accomplished here will have soon all turned to dust. You dream of a future after life, well that's a maybe, I don't know.").

What seems like a cry to the pioneering spirit continues the "cowboy" theme introduced in "Ballad of Big" - "Deep in the Motherlode" looks back to the Genesis glory days musically, while urging "Go West, young man", and similar variations on the "tomorrow never comes" theme that pervades the lyrics. The rather lugubrious song gives way to a musical highlight in the shape of a bridge that describes the tough journey that lies behind the romantic notion of the escape to pastures new. Rutherford's guitar really hits the spot here, and the musical journey takes new shape that could have been extended much longer... if only...

Another pop ballad follows in "Many too Many", packed full of arcing melody and singalong chorus, which lyrically continues the underlying themes of the album. This is a strong song, with the hunger of a rock band not really knowing what they're trying to achieve, but at the same time, having something to write about.

"Scenes From a Night Dream" is way to jolly for my taste, and seems like it comes from a different session - although the off-kilter riff ties in with that of "Down and Out". Album filler, made for the skip button. Poor little Nemo indeed.

"Say it's Alright Joe" is a late night in the bar atmospheric killer of a tune, back on the thematic lyrical track, and fully worthy of the name Genesis, which suddenly explodes into a rocker. The only real problem is that this track is too short (and feels it), but then we have six whole minutes of "The Lady Lies", which is the absolute highlight of this album, in a more "classic" Genesis style.

We wrap up with "Follow You, Follow Me", another Phil special of a pop song - I've never been keen on this one, although the instrumental breaks are nice. Essentially, it's a love song, but there is also a flavour of cameraderie and a continuation of the theme of sticking with it whatever the weather.

So in summary, a Progressive Pop album - the pivotal point in Genesis' career between old and new, with plenty of flavours of both, and only a few duff moments. For this reason, this album is not likely to be considered a masterpiece by many - but it has got an awful lot going for it on the Prog front, as well as being accessible to a non-Prog audience. Lyrically, as pointed out, there is a strong concept running through the album - perhaps accidentally, since particular themes are constantly revisited in the manner of a lyricist with recurring thoughts, doubts, fears and resolutions - but a concept nonetheless.

"ATTWT" has never been a favourite of mine in the Genesis back catalogue, and I was fully prepared to give it a rating of 3, or even 2 - but that would be only in comparison with the great material that this band put out in earlier years.

Compared to most, and especially for the time this was released, this is an interesting album combining progressive rock and introducing a new slant to progressive pop. Contrary to many opinions, it's not even a hint of the Neo-Prog movement that was to come, except, maybe, in the personal intimacy of the lyrics - something Prog Rock was never particularly renowned for previously.

On the strength of the better material, therefore, I think this album deserves a score of 3.5/5 - it definitely an album that should be listened to by anyone who considers themselves a fan of Prog rock, and one that should be owned by any fan of Genesis - and it's worth dusting it off every now and again as a "winding down" listen.

Rounded up to 4 - not really essential, but very worth a listen.

Let me just start off by saying that I never imagined that I would be reviewing albums on a progressive rock website, as I am not really into the genre. Matter of fact, I really don't look at music in genres or categories, beyond your basic country, jazz, blues, rock categories. I just think that Genesis is a great rock band, and it's disappointing to find that a lot of the fans of the Peter Gabriel era really turned on the band after he left, for not being "progressive" enough. Gabriel took his fox head and red dress and left the band, they did not kick him out, so the bitterness about the Phil Collins era is hard to understand. Ok, now that that is off my chest, on to what I thought of 1978 Genesis release of "...And Then There Were Three..." The album is hard to listen to all the way through, it doesn't flow very well. I know that this was sort of a transitional album because Steve Hackett had just left, so alot of the uneveness I forgive. This album does still sound like it was made in the 70's, but it hints that there is a new direction coming, which is cool to listen to. This album is very dark for the most part, goes along with the ominous album cover. All together, not my favorite album, but very solid nonetheless.

These three were survivors and though they'd lost one of the greatest front men in music and an irreplaceable guitarist, they wanted to keep making music. Good music. So in 1978 they made the best of a challenging situation, pulled together and wound up with a collection of fine songs. In hindsight, it is probably their most significant transition album, showing a marked move toward the airwaves but still with a few toes in the prog rock camp, not quite willing to let go of their symphonic past just yet. Consequently, And Then There Were Three was one of the best crossover records of the late prog era.

There are some unremarkable moments and the original mix is a bit muddled, but mostly the material is a logical continuation of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering. At times the tone of the album has similarities with early concept Genesis though still missed after four years is Peter Gabriel's abstract wit, replaced by Collins' everyman veneer. Solid post-symphonic rock is 'Down and Out', Rutherford doing an admirable job doubling on guitar, Collins' mean drumtrack and Banks's backbone. 'Undertow' slows things down, capturing the record's quieter lullaby sound and a strong vocal from Collins, as with the catchy 'Ballad of Big', pretty 'Snowbound' and more visions of sugarplums, and lushly symphonic and very prog 'Burning Rope' featuring more surprisingly good guitar parts from bassist Rutherford. Cool L.A. sheen for 'Deep in the Motherlode' which faintly echoes this band's glory days, more childhood memories from Collins and one of the better cuts in 'Scenes From a Night's Dream', weird cautionary tale-telling of 'The Lady Lies', and very appealing ballad 'Follow You Follow Me'.

This was their first major immersion in the pop market and their future was written on the wall, but a very nice offering nonetheless and hits the spot on a late night when you don't need endless changes and screaming synths.

...And Then There Were Three is the first record Genesis made that indicated a more commercial approach to their music. Sure there had been attempts at commercialism before, but this recording had a new sound to it, that none of Genesis previous efforts had. Many conservative Prog. rock fans believe this album signaled the end of Genesis as a prog. rock group. The album is pretty different and more commercial, but still contains some of the most beautiful songs Genesis has ever written IMO. Down on the Motherlode and Burning Rope, stand out as the most beautiful ones. All songs on this album are really good prog. rock/ pop songs except Follow Me, Follow You which I find to be pure commercial Pop and not worth listening to if you´re anything like me.

The songs are not progressive in the vein previous Genesis material were. Which means the prog. Rock elements are more subtle and incorporated into the songs. There are no 3-4 minute soloes on this one. This was actually the first Genesis album I owned. I bought it second hand for 1$ ( it was a little damaged and smelled of smoke as the LP had been through a fire). The best dollar I ever spend. I had heard Land of confusion and other hits from the 80´s Genesis, and never thought much of the band. But I was lucky one night that they played Firth of Fifth ( As I later found out the song was called) on the radio late at night, and I caught interest in Genesis instantly.

At the time I didn´t know about the bands history or discography for that matter, and I accidently stumbled over ...And Then There Were Three in the aforementioned LP format. I came home and put on the LP. Accidently on side B and Down on the motherlode came to me with it´s wave of keyboards and intelligent lyrics. I found it beautiful and intriguing. Later on, after listening to ...And Then There Were Three for hundreds of times Burning Rope is my favorite.

The most funny thing is, after listening to every album from Genesis, reading biographies and being a fan for the last 10 years, it is actually the Peter Gabriel period that most excites me. But ...And Then There Were Three will always mean a lot to me. It is a unique album, both for its time and if you listen to it today. It is highly recommendable both for prog. rock fans and rock/pop fans. Almost a 5 star rating from me.

"And Then There Were Three" - Genesis, personally...ranks as one of their crowning achievements. There's no Hackett and there's no Gabriel. This is one of its charms. How they managed to produce such a tight ensemble without the aforementioned involved is quite impressive. This album just goes to show how talented this band was, and that the rhythm section of Rutherford and Collins could really lift these guys to strange heights. You won't find a more dizzying and tight slice of prog.rock anywhere with the opener "Down And Out". I've heard Genesis had to drop this song from their live setlist because it was almost sure to fall apart in one show or another due to its complexity. Most of the rest of the album is pastoral in nature, nicely written songs(avoiding commercial cliches) with excellent keyboards from Tony Banks. "Snowbound" ranks right up there with "Blood OnThe Rooftops"(from "Wind & Wuthering"). In fact, Tony Banks plays a large compositional role on this album and gives it that 'je ne c'est quoi?" feel. I have a tendency to relate this music to autumnal colours in Southwestern Ontario (Canada) when the maple trees turn to purples, yellows and maroons. As far as Genesis goes, this album is on an island - not unlike "Trespass". They never recorded one like it again. For that reason alone, it gets 5 stars on a personal level, but a noble "4 stars" for the newcomer. Even the minor hit "Follow You, Follow Me" isn't all that commercial sounding. It has a gorgeous keyboard solo from Tony Banks that I never grow tired of. "And Then There Were Three..." is highly recommended and it's a crime it's so underrated.

It seems the year 1978 wasn't a great one for Prog-Rock, but still, this Genesis release was a perfect compromise of accessible shorter songs, along with technical prowess and dynamic flair. In some ways, ATTWT features the most incredible, tight playing to be found on any Genesis album (yeah, it's taken a lot of gall to say that....) - Collins is ALL OVER his drum-kit and manages to sneak in many odd-metres, his vocals becoming more confident, although at times he seems to struggle with his high notes. Tony Banks' ARP synth is surely working over-time (but he uses at least 7 other keyboards to give it a rest), and Mike Rutherford does an admirable job with his Basses and Bass Pedals, also taking a risk with becoming lead- guitarist - not an easy thing to do after Master Hackett. This time around we only get 2 longer pieces in 'Burning Rope' (just over 7 mins) and 'The Lady Lies' (just over 6 mins) - both Banks' compositions and they show-off the powerful potential of this 3-piece ensemble (and I don't mean a lounge chair, recliner and coffee table, either !!). In other cases, 'Down and Out' is an intense 5 minutes, full of fast-paced rhythmic jerkiness (the main theme being in 5/4), 'Undertow' is superb, emotional and quite moving, 'Ballad of Big' with its cowboy legend lyrics is full of abrupt tempo changes from verse to chorus and convincing imagery, it holds together quite well, 'Snowbound' is a soft ballad and breaks up the tension a little. 'Burning Rope' finishes up the first half in a colossal way. PhilCo's drum kit must've been huge at this stage !! The rocking 'Deep In The Motherlode' has never been a favourite of mine, but the softer mid-section is pretty good, 'Many Too Many' is another little ballad, with quite a standard melody, but it is just so beautiful. 'Scenes From a Night's Dream' is quirky, kind of cheezy but still fun. 'Say It's Alright, Joe' is another of the amazing tracks on this album, alternating between soft, nimble verses, and loud intense choruses. 'The Lady Lies' starts out with quite a 'slinky' melody (something akin to a strip- tease, I imagine) with Banks bouncing along gleefully on his Hammond, great vocals (and drumming) from Phil, awesome synth solo and riff during the instrumental passage, and some terriffic Bass playing. The Piano work is also noteable. Rounding off the album is the hit single 'Follow You, Follow Me', which is commercial, but Banks' keyboards save the day with this one. For me, this is the last truly 'progressive' album from Genesis (although they paid 'lip service' on subsequent releases) and deserves a full 4 stars.

Still in bussines

Anyhow for me a transitional album in Genesis catalog. At first listen i was not very impressed after hearing the previouses albums this one is in between, not bad not very good. With time and patience some quality material emerged out of it, and in the end i realised that And then there were three is a good album. Sometimes i find this album to have a lack of direction after stunning Trick of the tail and Wind & wuthering, and has diffrent aproaches who sometimes run out of steam or don't have the energy to make some. So after all this is not a bad album they are still in bussines, but with no more epics, maybe the only epic is a piece composed by Rutherford named Deep in the motherload, the rest of the tracks are good but no more than that. Some of the best tracks are Down and out, Ballad of a pig, Scenes from a nights dream and Deep in the motherload. In my opinion this is a good album not as good as the next one Duke and not as good as the previouses ones, 3 stars, enjoyble.

There a some songs here that I really love (like Many Too Many, Undertow, Snowbound, Down And Out), but in its entirety, this album is too long, and really a bore. The first Genesis album with the three- guy line-up (and so the album's title is not a joke !), after Hackett's departure - so sad. The first Genesis album to be really deceiving in its globality, too FM, too poppy, even if there are still some progressive elements here (Ballad Of Big, Snowbound). 53 minutes, oh my God, I would like this album to be ten- minutes-shorter ! Anyway, there are some good songs, and I'm always glad to listen to Many Too Many or Undertow. But I almost never put an ear to Scenes From A Night's Dream or the overrated (for me) Burning Rope.

". And Then There Were Three" is surely the weirdest Genesis album to review, since it is trapped in a time of transition for the band, now reduced to the Banks-Collins-Rutherford that eventually came to achieve worldwide stardom status. It is regular consensus among prog-fans' circles that Gabriel's departure the Genesis magic was gone and with Hackett's departure the Genesis art was gone. Well, they may be overstatements but they're not grossly out of the mark either. This album, the first after an unsatisfied Hackett left the band, is proof that Genesis was still keen on progressive inventiveness but also that it was looking on toward different horizons, eventually coming to fruition from the "Duke" album onwards. This is the first Genesis album not to reach the level of excellence that had deservedly made it a major name in the British art-rock scene. But it also has some highlights, too: for instance, this album comprises what are arguably the best Rutherford-penned pieces ever (tracks 4, 6 & 9), as well as some really captivating Banks-penned ballads, and finally, a further exploration of Collins' drumming style (particularly featured in the mix) and the best Rutherford lead guitar input ever (clearly emulating Hackett). The latter signifies the band's tendency to make their sound more robust, while keeping their melodic eerie approach intact from their "Trick" and "Wind" days. The effective opener 'Down and Out' is a loud-and-clear testimony of this line of work: less impressive are tracks 3 & 8 (the latter would have made a strong instrumental, though), but the general idea remains. More successful are the two Banks (relative) epics 'Burning Rope' and 'The Lady Lies', which fit the Genesis prog standard sufficiently, but IMHO fail to grasp the special magic of Banks' better times. On this time only, Rutherford surpasses his buddy: 'Snowbound' is beautifully moving, 'Deep in the Motherlode' is pure symphonic elegance and 'Say It's Alright, Joe' bears an amazing sad atmosphere (better exploited in live renditions, indeed). Banks' inspiration is better served in his two tremendous ballads 'Undertow' and 'Many Too Many', based on mesmerizing piano chord progressions and emotionally charged synth layers. .And then we come to the album's end, the infamous 'Follow You Follow Me' - this sing-along song that might as well have been a Eurovision safe bet is the announcement of yet more futile things to come and overcome the world of Genesis. Unlike 'Harold the Barrel' (a demonstration of witty cabaret-like humor) or 'More Fool Me' (a moment of relaxing romanticism), this individual song is a disgrace for the whole album, because it directly reflects the fact that Genesis was on the verge of leaving their sense of art behind in favor of unfocused immediate appeal. Whichever greatness found in other album tracks was a sing-off letter, whichever shortcoming was a symptom of something else coming to contaminate the area with a thing that is not and should have never been part of Genesis world. But again, that is to be considered in later albums' reviews. so let's leave it with regarding ".And Then There Were Three" as a very good but not essential prog-rock album with some undeniably excellent moments.

Oh... That's who kept it progressive...

With the departure of guitar god Steve Hackett after Wind And Wuthering it becomes painfully clear who was steering the band in the progressive direction over the last couple years. Gone are the long symphonic compositions such as ''One For The Vine'' or ''Ripples'', these types of tracks are instead sacrificed for shorter, more straightforward songs. After a seeming revelation with the success of ''Your Own Special Way'' and ''Afterglow'' the trio seems to have decided to go for a more commercial road getting off the seeming dead-end street that was the late-70s progressive genre.

...And Then There Were Three... is a very controversial album, loved by some and despised by others, this is an album that has its charms at times, yet at other times shows the clear end of a band which started out so brilliantly. It starts out rather promisingly with the haunting riff and synths that open Down And Out. Unfortunately, this is one of the few songs that really jump off the album to hit you ''right between the eyes''. Fast paced and rockish, it's clear the the band has taken another direction. Slowing once more a more familiar crawl is the second track Undertow, which gets better as it picks up but unfortunately remains fairly average.

Already the two types of songs on the album have been presented -- the fast rockers and the slow tracks (slightly) reminiscent of old Genesis. Which turns out better? Well, as proven by the fast Ballad Of Big it's the fast songs that here prevail. The synth driven Scenes From A Night's Dream further proves this point as the album's best short track with it's excellent melodies and atmospheres along with some killer drumming from Mr. Collins. Of the slower tracks there's a mixed bag to be had. Say It's Alright Joe and Many Too Many are both rather enjoyable tracks with continued airy synths and well done vocal parts. Others, however, such as the pop-hit Follow You Follow Me and the terribly irritating (thanks to an annoying chorus and eyebrow raising lyrics) Snowbound show that Genesis should just stick to the faster tracks in this version of their line-up (something they'd do much better on Duke).

A couple songs where everything really comes together is the few longer tracks on the album. The promising keys that open Burning Rope are not soon let down as the song makes its way through some chilling and somehow beautiful melodies throughout the song. With a clear chorus and fairly poppy undertones this song is one that really shouldn't work, but does somehow anyways -- A stellar standout. The Lady Lies is the other long(er) track on the album and though weaker than Burning Rope it's creepy music and lyrics make it quite the track that's well worth the listen.

A very good album that has a very split following of lovers and haters, this one is very hard to decide a rating for. Being that (many) fans will likely enjoy it while others will avoid it like the plague, and it's not the best Genesis album to start with this one is going to have to get a 3. ''Good, but not essential'' well describes the buyability of this album. While the album's creepy music (the cover pretty well describes the tone of the music) may appeal to many, its pop-rockiness will harshly turn off others. But, if you like all that stuff then give it a shot! You'll likely find something to enjoy.

Genesis' LAST GREAT RECORD.

When all prejudices, biases and suppositions are put aside, this is one of Genesis' best albums. There's not a bad song on this record. The ones that are good, are GREAT.

What's all the talk about Hackett this, Hackett that? This recording is NOT about Steve Hackett having left the band, it's about Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins; plain and simple. To me, the glass is MUCH more than half full; in fact, it's flowing over. This is an excellent Genesis album that is much maligned by overly nostalgic fans.

Banks showcases his talents on this album better and much more frequently than on any other Genesis release. Some will say he had to because of Hackett's departure; be it as it may, it turned out to be one of Genesis best records, with or without Gabriel and Hackett.

Of ALL the Genesis records this one is my favorite as far as production is concerned. The mix is VERY THICK. I know of very few prog rock records that match this one for symphonic quality. The string arrangements across multiple channels of the stereo spectrum is nothing short of genius. This recording is a text book on tasteful synth work. The guitars are tracked very tastefully as well. On many of the songs the rythm guitars are double tracked(as is typical on most stereo recordings), but other tracks are used to add color with electric 12 string arpeggios played by Rutherford. The guitar solos are minimalistic and are used sparingly throughout the record. This may be a turnoff to those expecting Fifth Of Firth. Get over it! This ain' yo daddy's Genesis.

This record is VERY progressive, but not in a wacky, quirky, Gabrielesque way. It's progressive in the way the music is arranged. I HIGHLY recommend this recording to anyone who is willing to take the time to sit down and listen to the CD(not the mp3s) with a GOOD pair of headphones. It will make you a believer that this is one of the best produced recordings of the entire genre.

The one constant knock against this album is that the songs are short. You will not find any epics here, but you will find a very even and subtle flow from piece to piece, giving the album a tight coherence, as if though the music is one long song(I credit the consistent production technique). Unlike the abhorable mastering job done on Selling England By The Pound where it was decided to have I Know What I like after Dancing With The Moonlit Knight. What was Genesis thinking?!

I give And Then There Were Three an EASY FIVE STARS, since I have no allegience or devotion to the Gabriel-Hackett era Genesis. I listen with my ears and not my heart.

I don't talk round corners. It's right between the eyes (and ears)!

The mother of all transition albums and really it missing more than Steve Hackett although he would have helped. I really think what else is missing is the organ and mellotron. It is one thing to remove one element of your sound but two is really hard to compensate for. Genesis was not the only band who moved away from the more rich and full sounds of the Hammond to the thinner polyphonic synthesisers in this time period. It was almost like every band who had made their sound with a Hammond were no putting it back on the shelf.

Another problem is the band was really trying to write in a similar although shorter style but it doesn't work quite as well. The full Genesis sound needs the long instrumental spaces and we only hear glimpses of it. There hints of the old sound in the beginning an end of Down and Out where the keyboards and guitars almost make you think Hackett is there. Undertow is beautiful Tony Banks song and sounds in the vocals like Mad Man Moon and One for the Vine except it is missing the great instrumental parts much like Heathhaze on Duke. The same goes for Many too Many as well. The song that really points us to the not too distant future even more than the sappy Follow You is Scenes From a Night's Dream penned by both Banks and Collins in a very simple and poppy pace along with poppy vocals. This one sounds like it could have ended up on Invisible Touch.

In some ways they were starting to repeat themselves and it was short of thin at the seams. Instead of Harold the Barrel we have Big Jim Cooley. Instead of the Sandman we have the Snowman. Some of the themes were similar to past ones and I think the band thought as well and it was the key factor to cutting up the Duke Suite on the next album. Many of themes here are darker in feel but not anger or power but more and and depressed. this album doesn't make you feel good to listen too. Say it's Alright Joe is just a throw away.

Still there are some gems here in Burning Rope, Deep in the Motherlode and the Lady Lies that give you the image of Genesis past. Still in the end I would rather listen to Duke because it more upbeat than this one even though I rate them each 3 stars.

Deep In The Motherlode

Many people ("many too many"!) live under the false impression that Genesis became a commercial pop band straight after Steve Hackett left the band in 1977. This is actually not really true at all. Even if Hackett is definitely my favourite member of Genesis, I still very much like the present album - the first one they did after Steve left. Indeed, And Then There Were Three is actually one of my favorite Genesis albums! The only songs here that might be considered commercial or Pop are Follow You, Follow Me and Many Too Many. However, both of these are good songs anyway (and nowhere near the blatant commercialism of things like Invisible Touch and Jesus He Knows Me, that would come years later)!

When Peter Gabriel left, Phil Collins stepped up from behind the drum kit and took over lead vocal duties. In a similar way, Mike Rutherford here stepped up to take over lead guitar duties. What other band could do something like that! There is so much resources within the group which is truly remarkable. Usually, a really great band has one or maybe even two members that stand out as having something really special, but Genesis had (at least) five unique talents among their ranks! Rutherford does a fine job playing guitar, but they would hire Daryl Streumer to play guitar on the road.

However, there is not that much guitar here as And Then There Were Three is more of a keyboard dominated album. And Tony Banks simply shines here! There is not a bad song on this album, but my favorites are Deep In The Moderlode, Down And Out and Burning Rope.

This album is very underrated and I believe that it would appeal to fans of both older and newer Genesis (if they only listened to it with an open mind!).

Progressive Rock... Abridged

A word of refutation in the band's name. Throwing Steve Hackett out of Genesis, didn't suddenly make them all that pop-based, cheap, crappy and whatever you like to call them. It did however impair the band's compositional side, devouring them of many of Hackett's neat motifs and kinks. It seems Banks is throwing out each band member better than him... Gabriel and Hackett are already closed the fridge (check out my Invisible Touch review for answers), Collins waiting in line - because he is the only exceptional band member left.

Yes you heard me right - I do not consider Banks an exceptional keyboard player; Keith Emerson IS and exceptional keyboard player, and that's that. Banks is intriguing at his best, but shallow and lacking ideas at his worst. It can be best heard on Hairless Heart - Hackett's parts are supreme, and Banks sounds a bit under the weather in comparison. His main problem is, that, he's inverting the traits of a good prog composer. As I see it - one should play a Moog, the way Beethoven would play rock. Banks plays Beethoven on a Moog, in a rock band. You get the point? He sounds too classical, to be original sometimes (unfortunately one of those times is on Selling England...). Banks should learn from Peter Bardens. Well... Anthony George B. may not be too original, but he still is cunning as hell - pictured here, on the album. Disposing of Hackett, wasn't a way to create a basis for pop-playing. It was however a symbol of changes to come. A sign of the times. And the times did show, back then, that only pop-rock is the way out of dying prog. In fact, ...ATTWT... seems to be at least as good (if not better) as many other prog-changing-to-pop bands' albums: Yes, Camel and King Crimson (Beat for instance). Moreover, since length is no longer required - nearly all the boring repetitive bridges are gone, leaving space for melodies and signing.

The melodies - most of them are still way back in the Hackett era, and Rutherford seems to have a decent touch, but his manner is much more simplistic. I have to mention that his riff during bridge-like middle part of Deep in the Motherlode is pure fun, making it, without doubt the best song on the album! Ballad of Big - based on a wild west idea, is also quite original and particularly enjoyable (both the verses and choruses).

Other songs sound really similar to what the band had created on Wind & Wuthering or, rarely, A Trick... dotted with traces of originality - Down and Out is a Dance on a Volcano-like rocker, really enjoyable, but it's virtually impossible to understand Collins' cries and mumbles. Snowbound is Rutherford's partially successful effort to create an intoxicating wall of mellow sounds. And Burning Rope is a quite nice prog rock-pop middleground, with a nice synthesizer melody attached, and a gripping chorus, with lyrics reminding me of Mad Man Moon. The other songs are either really weak or not original at all... well, except one, but that's gonna be surprise kept 'till the ending.

What's interesting though, the ephemeral mellow ballads like Undertow, Many Too Many, Say It's alright Joe etc. (based on the same theme - silence and a sudden explosion of sounds) become a basis to both Genesis' and Phil Collins' (solo) hideous and boring, soundless and drummachine-filled compositions - In Too Deep, Hold on my Heart, Man on the Corner - just to name a few. But, if you do a little backtracking, you might notice something intriguing. The roots of those ephemerons can be found in the all-folky Time Table and Can-Utility and the Coastliners. Don't get me wrong, songs on ... And then... are not copies or anything else, they just show how the musical ideas evolved (or should I say: devolved) through several years.

What's left? The Lady Lies starts off like some Gipsy song, and then turns into another posthumous idea centred on fantasy and legends. The same goes to Scenes From a Night's Dream - throw it to the Battle of Epping Forest copies bin. This one however, doesn't even tries to sound original or ironical (like Robbery...), well... it's gets funny sometimes, but only a little... Poor little Nemo.

And finally - last but not least. Follow you, Follow me, the bands first real Pop song. But... it's a pleasant surprise. Though the synthesizers sound really cheap, the guitar goes on really nicely, and it's by far the best Genesis pop radio-purposed song.

Three stars, 'cos after Duke it's only gonna get worse.

Best Song: Deep in the Motherlode (Rutherford proves he can compose, while not being overshadowed by Hackett, and Collins proves he can sing... oh, and Banks proves he can lay aside his pretentious themes)

Worst Song: Say it's alright Joe (whining, boring, unimaginative - just like this comment)

Important moment for Genesis.This is the album that begin to move away Genesis from progressive rock.Not happy but important moment!The album is still mostly progressive rock,but with some exceptions.Big wondering between 3 and 4 stars for me.I think it's 3.5 actually because of some great songs like Down and Out,which has the same compound metre like Dance on a Volcano - 5/4,Undertow and Burning Rope.I believe it deserve 4 more than 3!

Overall, I think this is a very solid album by Genesis. Yes, Hackett is missing, but Rutherford at least steps up here. With the exception of one or two songs, this album is progressive. Anyone that says otherwise has not heard this album extensively. So what hurts this album? A whole good bunch of songs here (Down & Out, Burning Rope, Deep in the Motherlode, The Lady Lies, Follow You, Follow Me) , but nothing exactly breathtaking. And that's the reason which lowers this album for the diehards.. The prog folk get angry with the last song of the album, since it was the first of many smash hit singles by Genesis. But you know what, a hit single is a not a bad thing on a progressive album. Listen to this on a cold winter evening. Have some wine as well, you certainly will not regret it.

The point at which many diehard fans gave up and turned away in disgust, with now Gabriel AND Hackett missing. The trouble for me is that I was a 14 yo when this was released, I got it as soon as it was released, and Collins singing was my first introduction to the band, and I loved it.

Looking back over the years, and acknowledging the genius that came before this album, I am still of the opinion that it is a very good LP and I still enjoy putting it on now.

There are, if people care to listen, some great prog moments, and Down and Out starts it off very well. Rutherford really steps up to the plate replacing Hackett on lead guitars, as much as I regret his passing. The drum work is excellent and Banks continues his by now trademark wall of sound keyboards from the previous LP.

I love Undertow, and it is particularly apt in the deep mid winter here in the UK and elsewhere. I like the feeling of defiance and utterly no regret at what has passed in life before in these lyrics. Again, Collins drum work is superb and the sound produced in the chorus is pure prog. I always rated Banks above all other keyboard players, including the maestro Wakeman himself, and he shines here with a magnificent crecendo of noise.

Yes, Ballad of Big is silly, but it is fun as well with a fantastic singalong chorus. I think Collins shines on this and the whole LP.

Snowbound is a rather throwaway track - nice but by no means essential and it is for this that the LP really only deserves four stars. This was the start of a pattern of worryingly weak tracks which rather detracted from the excellence of all else.

For example - Burning Rope, a track which has to be near the top ten of most Genesis tracks. Rutherford brings a rockier feel to the band's guitars and Banks moves his song along at a great pace. Again, Collins roars along with complex drum patterns and meaningful, soulful lyrics. This track continues the rather melancholic, wintry feel to the words...Yet only eagles seem to pass on through. It is also a rarity in that the track starts with the chorus. An outstanding piece of work which convinced me that this was a band worth sticking with. Just listen to Rutherford's guitar solo in the middle.

Deep in the Motherlode tells very well the story of loss of innocence in the great American gold rush, and contains some brilliant keyboard & guitar interaction toward the end period. Many too Many is simply fantastic. Say it's all right Joe proved that Collins could, when pressed, tell as good a story as Gabriel and also act it out on stage - you see and emphasise with the bum of the title. Scenes from a Nightdream is a fantastic commercial prog song, with poor little Nemo on a knife edge. All parents will emphasise with the darker elements of nightmares of children in this song.

The Lady Lies keeps the album chugging along at a brisk pace. And then we come to the heresy....yes, it's a hit single...Top of the Pops, Nationwide (well, I am getting on!) & etc. And do you know what, I really don't care. I've lost count of the number of fans who were introduced to the band by this track and then became hooked on proper prog as a result. Even if they didn't, it's an excellent pop song, well played, and utterly effective. Good on them.

I heartily award this album 4 stars. It has a fantastic feel, in spite of the melancholic nature of the lyrics. It is the sound of a band very determined to prove, stubbornly, that they would continue to survive. And, yes, there was still some great stuff to come.

Get over your prejudices - buy it - you'll enjoy it!

While Genesis' music suffered an obvious drop in quality when Steve Hackett left, this album is still quite good and undeservedly gets a bad rap. There are many high quality songs on this transitional album... unfortunately, there are a few thin and meandering tracks as well, and the band sound a bit lost at times; not knowing which direction they wanted to take their music.

For this review, I will focus on the good:

'Down and Out' is an excellent opener which I feel is on-par with anything from their two previous sans-Gabriel albums... it has a similar feel to 'Dance on a Volcano' and would have been a great second track on the Trick of the Tail album. Collins' drumming is particularly impressive and energetic here as he repeatedly unleashes a barrage of lightning fast triplets and manic fills in 5/4 timing. Tony Banks takes a furious Moog solo two-thirds of the way through which harkens back to the Lamb era... and, all-in-all, this is an amazing song that really stands out on this album.

'Undertow', 'Many Too Many', and 'Snowbound' are three beautiful ballads akin to 'Afterglow' and 'Ripples'. Many people dislike the Collins-era Pop-influenced approach, but a lot of their slower sentimental songs from this time are excellently crafted and very emotional; far removed from mere mindless Pop music.

'Deep in the Motherlode' starts with a brilliant and catchy synth hook that can become lodged in your head for hours after hearing it only once. This song seems trapped in a parallel universe: lost somewhere in the limbo between 'Lamb' and 'Duke'. It seems to represent both eras simultaneously... this is one of the songs where it is apparent that Genesis were having an identity crisis; they knew they couldn't continue in the same style as before but were tentative to make the full leap into the mainstream.

'Follow you, Follow Me' is actually really good... it's always felt like an answer to Peter Gabriel's 'Solsbury Hill' to me. I've always loved the synth solo in the middle... this song has a strong nostalgic quality for me: it's was released the same year i was born and is certainly one of the first Genesis songs I ever heard.

The ballads outshine the Proggy compositions on this album, and in my opinion it was the right move for them to adopt a more overall Poppy approach on Duke. Duke is more overtly mainstream, but a much better album than this one because they finally accepted their lot and understood where their strength, in three-piece form, stood.

'...And Then There Were Three' has it's moments and isn't the disaster many like to make it out to be. This might even be the first true 'Neo Progressive' album.

I find this album extremely hard to give a ´proper´review. I guess my feelings towards this album keep getting in the way since it was released. At the time it was out in the stores I though Genesis was finished. At least as the band I used to know and love so much. First, I could never really understand why they didn´t replace Steve Hackett. The lack of a real fine lead guitar is too obvious all the way through. Mike Rutheford may be a fine bass player and a more than average rhythm guitarrist, but clearly he is not a natural born solist. His solos are more tentative than thrilling (except maybe on Burning Rope). And he has nothing of Hackett´s or Philips elegance and fluidness, no matter how hard he tries. And it does not seem he was trying very hard...

The band was not in their most inspired phase either. Few songs are memorable and this is sure quite inferior to anything they had released before (including From Genesis to Revelation). There are of course some nice stuff: Many Too Many, Burning Rope are good examples of their great songwriting skills. Still, everything here sounds rather contrived and half baked. Although many progheads dislike the last track, the hit Follow You, Follow Me, I think it is an excellent prog pop song. At least it worked better as a whole than all of the other tunes on the album.

...And Then There Were Three... still remains a strange album in my collection. Not really bad, not really good. Transitional period, I guess. It´s unfair to compare it to Wind & Wuthering, but I still think it is inferior to Duke, for example. Definitely not for the newbies.

Final rating: something between 2 and 2,5 stars.

I think it's funny how the majority of GENESIS 'fans' would blame PHIL COLLINS for everything that's bad on later band albums.

And you know why it's so funny? PHIL COLLINS didn't wrote the majority of the songs that 'suck', in fact, he basically didn't even touch the songs (check the album Wikipedia page and you'll see - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...And_Then_There_Were_Three...) and yet... 'PHIL COLLINS sucks'.

I'm not his fan, not at all, I think he's a fine drummer and I like his voice, but that's it. This album is not that good, not that bad, and it's not that different from A Trick Of The Tail (1976) and my favorite Wind & Wuthering (1976). It's just a follow up a little bit more pop, the band was trying to find a new sound, that's all.

It's incredible how people are 'robots' and like to just take others opinions and say it out loud as if would be true. Grow up, learn a bit, listen, and then you can have your own opinion. Best if not comes with a 'PHIL COLLINS suck', cause that just make you stupid.

The beginning of the end?

For some fans of the earlier, Gabriel-fronted Genesis the answer was "yes". Three albums into Phil Collins taking lead as vocalist and a shift was becoming clearly evident. Exit lead guitarist Steve Hackett (whose departure gave this album it's matter-of-fact title), and the progressive rock phase of Genesis's career. The shift is not so much musical, ATTW3 still sounds very much like a Genesis record, but from here on out the focus is placed on tighter arrangements and shorter songs. Only intermittently on this and future releases does the band revisit the progressive roots of it's past. ATTW3 is an uneven start for the new Genesis, yet still a worthy album for fans.

"Follow You, Follow Me", although a somewhat anti-climatic choice to close the album, is (for better or worse) ATTW3's most important track in that it clearly foreshadowed the direction of song-writing that carried the band to huge success in the 80's. Although I know I'm in the minority, but I think this is a nice song. It has a simplicity and innocence without being overbearingly sappy. Other ballads abound on the album as well ("Undertow","Snowbound", "Many Too Many"), that are stronger and more memorable. More energetic songs provide highlights elsewhere on this album. "The Lady Lies" is lyrically intriguing with it's fairy-tale setting backed by great musical interplay by the three musicians. "Deep In the Motherlode" has a nice driving rhythm to accompany it's tale of west-ward expansion.

The recently re-mastered CD/DVD combination is the one to get. The new mixes are particularly revelatory as older mixes of this album always sounded muddy to my ears. The DVD features a lengthy documentary on what it's like to put a Genesis show on tour, but the focus is more on the behind the scenes crew that make it possible than on the band and their music. An informative interview with the band does shed some light onto the songs. There are also promotional videos to watch and tour booklets to view on screen.

(text copied from my Amazon review)

I approached this album with a lot of trepidation. As most others here, I love the old Genesis. I also loathe the pop version of this band. This album is the first album from the pop era.

Steve Hacket and his guitars has gone. Moog has gone. The synths sounds horrible. The horrible 1980s sound has replaced the nifty, exciting detailed music from the prog era. With the exception of Snowbound, Burning Rope and Deep In The Motherlode, most of the stuff here is commercial arena rock/pop. In my book, that is not a compliment.

There are some small interesting details of interest here, this being a socalled transition album between prog and pop. But rot has set in and the good times are over for good. Enter Marillion, IQ and the countless Genesis prog era copycats. This album is my cup of tea.

2.75 stars

Good, but not essential. That's exactly what this album is. And to think it had the potential to be another classic! It really did! If you listen to most of the songs, they are still unmistakably Genesis. You can still hear some old Genesis flavor on most tracks, the overall production is very similar to two previous albums. The melodies and - in most cases - lyrics, are not that bad at all, some of them are even quite uplifting. But there is one problem - the instrumental passages are all gone. Most of the songs are condensed into a more accessible 3-4 minute format, which stripes them off all the possible 'epicness'. Obviously the main reason is that Steve Hackett is here no more. And that's a shame, because maybe with his input, we would have another classic Genesis album? Take the song "Undertow" for example. It's has a really nice, uplifting melody, but it is too SHORT! If extended, it could be another great epic like "Entangled". or "One for the Vine" Other songs that are ALMOST perfect are: "Burning Rope" "Snowbound", "Deep in the Motherlode" and "The Lady Lies". That last track even takes us back a bit to Peter Gabriel era... The rest is OK, but like i say - underdeveloped. And I disagree that this album started the 'pop' era of Genesis. The only OBVIOUS pop song in here is the single "Follow You, Follow Me" stylistically very different to anything Genesis has done up to that point and in fact very different to the rest of the album. But this is probably the only song on the entire album that was not 'prog' ON PURPOSE.

Generally, on this album Genesis showed that they could still be great prog band without Steve Hackett, if only they put a little more input in the instrumental aspect of the tracks, but the success of "Follow You, Follow Me" probably persuaded them to continue in a more radio-friendly direction...

Genesis continues to slowly morph into a different kind of band with "And Then There Were Three". Gone are Steve Hackett and the epics with long instrumental passages. Contrary to many opinions, Genesis does not turn into a pop band here. This is the third and last album of the Tony Banks era where he dominates the songwriting and walls of keyboards are the dominating sound. They still have their hands on prog with many of the songs but they are shorter and more concise. Sadly, many listened to the hit Follow You, Follow Me and did not bother with the rest of the album. There is nothing wrong with that song or the rest of the album either. Undertow, is beautiful and nostalgic when contemplating the last days of your life. It is in the same vein as Wind and Wutherings Afterglow, and it's a gem. The Lady Lies is another Banks song that really works . It's another story song that Genesis has always done well. You can include several other tracks (Snowbound and Down and Out which also has a very interesting playing from Messrs Rutherford and Collins). Many Too Many has a super melody. Really, there is not a bad song here although the production is a bit muddy at times.

This is my introduction to Genesis. It's an excellent album, but not quite a 5.

4 stars.

Wind & Wuthering Part 2, without Hackett this time...

Yes, without Steve, the band was not a Prog band anymore, if not a straight-forward rock band with a keyboardist having the lead role, they edged pop stuff every now and then but also prog, however full fledged Pop Genesis was still to come.

So why did I started this review saying 'Wind & Wuthering Part 2' if I just stated that they're not a Prog band anymore? Well if you listen to both album's keyboard selections, the melodies and chords, the semi-dark atmosphere, it all fits, the only key factor that makes And Then There Were Three not seem to sound like Wind & Wuthering is that Steve Hackett is not here delivering outstanding atmospheric touches and supporting to the song-writing. Still, Mike Rutherford was able to imitate him quite well in killer stuff like Burning Rope, Ballad of Big, Down & Out and Many too Many.

I'll leave the comparison behind and talk about the album specifically now. The quality of And Then There Were Three is by every means good, you can find it a bit boring just for the fact that this has been already been done greater in Wind & Wuthering, but the material is definitely on good standards. The already mentioned Burning Rope being in the heights of Wind & Wuthering's strongest material, also The Lady Lies and Down & Out having very good compositions and great musicianship.

Then you got Many too Many and Say It's Alright Joes which to seem to fall in the likes of All in a Mouse's Night, solid keyboards and compositions, but they don't go any further in exploring instrumental passages, complex time signatures or any outstanding solos. Don't get me wrong All in a Mouse's Night is very good, but done, somehow, again and again and even in a weaker way it just isn't very interesting, still not bad.

The rest, with the exception of the decent pop song Follow You Follow Me, is in the standards of those two previous mentioned. Ocassionally good solos or melodies, but straight forward compositions with no real surprises, yet having that similarity with Wind & Wuthering due to the melodies and mood, which makes quite of a bonus.

I really wouldn't put this album alongside Invisible Touch or Abacab or the like since they really don't share anything other than having overall short songs. Usually when I listen to Wind & Wuthering, I listen to this before or after it, it just fits the mood and style. Many may not share this observation I find, but well, what can I do about it? I do, and thanks for that, I like this album and listen to it with enjoyment.

3 stars.

At the time of its release in 1978 I'm sure I wasn't the only Genesis fan who was disappointed by And Then There were Three... No long epics here; instead there are eleven short and straight to the point commercial rock songs. Yes this was the start of Genesis' metamorphosis from prog giants to lightweight eighties pop/rock.

This was of course their first album since Steve Hackett's departure who left down to reasons of feeling his own input was being neglected. However it's doubtful had he stayed that the change would have been so drastic.

With the benefit of hindsight and time And Then There Were Three isn't a total disaster and it's certainly better than the last two albums to feature Phil Collins before he jumped ship in the nineties. Sure there's a fair amount of lightweight fluff, none worse than the hit single Follow You, Follow Me. The songs certainly lack the complexity of the past but have an immediacy of melody and while there's nothing that I would consider an essential Genesis classic there's a handful of good and even a couple of very good tracks. Best is album opener Down And Out, darker sounding than anything else and brimming with power. Collins plays an excellent drum pattern playing fast triplets on his bass drum. Deep In The Motherlode also drives along nicely and Many Too Many is a pleasant ballad to name a few higher points.

And Then There Were Three is undoubtedly the worst album they had released so far, with the exception of their debut, From Genesis To Revelation, but it's far from a total disaster. Taken on its own terms without comparing it to past glories it sits as a fairly good, easily accessible light rock record.

Out went Hackett and on went Genesis as if nothing had happened. Rutherfield plays a few guitar licks on the album but apart from that I can hardly hear the difference with the preceding albums. The style and dreamy atmospheres are very much the same and the song quality doesn't seem to be affected that much either.

Some songs suffer from Phil's tiny voice and limited range, but there are plenty of very pleasing ones as well. Down and Out is a vigorous opener and despite the exodus, the band sounds confident and passionate. Also Burning Rope, Deep in the Motherlode and to a minor degree The Lady Lies and Follow Me are essential Genesis stuff. I don't know what the commotion is about Follow Me being commercial. At least its not as cheesy as I Know What I Like. And I haven't heard much complaints about that one.

Man of the album is Tony Banks again. Again he proves he is the best keyboard player of his generation next to Richard Wright. While the often pointless drivel of virtuosos like Wakeman and Emerson has aged badly, Banks' keyboards still sound fresh now and play an essential role in each song. He's sure not a man of great gesture but instead one of texture and content. 2.5 stars

I've given this album a lot of thought and after to listening to it numerous times over the past week I'm ready to give it a very fair review. And Then There Were There is a good album; much better album than given credit for. A departed Steve Hackett is a huge loss for Genesis, but really, they do an amazing job without him on this record. "Wind And Wuthering Part 2" as I've read in some reviews is actually very accurate. I was thinking that very same thing as I listened for the first time and still think. Tracks 1 - 7 are great, Down and Out, Undertow, and Burning Rope stick out as the best on the album. Scenes From A Nights Dream is the weakest song, but that's the only one. There are a lot of mixed feelings for Follow You Follow Me, I personally like it a lot. It's not prog but it's a very good song, I guess you could say I have a soft spot for it. Genesis did a great job on this album in my opinion. I give it three stars only because it's not as good as Wind And Wuthering, which I gave four stars. This is exactly what PA describes as a three star album, Good, but not essential.

Hello you good old chap prog, I've been longing for you. You know, recently, these few dozens of hours I've been visiting your distant relative, 80-90's Genesis, so I'm so glad that I'm back here in your complex arms.

Am I ? I should be, but something is not right. Because I've been afraid that because I love Gabriel era Genesis, my ratings can be biased, I have ventured into dark age, to be really frightened so I could run to past-Gabriel-but still in 70's Genesis like little brat to his mommy. This is of course better, this is prog and that means that "Three" is able to offer a lot of classic Genesis era. I'll not enjoy it as much (common, Scenes from a Night's Dream is clear sign of decline in bands ambitions, even it can't be simply thrown out, as there are its good moments).

3(+), it's warming, but I'm still shivering a little bit.

Indeed, many would have you believe that this album began the downfall of Genesis towards "selling out" (something that I, for one, don't think they really ever did). I'm here to tell you that this album fits in with the Gabriel-era classics.

Is it on par with Foxtrot and Selling England? Not hardly. But just because there are no song lengths in the double-digits doesn't mean that we can dismiss this album as a "sell-out". These songs may be shorter, but they are still musically interesting, and what's more, they're flat-out good. This album, to me, has something for every Genesis fan: the overblown drama of Gabriel's Genesis, the skillfully constructed ballads of Collins's Genesis, and everything in between. It was said in an earlier review of this album that "this is the prog fan's 'pop' album, and the 'pop' fan's prog album". And Then There Were Three... subconsciously blends two styles without sacrificing quality, and for this reason, it is highly, highly recommended for any Genesis fan.

I've had this album for a long long time on vinyl and then cd and I must say this album is one of the most underrated in Genesis's catalogue.

This album contains some of the best of the prog Genesis and the best of the pop Genesis.

Deep In The Motherlode,Undertow,Burning Rope,The Lady Lies then we have pop brilliance like Many Too Many,Say It's Alright Joe,Scenes From A nights Dream and the hit Follow You ,Follow Me.

I am a deep lover of old Gabriel era Genesis but this album is up there with the best Genesis had written and it is an album you can listen too, no matter what mood you are in.

And the cover with that beautiful skyscape captures the mood(that word again) of the album perfectly.

I'm going to give this album 4 stars.

4.5 STARS

Almost perfect, Genesis did it again. Gabriel gone, and now Hackett too, Genesis continues whit another great album. Of course we could like more guitar touches, but And then there were three can transmits a particular atmosphere. A bit dark, a bit nostalgic, just great. The progressive elements are still there over all the album, except their first big hit Follow you follow me, in which Banks even puts some prog touch with the solo.

The best tracks.

Down and out: Rutherford starts the road of the hard riffs since this track. Very powerful, its only problem is that might be longer. The keyboard solos are fantastic, as the drum job by Collins.

Burning Rope: Maybe the best of the album. Another Banks's epic with a superb keyboard introduction and an stunning guitar solo. Great lyrics.

Deep in the motherlode: A typical Rutherford track, with this great wall of sounds. The guitar riff and the keyboard mattress brings a really good moment. Collins stands out in the voices.

Say it's all right Joe: Written by Rutherford, this track mutates from a quiet verse to a strong chorus supported over a superb keyboard back line.

The lady lies: Another prog track from Banks, with really good instrumental parts.

The ballads:

The album has some ballads wich are not strictly pop, and they are great tracks, like Undertow (Banks), Snowbound (Rutherford) and Many too many (Banks). The three has really strong chorus.

The rest:

Ballad of Big and Scenes from a night dream are prog pop tracks, not in the same level than the ones before, but good.

Follow you follow me: The pop one and the first big hit of Genesis. As a pop track is original and not bad.

Mainly progressive is not Wind and Wuthering but is great. So not FIVE STARS but more than FOUR STARS.

The end of a perfect and quite unique music moments to the begining of a poor, comercial and non interesting era. When Steve Hacket left Genesis, the classical moments left the band and they start a comercial music and lyrics, disguised by some keiboards work that give the false sense that we heard some progressive music. Never Genesis in all later albuns managed to reach the high quality of the first Peter Gabriel era and the Steve Hacket era. The artistic progressive vein is lost for ever and Genesis whants create a big band but cut with the past. The new era is musicaly poor and one or two tracks have some quality but most of tracks are comercial without any interest. This album, Abacab, etc etc finish with big Genesis era. Lot of people go to live concerts, with the hope that they play some of old Genesis musics that are the most acclaimed by the audience, wirh some good performances that lot of Genesis fans really apreciate. I give 3 star's but really this album just deserve 2.5

"Three wheels on my wagon and I'm still rolling along!"

This album actually starts well. Genesis, true to form, begin with an attention-grabber, the pounding "Down and out", which with its odd rhythms, persuades us that this might, despite the relative brevity of the songs, be in the old prog tradition. It has little in the way of development. The next song "Undertow" is well written, and rather inspiring in a torch song sort of way. But things go downhill. The awful "ballad of big" sounds like two poor songs stapled together, and incompetently stapled at that. "Snowbound" is a forgettable and twee children's tune about a snowman.

In terms of length, the 7 minutes of Burning Rope, as greater aspirations. It has a memorable chorus which deserved a better setting. "Deep in the motherlode" has a great instrumental hook, but the song itself is rather leaden, very synthetic sounding and full of hard drumming. A few years earlier the tune of "many too many" would have been the opening of a lengthy and adventurous prog track. Here is a used as a rather routine verse and chorus song with metronomic drum. "Scenes from a night's dream" is an enjoyable throwaway, albeit with way too much synth. "Say its alright Joe" again is two songs bolted together, a latenight smoothy for the verse with an energetic chorus. It doesn't really work. "The lady lies" is simply a bad song. It does not help that it is the second longest. But the performance is among the best on the album. The album closes with their hit "follow you, follow me" which is a well constructed pop song. 2.5 stars.

9.5/10

The most interesting thing about the Genesis and how they changed their sound and how it cost a lot of fans while millions of others who have won - and lots of money with this change. So to complain about? The band was not the only one to change their sound in the transition from 70 to 80 years in order to survive, but they are the perfect representation of the phenomenon that occurs in progressive rock groups of that period - which may be called to the Reign of Terror the progheads.

Now, you look at a guy like me, who grew up hearing things like a bit of progressive metal (Dream Theater, Symphony X, Liquid Tension Experiment), a little Pink Floyd and the pop of the year Yes and Genesis. A strange way to start - or not? - In the prog world. The truth is that I was beginning to unravel the progressive rock a little while (about two years now), but nonetheless I have not stopped loving works such as "90125" and "Invisible Touch" (call me a heretic - I do not care).

That's why my second review on the site (incidentally, PA, thank you for introducing me to so many good bands!) Goes to one of the most infamous albums of Genesis, And Then There Were Three. Like a good proghead, my first review for the album was considered the main work - press Close to the Edge, but the reason I came to this after that I needed this album to defend the unjust accusations that gets read. I mean, is not his fault that the band is beginning its transition to the stylized pop of 80 years and ended with his successor Duke.

Of course, Collins, Banks and Rutherford has its share of blame. They had just lost one who was his most valuable member, Steve Hackett (whose output explains why the suggestive title of this album), which was really the link with the world progressive. Even when their leader Peter Gabriel left in 1975 they still were able to give us two of his best albums, A Trick of The Tail (my favorite album of the band) and Wind and Whutering, but these, although they were really progressive, has suggested a change in the band's sound.

This change which has resulted in ATTWT. People can curse the heavens and earth for this album, but I love him. Seriously, this album shows a different Genesis, but there are still good progressive moments (the opener Down and Out, Burning Rope, Deep in the Motherlode ...), combined with pop ballads - Many Too Many, Follow you, Follow me - the latter must be the nightmare of a fan of progressive rock out there!

But they had to survive. It was really hard to keep the same sound at the time of disco and punk rock. What to expect when you look at a guy like Johnny Rotten wearing a shirt written "I hate Pink Floyd"? The only thing that comes to mind should be: "We need change. Things are not as much as before". The world was no longer so receptive to progressive rock as before, and if there is a rule hard to swallow, but that is (partly) true is: you either adapt or you left behind. That is: either you change or you die. It need not be so. But it was.

I really praise the Genesis for having the courage to change their sound, contrary to his fans. It was not an easy thing, and they paid a high price for it - witness the classification of the albums of the period 1978 -1997 here on the site to get an idea of what I'm talking about - but as I said, it was necessary for them and many others. Obviously, not everything they did during this period is worth listening to - Abacab is proof of that - but I'm a big fan of the band anyway and I love both albums like Selling England By Pound as Invisible Touch. So you that are reading this review, follow my advice, my friend: I listen to this album and his later comment, but without prejudice, with a mind, say, open up you can not continue like or dislike, but hey, you tried at least made ​​an effort.

And Then There Were Three began - or at least represented - a controversial change. I wish everyone understood this as I understand.

An album I resisted from the start because of the loss of Steve HACKETT and the lack of a cohesive concept, sound or style to glue all of the songs together. But, I have to admit, there are some AMAZING songs (or, to be more accurate, parts of songs) on this album. The B parts of "Say It's All Right Joe" (4:18) (9/10) and "The Lady Lies" (6:08) (9/10) (amazing percussion work from Phil!) are among my all-time favorite Genesis themes. "Snowbound" (4:47) (8/10), Burning Rope" (7:07) (8/10), and "Deep in the Motherlode" (5:14) (8/10) all have some truly outstanding parts, but they just don't hold it together for the entirety of the songs--they sound like two or three songs forced together unnaturally. The rest must have been throwaways from previous Genesis or solo projects. Thank goodness for Duke, ABACAB, and the "Mama" album to show that these guys still have something left in them.

In the late 1990's I joined a Genesis mailing list "PaperLate" which provided new information about Genesis and in particular the period I had missed from "And Then There Were Three" through to "I Can't Dance". The Genesis Discography by Scott McMahon which is still floating around the net also helped renew my interest.

Luckily, I also managed to pick up the full set of genesis CDs at a sale from a local music shop which provided a low cost means of acquiring both the older and the more recent Collins-era CDs. My next set of reviews will cover the Collins-era in chronological order. Please note that although I was a fan from the early seventies, the first time I heard the Collins-era albums in full was on CD in the late 90's.

I was aware that Hackett had left after W+W and have most of his early vinyl releases. And Then There Were Three had two tracks that were relatively successful on the Australian charts - "Follow You Follow Me" and "Many Too Many". Although these were good songs I felt no inclination to purchase the album.

My opinion of this album is in line with most of the ProgArchive reviewers (70% give a 3 or 4 star rating). I personally would find it hard to give more than three stars simply because the production values are very poor. Compared to the earlier releases, the sound is murky with little separation of the instruments.

The writing and instrumentation is again dominated by Banks and several of the songs are similar to his "A Curious Feeling". Possibly his better material ended up on the solo album. Mike also released his "Small Creep's Day" at a similar time and this material was also better.

There are really no stand out tracks, but there are also no sub-standard tracks. The best include Scenes From A Night's Dream, The Lady Lies and Burning Rope which are 4 star material. Many Too Many and Follow You Follow Me are also 4 star but both are much lighter and perhaps more AOR rather than prog.

There are several songs which need a bit more work to make the 4 star standard including Down and Out and Undertow, perhaps with better production and mixing?

Overall the small number of 4 star songs and the poor production makes this a 3 star effort, however this rating may change after a listen to the new mix on the Box Set.

3 stars. Poor production lowers the score. Not essential.

Revised rating: the new mix on the box set really brings this disk life with Mike's guitar playing sounding a lot clearer and rather accomplished.

3.5 stars

And Then There Were Three... is the album that marks a change in sound for Genesis, utilizing more of a pop sound. This is also the first album without Steve Hackett. It seems that with the absence of Hackett, the remaining members felt compelled to fill in their otherwise-thinning sound with heavy synths. Although this album is mostly pop oriented, there are still some prominent progressive moments strewn throughout.

"Down and Out" features a 5/4 time signature, which is slightly odd and progressive compared to most pop music. It also is quite aggressive. "Burning Rope" sounds very lush with its heavy synths and doesn't seem all too different compared to the music on their last album. It progresses lightly, and might be the best track on the album.

Most of the tracks, however, are thoroughly cheese-filled, which foreshadows the effect that the upcoming '80s sound will have on previously-progressive rock bands. Not too much stands out, but this album is above-par compared to most pop music.

"Down and Out", "Undertow", "Snowbound", "Burning Rope", and "The Lady Lies" are all excellent songs on this 3-man Genesis. Everything else I skip. Either too poppy or too annoying. Steve Hackett's guitar sound and writing contribution are surely missing here. This album was pretty much the end of what I consider "classic" Genesis, and the start of a more poular sound, although DUKE still was half good. Many people hate this album and many people love it. I will cut the middle and say it is not great but not bad, either. In their total album output, maybe somewhere just above DUKE and just below THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY. 3 stars

The first of their albums without Steve Hackett didn't lose quite as much as would be expected: his unique style is noticably missed, but the band did a great job of making a thoroughly detailed, polished work of art yet again. The dreaminess of the keyboards is increased to a stratospheric degree, and much of the music is perfect for gazing at a night sky. (Just listen to those upward guitar sildes with the keyboard at the end of "Deep In the Motherlode.") I just love those moog keyboards at the end of both "Snowbound" and "Deep In the Motherlode." "Snowbound" also immediately caught my attention as being intriguing for being a sad story of a snowman's short, isolated existance set to music that sounds a little like Elton John's "Rocket Man." The first two tracks are quite possibly the best, "Down and Out" being a great jab at the record industry both lyrically and musically, with powerful virtuoso drums, an odd-time guitar riff, a super-impressive winding, modal keyboard solo, and a very convincing sense of urgency; "Undertow" being a great poetic piece of beauty showing the balance of ennui for life and spiritual awakening. The melody here is simply gorgeous, sung with all his might by Phil Collins. The hit single, "Follow You Follow Me", was my first exposure to this older sound of Genesis, and I always loved the keyboard solo, as well as the keyboard line that plays along side the melody, and the tuned drums are very ear- catching. Mike Rutherford distributes some more of his "Ripples..."-like tasteful, melodic bass in "Say It's Alright Joe", the band goes into jazz-fusion territory for bits of "The Lady Lies", and the song order could not have been done better. Some of the more untraditionally written tracks such as "Ballad of Big" and "Scenes From a Night's Dream" may sound a little odd at first, but this is one of those albums whose value blooms upon repeated listens. The most complete and convincing song is probably the anthemic "Burning Rope", containing a thoroughly entertaining band and vocal arrangement, and a guitar solo from Mike Rutherford that is almost as emotional and cathartic as Steve Hackett's solo on "Firth of Fifth."

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.

OK, OK, so Genesis moved over to shorter, snappier songs on this one, and yes, it includes Follow You Follow Me. But let's not go overboard here - aside from that one song, the album is miles away from the slick and shamelessly commercial pop Genesis offered up in the 1980s and 1990s. With Steve Hackett gone, Mike and Tony Banks pick up the slack and take a sidestep away from the pastoral prog of their earlier years, presenting a synthesiser-heavy variation on the Genesis sound which still finds plenty of room for all the whimsy, drama, theatricality and weirdness the band had been known for.

And whilst the sound might be different from what came before, I'd hardly call it simpler or more accessible - this is a dense, occasionally impenetrable album with a surprising amount going on if you look beyond the simpler tracks like Follow You Follow Me.

Unfortunately, the band don't seem to have given themselves enough time after Hackett's departure to really iron out their new sound, with the result that the denser tracks feel awkward and half-formed, rather than the simultaneously accessible and lavish numbers the band used to turn out so effortlessly under Hackett's tenure. That said, part of the issue here may be the rather murky mix; the remixed and remastered CD reissue of 2007 greatly alleviates this and allows previously obscured qualities of the material room to breathe, resulting in a much better listening experience.

I wouldn't go so far as to call this essential Genesis, but it doesn't quite deserve the bum rap it usually gets. It's not a bad album - just the first , release to break the streak of great albums they'd put out from Trespass to Wind and Wuthering. I'd pick any of those albums - or Duke - over this one any day, but on the other hand if you're after prog-oriented material then you'd probably prefer to this to any of their post-Duke material.

Three Gold Stars for the threesome that still have the prog edge!

And Then There Were Three is one of the last decent Genesis albums before the onslaught of 80s syrupy ballads and teenybopper sounds that the band generated as nothing more than session musicians. At least here as a threesome the band proved they are still able to create innovative wondrous prog such as the alarmingly proggish Burning Rope. This is one of the last prog pieces from Genesis before they turned to commercial 80s kitsch-tack. Banks is wonderful on this album and Collins can still create dark atmospheres. To hear a sound such as the one on Burning Rope fills me with sadness after hearing their 80s albums. I know I am perhaps wishing for a Genesis like the beast of the 70s when Gabriel was mon capitaine, but at least the band performed like virtuoso musos rather than session hacks. Collins did not have to resort to love ballads either, at least not focus purely on this style as he had so much more to offer. But he was swallowed up on the power ballad bandwagon and I guess once you are on it, it is virtually impossible to get off. The smell of success was burning in the nostrils of all 80s bands especially metal rockers who opted for the love ballad in order to squeeze out a few thousand dollars out of the industry. Innovative music was the victim of all this in favour of straight 4 on the floor time sigs and soaring melodies, soaring guitars and soaring concert tickets. Genesis fell into this hole as we all know but this album is a true surprise containing enough prog to satiate the average progger.

Thankfully on this 1978 album the band are in fine form. I was quite amazed that the album holds onto progressive sounds as I had only heard to this point the 80s trilogy of mediocre albums from Abacab to Invisible Touch, so wasn't expecting much. Down and Out features some quirky time sigs with Collins brilliant on drums. The way the time sig keeps breaking into fractured dissonance is astounding. Banks is a revelation on keyboards. It begins the album brilliantly and signifies that Genesis are still as progressive as ever. Undertow is a prime example of how great Genesis can sound. Collins has that melancholy tone but it does not come across as saccharine or slushy. The guitar work is accomplished even though Hackett is definitely missed. Banks has some gorgeous organ phrases that encompass a serene symphonic atmosphere.

Other highlights are the Banks keyboard serenity on Many Too Many and we hear him shine on Deep in the Motherlode and Down and Out in particular. In essence this is Banks' album in terms of musicianship and it serves up a strong symphonic soundscape. Collins does some fine vocal work on Down and Out and the broken time sig in the middle is a solid progressive touch, reminiscent of Turn Me On Again in some ways.

The Lady Lies is a terrific song with a full blown keyboard solo. The time sigs diverge and there are enough mood shifts to keep the interest of its 6 minute duration. Scenes From A Night's Dream is a melodic track with magical lyrics about dreams, giant nymphs, dragons breathing fire, and prescient goblins; nightmares brought on by having food at bedtime. Follow You Follow Me is of course the big single on the album and it is certainly one of the better ballads of Collins with an infectious hook and some sing-along chorus lines. Overall the album delivers on many levels and still maintains a progressive edge that is definitely lost as the 70s draw to a close and create a new unimproved 80s Genesis.

Both the group's final progressive gasp yet also their first foray into poppier realms, 1978's game-changing '...And Then There Were Three' was the album that laid the groundwork for the phenomenally successful period Genesis would enjoy during the 1980's. With the departure of sorely underused guitarist Steve Hackett the British outfit had now slimmed down into a three-piece consisting of Tony Banks(keyboards), Phil Collins(vocals, drums) and Mike Rutherford(guitar, bass) the trio quickly moving away from their art-rock origins and embracing a less complex sound characterised by slick production values, shorter songs and a mainstream sound designed to appeal to a wider demographic. This new direction would be evident on later albums such as 1980's 'Duke' and it's varied follow-ups 'Abacab'(1981), 'Genesis'(1983) and 'Invisible Touch'(1986) though it would begin on this curiously mixed release which sought to fuse the group's progressive origins with their new found pop leanings. Although Genesis had proved remarkably successful throughout the 1970s with their intelligent brand of symphonic style prog-rock, like their fellow progressive acts they were never a singles group despite the brief charting of 1973's jocular 'I Know What I Like(In Your Wardrobe')' from their 'Selling England By The Pound' album, a track which reached the lofty heights of no.13 in the UK. However, ...And Then There Were Three' would feature the charming, catchy if somewhat lightweight ditty 'Follow You, Follow Me', and the songs unexpected success(it would reach no.5) would kick- start over a decade's worth of hit singles for the new three-piece version of Genesis. Released in 1978, '...And Then There Were' three would prove to be the last album purchased by many an old-school Genesis fan, yet all those who left the story at this point would be replaced ten-fold by the beginning of the eighties, attracted by the crisp keyboard-heavy sound, Collins powerful vocals and a plethora of carefully-crafted pop ballads that would turn both lead-vocalist and group into household names. As an album, however, '...And Then There Were Three' proves fundamentally weak thanks to it's transitional nature, falling delicately between too disparate stylistic stools without satisfying the needs of either progressive rock fans of those with an ear for something a but lighter. Opening piece, the thrilling 'Down & Out', is one of the rare exceptions, a song pumped with a charging pace, forced vocals and trance-like percussion, whilst the surreal lyrics and LSD-flecked nuances of 'Scenes From A Night's Dreams' also provide a brief glimmer of the group's old fantasy-inspired past. These moments are far too few though, with the bulk of the album consisting of syrupy, mid-paced ballads, glutinous keyboard rock and a startling lack of invention. Undoubtedly the weakest progressive album of Genesis' otherwise excellent 1970s output, the difficult sonic balancing act that is '...And Then There Were Three' proves a disappointing denouement.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

1978 was a weird year for Prog in my opinion. Yes has Tormato(stinker), ELP had Love Beach(mega stinker), King Crimson had been gone for 4 years, Floyd was making The Wall aka Death of the Concept album and Genesis became a trio. Steve Hackett was tired of the oppression he felt he had in the band and wanted to become a man of his own so, he said Bye bye so ALL CHANGE!(see what I did there) in the Genesis camp. The very appropriately named And Then There Were Three was released. The album was a success and they had a major hit with Follow You, Follow Me but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Down and Out: What a powerful opener! Those synths and the way Phil explodes on the drums captures my attention every time. Reminds you of the past. Wow!

Undertow: More softer and piano based. Tony would continue the song on his solo album, this on is quite good but forgettable

Ballad of Big: Shows their obsession with Cowboys, I don't get it either, but is a quite good Prog Pop number.

Snowbound: What a creepy song. It's about being encased in ice and the kids turning you into a snowman, that's so wicked and the music reflects with a cold, icy, scary atmosphere the only way a synthesizer can.

Burning Rope: Almost became One for the Vine II but I'm glad didn't. It does remind you of the past Genesis and has Mike doing his best Steve impression on guitar, quite well too, but I'm glad he became totally different on the guitar than Steve. Maybe my favorite song on the album with a great atmosphere and interplay from Tony and Mike.

Deep in the Motherlode: A concert favorite but not mine, kinda just eh

Many Too Many: The other hit, they had two from this album, go figure. The 80s ballad in '78, I like it and does kinda signal Phil's solo career, which I'm a fan off so that's cool with me.

Scenes from A Night's Dream: Phil's first lyric contribution and is discussing Little Nemo who was a character from the comic strips in the New York Herald. It's more of a comedic track and is harmless.

Say It's Alright Joe: Feels like a campfire tune and isn't bad but nothing special.

The Lady Lies: I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and that's a great sign! The lyric is interesting but enjoyable.

Follow You, Follow Me: The main hit single, most people hate this song for the "familiarity breeds contempt" reason but since I wasn't alive until 1994, I have fresh ears and it's a great pop song. I don't think Pop songs are evil, I think, when done well, are just as good as any 20 min epic Prog tune. The main thing on this song is Mikes guitar riff. The way he plays it just captures me every time. I'm gonna play this song at my Wedding, without question.

Overall, I think is album is a mixed bag but some songs will grow than others. 3 Stars. Highlights: Down and Out, Ballad of Big, Burning Rope, Many Too Many, The Lady Lies and Follow You, Follow Me

A lot of rather silly, negative things have been said about this album, many of them unfair. Sure, this was the beginning of a change of direction for Genesis towards a blander more mainstream/pop approach, but they had some way to go before they ever reached that unfortunate state.

In the main ATTWT is still somewhat in the 'prog' camp, but without the long extended tracks as in the past, although one track is over 7 minutes, another over 6 and the others mainly between 4 to 5 minutes long. But long tracks do not guarantee quality. At least half this album features songs which are top notch, such as the powerful opener, Down And Out with its unusual time signature, the heavy ballad, Undertow, and my favourite track Burning Rope. The Lady Lies is very good too, although it's not obvious until after a few listens, and these tracks are as good as anything Genesis has done previously. However it's not all great. For me there are a couple of unusually weak songs, Snowbound and Say It's Alright Joe, both written by Mike Rutherford. Even the one true pop song Follow You Follow Me is more enjoyable, and despite the prog fans general disgust of that song, at least it gave Genesis a much wider fanbase who were not aware of the band's previous work. Many newer fans discovered the 'old' Genesis through that song and therefore that can be no bad thing. Many fans seem to like Deep In The Motherlode, but it really doesn't do much for me. It's ok, but not a very interesting track, more a pop track with prog pretensions. I really like the shortest track, the pop/soul ballad Many To Many, which was possibly the first soul ballad that Phil Collins sang and something of a prototype for his near future career as a solo artist. Despite not being 'prog' it' works as a good, powerful song in its own right and some nice guitar from Rutherford as the track fades, who most of the time does a sturdy job compensating for the departure of Steve Hackett.

If I have one overall criticism of this album it's the dominance of Tony Bank's synthesizher on some songs, particularly on Burning Rope, although that's such a great track that he wrote it's forgiveable, and apart from 2 or 3 questionable tracks, ATTWTis still a pretty decent listen even by Genesis past standards.

...And Then There Were Three marks the inevitable musical decline of the band, as should be readily obvious by the departure of Steve Hackett. Up to this point, Genesis had survived remarkably well without Peter Gabriel, releasing two phenomenal albums. However, this new Hackett-less band finally takes on a more pop sound as was subtly hinted in those previous two.

There are still moments of prog though, in songs like 'Down an Out,' 'Undertow' and 'Burning Rope.' But most of the album is filled with the weak pop numbers which seem to progressively increase across future albums.

Despite the few proggy moments on this album, the pop numbers turn this into an album I would only recommend to those Genesis completionists.

3/10

3.7/5 REALLY

So after Steve Hackett left, Genesis was like "what the Peter left then Steve left what are we gonna do now?" They did what they did previously they decided to carry on but now as a trio and so the Three Man Era was born. Hence the name of the album "...And Then There Were Three...". Returning for the band was Phil Collins on vocals and drums, Tony Banks on the keys and Mike Rutherford taking care of both bass and guitars in the studio( In live shows they were now accompanied by Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson because it is impossible for Mike to play both live at the same time(of course)). Anyways, on with the album. Genesis themselves especially Mike Rutherford believed that this album was the worst one they ever did(Uh-Oh). I happen to disagree with Mike though(I would say Calling All Stations or We Can't Dance is their worst). The album cover has images of men who happen to look like cowboys smoking cigarettes and a background of evening skies or something of that sort. It's a decent album cover but I could live without it though. On with the album right. To me this album signaled a decline in quality for Genesis and their music. There are still some strong points and proggy bits on here but not as strong as their previous material. On with the album.

1. Down And Out- This begins with some synths and then its explodes with a fury of drums by Phil. This is one of those proggy bits on the album and it is still great and Grade A. I happen to like it quite a bit. I wouldn't really consider this song classic Genesis though. With that said it is still a great listen. 4/5

2. Undertow- I love this one, you guys on PA might or might not but I personally love it. Especially during the chorus. This song features delicious keyboard and synth work from Tony Banks. I love it. Not perfect again but I do enjoy it quite a bit. 4.5/5

3. Ballad Of Big- This one tells a tale of Big Jim Cooley and how he was apparently a tough man but soon scared away by Native American tribes. Musically it's good but after a while it kind of drags on with a rather repetitive keyboard riff from Tony. Still a good tune but not great. 4/5

4. Snowbound- This one is exhilarating, it gives me chills. To many the lyrics may seem like pure cheese and they're probably right but the song is still excellent. The song's chorus however is rather repetitive and with that some points will be knocked out. 4/5

5. Burning Rope- This song is hands down the best song on the album. One of my very favorite Genesis tunes. This one is probably the only tune on here so far that could actually compete or stand up with the older classics(but this is Genesis we're talking about, they want to evolve and progress as a band).Mike does his best Steve Hackett interpretation or impersonation during the guitar solo. This song sounds rather pastoral and it is enough to bring chills down one's spine. This song is really exciting and great fun. Best on the album. 5/5

6. Deep In The Motherlode- This one is rather weak and doesn't really go anywhere though I happen to have a soft spot for it. However, objectively speaking it's repetitive and the worst song on here. And for that fact alone I have to downgrade it a few points. Sorry Genesis. 3.5/5

7. Many Too Many- This is another gem on the album. Short, sweet and to the point. However, it is still rather subtlety somewhat progressive and I like that, actually I love it. Phil delivers some great emotional vocals. 5/5

8. Scenes From A Nights Dream- This one is a funny little bit that follows Little Nemo. I find it hilarious and charming at the same time. When Phil sings "Come on you sleepy head we're waiting to go" I can't help but laugh a little. It's not perfect but still a good listen. 4/5

9. Say It's Alright Joe- This is yet again another decent listen but I've never really been too keen on this in all honesty. Though I do enjoy the chorus and when it erupts. It sounds like it came from medieval times(I love that imagery,ha) 4/5

10. The Lady Lies- This one is yet again another good listen. However at this point in the album I get the feeling that the guys are treading water and not really trying to come up with new and fresh material. I do like the keyboard solo by Tony, one of his most underrated solos. 4/5

11. Follow You, Follow Me- This one is the big hit of the album and it's a good catchy number but you get the feeling that they wanted to appeal to the masses and to mainstream radio(which brought them success of the likes that they never had before). Tony plays a fantastic keyboard solo though. To me this sounds like it's Genesis trying to appeal to a mainstream audience while still maintaining its integrity(it's works well on this occasion). Mike Rutherford came up with the catchy little guitar melody for the song's basis and it worked with great success it's a catchy little number but it's not like we haven't heard this before. 4/5

For the first time in a while I feel that Genesis didn't really progress on an album in one way or another. They were just treading water while maintaining some proggy bits. Not anywhere near as strong as their earlier material. The album gets a 46 out of 55 or 4.1 out of 5 which lands somewhere along the lines of 4 stars. But on this occasion because I feel that many of the bands songs are treading water I will give it more like a 3.7 which is gonna be 3 stars on PA. Peace Out!!

Genesis without Hackett! . Let's see what I think of this.

"Down and Out" - a good, solid, almost aggressive album opener that features keyboards, Collin's drumming as well as a throbbing bass from Rutherford.

"Undertow" - a delicate track with a nice, rousing, emotive chorus section.

"Ballad of Big" - upbeat track that I don't dislike but that doesn't do much for me at the same time.

"Snowbound" - a delicate track again with an emotive Collins using his voice well. Quite a rousing track that I enjoy.

"Burning Rope" - The longest track on the album. It shows promise throughout but never develops in the way that it could. It misses something that I perceive Hackett could have brought to it had he still been with the band.

"Deep in the Motherlode" - more of a rocker on this album which is fine but again it lacks something.

"Many too Many" - Pretty track that my eardrums easily abide however it's nothing special. Just rests easy. "Scenes from a Night's Dream" - Shortest track on the album that is more Collin's fare than Genesis's. I don't like it much.

"Say it's alright Joe" - Smoky kind of track with soft vocals to start until the chorus section sparks things up wherafter it cuts and repeats. Interesting.

"The Lady Lies" - An interesting track that segues a bluesy, jazzy sound with a rockout chorus.

"Follow You, Follow Me" - ahh the much maligned track. I don't dislike this - in fact I enjoy it, a lot.

A very keyboard oriented album with a strong showing from Collins on vocals and drums. I thought that I would dislike this album but I don't however I will say that nothing on it stands out to me as being overly special. I'm not a Banks fan but he was a very important integral member of Genesis throughout and he is an accomplished keyboard exponent. I try to judge the music and not the man. Watching a lot of interview material in order to get a handle on what Genesis was actually all about I feel that it's almost a pity that I did because I found that Banks, in many ways, thought he was Genesis and I do believe that he was more to blame for the direction that Genesis were to take than what Collins was. I also believe that he wanted Genesis to himself, that he jealously guarded his position and strength within the band stunting the contributions that others could have made to a large degree. Although it hasn't been said outright by Gabriel and Hackett I perceive that Banks was a strong reason for them leaving the band.

This album is a pleasant listen though there is nothing special about it and nothing stands out as being magic or a necessary part of the Genesis sound. A 3 star album from my perspective.

I can understand some of the disappointment some longtime fans would have felt at this release. The songs here are shorter on average; there's a bit of extra filler, and some of the stabs at "epicness" just don't quite take hold. And, let's be truthful - Mike Rutherford, as a guitarist, is no Steve Hackett.

Still, though - this is a solid album, with some moments of real greatness. The highlight for me is the opener, "Down and Out", which to me would be an ideal concert opener with its building of instruments in its intro to its driving 5/4 beat. (A particularly fun bit for me is during the chorus, where a tambourine continues to plow along behind some of the most furious drum fills Phil Collins had played to that point.) I guess the band did perform this live for a short period but found it difficult to replicate. Too bad - I'd like to have a soundboard copy of it regardless.

There are plenty of other great tracks here too. "Undertow" is a melancholy rumination on how we let the days of our lives go by without accomplishing what we truly could, believing there's always one more tomorrow. "Burning Rope" is a bittersweet tale of trailblazing and independence, with some great guitar work by Rutherford and keyboard work from Tony Banks. "Deep in the Motherlode" is a gold rush song, maybe mirroring to an extent the occasional risks many of us take that don't pan out. "Many Too Many" features some nice slide guitar work from Rutherford, while Collins puts some real sorrow into the aching lyrics. "Say It's Alright Joe" is another brokenhearted essay, marinated in generous offerings from the titular bartender; its ending reminds me not a little bit of the ending of "It's Yourself" with its beautiful ambient instrumentation. And, in spite of the "sell-out" screams at its inclusion, "Follow You, Follow Me" may still be the best ballad the band did (ironic since it was probably the first) - bubbly guitar and an energetic but still gentle keyboard solo.

Are there misfires? Sure. "Ballad of Big" has a bizarre title and just doesn't cut it for a story ("All in a Mouse's Night" from "Wind and Wuthering" sounds similarly forced), which combined with the unremarkable melody just makes the whole thing forgettable. "Snowbound" is pretty but perhaps a bit slight (and again, what in the world is this about?), and "Scenes from a Night's Dream", again, just sounds forced. Dunno if they could have done anything to make it more interesting, but it just doesn't work. Overall, however, this is a very solid album, particularly to the ears of someone coming into the game later (I started at "Invisible Touch" and worked backwards). A half-tick below its predecessor, but still great. Four stars.

After the departure of Steve Hackett, Genesis continued, now only three members, that's the reason of the title. Even though, it is considered their first incursion into more commercial music, it still has many elements of progressive sounds in the songs. What I like about the album is the force shown in the first track "Down and Out" which still has the inertia of the previous album. From this moment and on, the songs start to lose that force little by little, but they are acceptable songs. Even "Follow You Follow Me" though it is very commercial, has good moments. Unfortunately, it went lower than all their previous albums.

This album has received many bads reviews, some said it's the worst Genesis album including Tony Banks himself. For me, it's my favorite Genesis album post-Hackett era. It was a big blow when Hackett left the band letting Rutheford take the role of lead guitar, which he was not ready at that time. Yes ATTWT is missing Steve Hackett guitar, but there's some nice atmosphere throughout the album. Some songs have been written by Rutheford and others by Banks. Maybe that's why I enjoyed some material here because Collins didn't have a lot of influence on that album. There's a romantic and melancholic feel throughout the album but things get into a more rock style in some songs like "Down and Out", "Deep in the Motherlode,", "Say it's alright Joe" and "The Lady Lies". In the song "Burning Rope" Rutherford is playing a great guitar solo that Tony Banks would have developed further if Hackett was in the band, but it works well. This album was saved from a commercial disaster with "Follow You Follow Me". That song started with a long spacey guitar riff by Mike where Banks added some chords. It's a bit too simple for my taste but not bad, and a good way to end this album. This is a 4 stars album just for me but in a Progressive Rock web site, it deserves a 3.4 top. So I will make an exception this time.

#2 Review

An special album, Hacket's departure was hard, but the band still had ideas... I'll review by song and then a complete review:

1.- Down and Out 8/10 This song is one of the first 5 songs i listened from Genesis, you'll know the rest on other reviews, and i really liked it, the first lyrics i learned also and in a crucial time where i was studying compute engeener, and the song says "If you're slow they'll run pass you, stand tall, see them falling over" and i always believed that, but i fell over anyway... whatever, this song its not the best, but it acomplished a lot in my life, the piano is not hard at all and that helped me on not to quit music.

2.- Undertow 7/10 Really calm and pretty song, pretty lyrics... it just makes you feel a lot of what its telling, this shows that this album is better suit to listen to it on a rainy night with some warm light inside your room... or something like the album artwork shows.

3.- Ballad of Big 7/10 It feels like an early Duke song, it starts with really pretty piano and then it starts to use chords that remind me of Duke, then changes again to something more cheery and so on, aweosome drum and bass work, this song shows the strenght of this 3 people alone, i can say that this also shows that the band style and album name changes with what kind of sound is using Tony Banks in the Piano.

4.- Snowbound 7/10 Is that Rutherford playing that pretty guitar? Yes, he compossed this and it's a really beautyful song, again, pretty calm like Undertow and the vocal work alongside the piano goes really well.

5.- Burning Rope 10/10 The strenght of this album, a really well composed prog song that feels like a ballad more than Ballad of Big, here we can feel the whole band doing something that it's calm but that it also changes a lot inside that. Aweosome work by Michael Rutherford in doing the solo. I really don't know if this song needs Steve Hacket, it's as if he was in there somehow.

6.- Deep in the Motherlode 7/10 I really like this song, specially the piano work, i mainly give a 7 to the songs i like a lot but somehow feel a little repetitive. This song feels less melancholic than the others though.

7.- Many too Many 7/10 Another song that's really calm and melancholic, this time it's a little more simple, because the battery and the bass are more prominent, the little bits of piano add to the melancholic feel of the song, as almost every piano does in a melancholic song, the drumming gives the step forward to the strong voice of Phil to pop-up, and near the end, Michael Rutherford does another solo that reminds me a lot of the final part from Squonk, and that's good.

8.- Scenes from a Night's Dream 7/10 An entertaining song that leaves the common theme and feel of the album, but not enough to feel alien. Every instrument is working to make the melody, including the voice, everything follows, so it feels a little simple, except for the battery in for the most part.

9.- Say It's Alright Joe 7/10 And we go back to how the album has always feeled, the piano sets the atmosphere in a really great way here, and the bass plays a little bit in the background, they both give nice layers to the song... then the song changes and goes dramatic for some seconds (the drums appear), and goes back again to what it was, and so on...

10.- The Lady Lies 8/10 And back to another more dramatic song, i can see a patron here, and i really like, this song is really good, gives a sense of adventure, it gets a little repetitive and simple at times, but the chorus gets a really complex drum/bass... and ends with an interesting piano/bass solo and goes back again to the aweosome chorus.

11.- Follow You, Follow Me 9/10 I should feel bad for giving a nearly perfect score to a song so simple? I really wish they played more songs of the album instead of this one at concerts, but what can i say, it grew on me, it reminds me of this aweosome album even tho it doesn't represent it at all. It's a really cheerful song that makes me want to start the day and to do my best.

All in all, this album gets a 76 out of 100, wich gives us 3,8 stars... and i'll give it 4 this time, it's a really relaxing album with some dramatic songs here and there, it's perfect for what the artwork shows, to play this album, to look at how the sun sets and how it paints the clouds with it's orange glow. It's not Hacket, it's different and not bad at all.

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B-Sides

1.- The Day the Light Went Out 7/10 This song explores some really interesting grounds, specially with Phil's voice, the rythm and tempo are really enjoyable and keep me hooked. But in the end of the day, this song is still a little repetitive. Reminds me of "Scenes from a Nightsdream", while that song follows an efective structure while being repetitve, this one feels like it will take you to places but it doesn't get quite there.

2.- Vancouver 7/10 Another mellow song that could've been on this album, it feels more light than the other songs in that regard, it's still a good listen, with some little interesing ideas, it feels a little short though.

In conclusion, the B-Sides wouldn't have affected the score on this album that much for me, they fit here without problems, but at the same time i can see why they left these 2 songs out, the first one has some kind of weird moments with Phil's voice that they maybe thought they weren't going to be accepted and the second song was maybe a little too short and it got the cut.

As i said in my previous "B-Sides" update with the Abacab album, i'll keep doing this with more albums and i'll do new reviews soon, while i also said that i will cover videos and concerts froms this albums, but i think that i worded it wrong, i should've said the live versions of these songs that have been played on other concerts, and i also wanted to talk about a little history on how the band approached each album.

Review Nº 142

"...And Then There Were Three..." is another Genesis' album marked by another change into their line up. This time it was Steve Hackett who left Genesis, in 1977, soon after the release and the tour of the live album "Seconds Out". The three remaining band members decided, again, not replace Hackett by another permanent band member. As happened with Phil Collins, who rolled both functions, vocalist and drummer, Mike Rutherford, who also played guitar, started also with the duties of bassist and guitarist. However, Genesis decided that for their live tours they needed a guitarist and for that role was called Daryl Stuermer, an American guitarist. So, he joined to Chester Thompson that already replaced Phil Collins on drums on their live shows, after the departure of Peter Gabriel from the group. So, the line up on the album is Tony Banks (keyboards), Mike Rutherford (basses and guitars) and Phil Collins (vocals and drums).

"...And Then There Were Three..." is the ninth studio album of Genesis and was released in 1978. The album has eleven tracks. The first track "Down And Out" written by Banks, Collins and Rutherford represents one great open for the album and is clearly a great song in the same vein of "Wind And Wuthering". It's the best song signed by all band members and consequently it's one of the best and more progressive tracks on the album too. The second track "Undertow" written by Banks is also one of the greatest songs on the album and is also one of the most beautiful songs composed by him ever. It's with "Burning Rope" one of the two best contributions by Banks on the album and is also very progressive. The third track "Ballad Of Big" written by Banks, Collins and Rutherford is a good song with some interesting musical atmosphere, this time in the vein of "A Trick Of The Tail". However, it's, for me, less interesting than the two previous songs. The fourth track "Snowbound" written by Rutherford represents another great moment on the album. It's the best song signed by Rutherford on the album and is one of the highest points of it too. It's very beautiful and it has also a wonderful choral work. The fifth track "Burning Rope" written by Banks is another brilliant song and represents also one of the highest points on the album. It's the only long epic song on the album and is without any doubt one of its best tracks. This is my favourite song on the album. The sixth track "Deep In The Motherlode" written by Rutherford is a typical Rutherford's song. This is also a very good song with great musical arrangements. It contains some brilliant guitar and keyboard works and represents one of the last great songs on the album. The seventh track "Many To Many" written by Banks is one of the smallest songs of the album and this is, in my humble opinion, the weakest song made by him. It's a beautiful ballad, very well sung by Collins but is undoubtedly, inferior to all other songs on the album. Unfortunately, it's the last song to use a mellotron on any studio recordings of Genesis. The eighth track "Scenes From A Night's Dream" written by Banks and Collins has fantasy lyrics about a night's dream. It's another small song with good vocals and lyrics, but like the previous track, it's also an inferior song compared with the rest of the album. The ninth track "Say It's Alright Joe" written by Rutherford is an interesting and beautiful song that fluctuates between some quiet moments and some musical explosions. However, it's also inferior to the most part of the tracks on the album. The tenth track "The Lady Lies" written by Banks finally represents another very good moment on the album. It's a song more in the classic Genesis' vein and it marks also one of the greatest musical moments on the album. This is really another great and fantastic song. The eleventh track "Follow You Follow Me" written by Banks, Collins and Rutherford is clearly a song released for a single with the intention to be a hit and achieve the top sales. It's a good pop song, but sincerely, it should never have been part of the album. I really think that it suits better on a Collins' solo album. Unfortunately, this is the song that would make the definitive turning point on Genesis' career.

Conclusion: Sincerely, I don't consider this album as a minor work as many of you consider. Obviously, it hasn't the presence of Hackett, or even it hasn't the presence of a true guitarist. As all we know, Rutherford is an excellent bassist but he isn't really a great guitarist. However, I think Rutherford did that function quite decently. For me, this is the last studio album that can be considered as a Genesis' progressive rock album, with the exception of "Follow You, Follow Me". This is, in my humble opinion, a Banks and a Rutherford album. In reality, it's essentially a Banks album because its sound is dominated by his keyboards. It's true that almost all the tracks are short, but the main prog characteristics of the group are still presents. After this album, the most part of the compositions made by Genesis were written more in the commercial Collins' pop style. So, "...And Then There Were Three..." is, all in all, an interesting mixture of challenging rock and pop style with a progressive touch. The album is neither too shallow nor too complex, and that is probably the main reason why I like it so much. So, this is for me, the last truly progressive studio work made by Genesis.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

I can't think of another prog album that seems to have been kicked around over the years more than ...And Then There Were Three by Genesis. Its as if the band's remaining three members, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, cast off their prog muse and concocted some sort of pop confection to rival albums and pop hits by Abba. All because an accessible song form the album titled "Follow You, Follow Me" became a top ten hit single.

When one listens to these three members laying out some of Genesis' trademark musical styles such as low, almost spoken, lead vocals contrasted with very high vocal choruses, along with a plethora of heavily strummed guitar chords or delicately played acoustic and electric guitar arpeggios, supported by an arsenal of keyboards and extremely busy drum work, it's hard to believe that the naysayers actually listened to the same album.

The lead off track "Down And Out" is absolutely magnificent. With it's loopy 5/4 time signatures, big drum fills, and grandiose synth melodies that seem to reach out of the speakers and travel towards the heavens, the resulting music is anything but pop. After the celestial synth tones die off, Bank's trademark electric piano, a CP-70, plays melancholy notes that start off the emotionally charged "Undertow", another in a long series of classic Banks' compositions that hit one on an emotional level, similar to "Afterglow" from Wind And Weathering, when one is not even sure of what Banks is laying his soul bare to.

Following "Undertow" is the low droning synth tones and trebly piano that signals the start of another bombastic song titled "The Ballad Of Big" that does all that's musically needed to place the listener in the middle of a Wild West ambush with Collins' accordion pleated vocal chorus sounding like the refrain of an attacked army. Big music indeed for "The Ballad of Big." "Snowbound" is a mellow atmospheric guitar strummer from Rutherford that showcases Collins' mellower side and more of Banks' excellent mellotron and synth work. The album's longest track (at 7:09) "Burning Rope" follows. This song, along with "The Lady Lies" is Banks' songwriting at its best, with everything thrown in except the kitchen sink along with some tricky time changes. Rutherford plays a lot of tasty lead and rhythm guitar on these tracks and does a good job of being both melodic and inventive without ever trying to mimic the recently departed Steve Hackett. In fact, it's difficult to listen to so much guitar without wondering how different these songs would have sounded had Hackett been included this time around, but this is ultimately reason for the album's four star rating. More on that in a minute.

"Deep in The Motherlode" is as close as Genesis ever got to mixing prog with psychedelia. Its slowed down vocals, slight varispeed treatment to the rhythm section and Rutherford's heavily phased, panned and echoed guitar leads put this song almost into a category of its own. "Many too Many" and "Say it's Alright Joe" are slow moving ballads by Banks and Rutherford respectively, while "Scenes From A night's Dream" is an up beat pop rocker by Collins that features wonderful fairytale lyrics. All three of these songs do little to move the album forward until we get the afore mentioned "The Lady Lies", and the afore mentioned album closer "Follow You, Follow Me."

With hindsight, it's easy to look at "Follow You, Follow Me" as pointing to the band's future album direction, but at the time, even with the short song durations, ...And Then There Three seemed like the next phase of Genesis' prog direction. As I stated above, it's nearly impossible to listen to the mini epics like "Burning Rope" and "The Lady Lies" without thinking that Steve Hackett could have raised these two songs, as good as they are, to an even higher level. And, as good as Banks, Rutherford and Collins are making these heavily layered songs work without sounding overly cluttered, a slimmed down sound mix that included Hackett could have worked just as well or possibly better. However, ATTWT is still deeply in the band's prog agenda, so let's just leave it at that and enjoy this album for what it is and not what people think it could have been. 3.8 stars rounded up to 4, which makes it a fine addition to any prog collection.

Until they released Duke, I was always behind on the album releases and I never heard them in order. W&W was the first album I ever heard in 1978 and I was instantly amazed and prog rock became my staple and Genesis was The Band. I went back and heard the catalog and that love grew. Apocalypse in 9/8 was epic since I am an instrumentalist at heart. Collins said that after Gabriel's departure he suggested the band become an instrumental unit and I would have been fine with that.

My favorite period will always be the Hackett years. He is a very unique guitarist and his work was essential to the band. It was sad when his contributions were not better received. Songs from Please Don't Touch were offered up which Genesis would have been great at but ended up released in sync with ATTWT. It stinks that one reason he left was that Mike and Tony would not let him do solo albums in between Genesis albums. So what did those hypocrites do? As soon as ATTWT was released Phil had marriage issues so Mike and Tony did solo albums.

Steve did not want tio do shorter songs as he wanted to stick with the prog flavor. I admire him greatly and his solo output has surpassed every other member of the band. I tend to wonder if those 2 especially Banks wanted to just get rid of Steve. He has never ever gotten the respect he should have had. Tony did not like having to share the spotlight with any other soloist. Had Steve stayed the next Genesis offering would have been different and probably would have further refined the 4 piece.

By the time I heard ATTWT, I had been ready for the next awesome entry of rich prog and lengthy instrumentals. But to no avail. I feel it was a mistake for Genesis not to hire a new lead guitarist to replace Hackett (Daryl Stuermer would have been great). I have long admired Mike's talent on bass and have considered him one of the all time best and he is great of a 12 string as rhythm but as a lead he is sorely lacking. It is as if they decided they really only needed a rhythm guitar and so Tony got his wish to dominate the band even mor3e than he did.

All that being said I was disappointed in this album but like all Genesis fans I looked for the gems and there are some for sure. The opening Down & Out is explosive and thick and that started the first song they did where the bass line pounded out 1 note. Abacab and Behind The Lines later followed this line on bass pedals. D&O was a great way to start the album. I did like most of the songs in some way. Snowblind I thought was intense and unique.

Side 2 started with Motherlode which reminded me of In A Mouse's Night to a degree instrumentally. The best prog track on the album for me was Burning Rope. I was surprised by Mike's solo that it was fairly decent and when Banks keys come crashi8ng in at the end it is a bit of a hair raiser.

When Follow You comes on, it is reminiscent of the end of W&W Afterglow. I knew then that we could be seeing the band start eyeing a pop transition but like so many, I had hope it would never happen.

While I was disappointed in the album, I think part of it had to do with Steve being gone and his departure shows in the music. But overall it was a decent entry for them dropping to 3 members. Sadly this album is the beginning of the end of Genesis for me.

1Down And Out.. what excitement! the 1st GENESIS purchased! yes the others from before cracked... finally recorded LPs on K7, good times that; it was so good that I didn't think I could buy an album of theirs... when you're young... in short, I ate this album even if it was really the beginning of the true end for them; think, only three left; yet the background sound was heavy; good, the majestic title which marks an ersatz sound but which proves that the synth and the drummer hold up well, Tony holding the group well 2 Undertow for the consensual soft melody, with its already electro pads and a languorous air; it's beautiful but; it's more spleen than anything else, like an ode to the end, to memory; musically it's very clean it must be admitted 3 Ballad Of Big with the prog intro... it seems cinematic before its time, a drum roll lets Phil arrive for his text; the chorus is well done but which brings GENESIS into the sound of the 80s two years in advance, it's clean but planned so as not to disturb anyone, too predictable yes and basta the prog break, creating a lack 4Snowbound for snowballing, without making any tracks; beautiful but predictable and without that prog blood which still flowed on the first title; 5 Burning Rope ah phew I find the sound of the two previous albums, the instrumental which tells you come on we're going to travel together; a well-crafted sympho-melodic intro that takes you back to Lewis' world, yes I see the rabbit there behind the tree; the phrasing and the piano keep you alert, the synth ah don't forget that Tony is a great musician, this synth that makes you melt; oh no, oh love, but yes, it's the ballad Charisma which doesn't care about radio criteria, here 7 minutes to play and enjoy listening; the plaintive guitar mixes with the keyboards; the louder spleen break you melt with Mike who proves that he too can play everything throws you the solo; back to the verse, it starts again... unpredictable and magnificent, prog what!!

6 Deep In The Motherlode typical, symphonic intro, I love the bass, yes on the radio at the time it was fleeting, there I feel this vibration which reassures, warms, we listen to beautiful and good sound; the melody which enters the brain quickly, the rhythm has something to do with it, the cymbals there and Tony who goes there with his 12 fingers; a title like the first on side A, all in sensitivity and ardor and an ending that is at least progressive 7 Many Too Many for the melody that could be shown on TV, with nostalgia but without great prog creation 8 Scenes From A Night's Dream for the same musical pattern with a more playful rhythm, playing on the synths to give more relief 9 Say It's Alright Joe like the penultimate track, yes it's similar, a predictable rise, the prog juice begins to dry up however the instrumental parts are still intense; 10 The Lady Lies arrives let's enjoy the 2nd at just over 6 minutes; the tune yes, the rhythm yes, the sound yes it's GENESIS, the range begins to whisper the hit, next mega hit; in the meantime what do we have, a crystal clear melody, an air that transports you with the bass forward, yes, with the warm, fat keyboards, with the synth which sets off on a solo stamped by Banks; yes it's over for the guitar solos which were the richness of the GENESIS before; yes the battery holds the pad, but; in short, the memory of these evenings listening to this K7 on repeat makes me understand a little more how people today can fall in love with basic music; cruel observation but I love this piece with its piano variation 11 Follow You Follow Me for Phil's mega-hit, for the clip filled with almost empty percussion, him singing really well, which follows the musical plot, well if Steve from MARILLION did that, it would be truly divine; well this title nothing to throw away, nothing to spit, just perfect... and my sweet teenage years taking the FM station to wash myself with this melting hit. (3.5)

Oh, how I miss Steve Hackett. Many Too Many is a beautiful Tony Banks ballad which could have done with a bit more piano and fewer synths and Say It's Alright Joe is a passable Mike Rutherford pop song. After that it's slim pickings. Undertow begins with a nice piano passage reminiscent of Mad Man Moon then descends into a silly second stanza. Follow You, Follow Me was a big Genesis hit. I don't know why. The song is catchy but the theme doesn't develop and the song has no resolution. My criticism of the whole album is that it lacks the guitar parts to make it interesting. Moog and mellotron have their place but not as a lead instrument. Checking the song writings credits, I see that most of the songs are written by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. I never thought I would say this but the only conclusion I can draw is that it is Phil Collins who saves the band artistically in their subsequent albums.

I absolutely agree that this album is transitional, kind of Diet Wind and Wuthering.

Let me explain this transition with a comparison to soup: In early 70's, Genesis developed a new and original recipe for soup. You could taste more influences, different ingredients, different genres, different time epochs together. Absolutely amazing brand. Then Peter Gabriel left and the band proved to be still able to provide high quality music, maybe not so original as before, but still above standard. But with this album, I dare say that they produced a rehash of something that was being cooked for couple of years before. The atmosphere and musicianship is there, yes (I especially enjoy Collins's drumming), but I have a feeling like I already heard it on previous 2 albums. What's more, I find it irritating to hear Bank's keyboards at the beginning of songs like The Lady Lies, Deep in Motherlode or Rutherford's guitar in Scenes from a Night's Dream. It just makes me think that the band wants to build a song on some cheesy melody just in the sake of writing a song. I find writing most of the songs have just become a stale routine.

I was always so sad that 70's had to finish and prog with it, but Genesis showed me different viewpoint on the topic and that is that nothing lasts for ever. This album is a prove that most prog bands have depleted themselves and had to find new source. I remember when I first heard Many too Many and Follow You Follow me. I didn't like the first one and I thought about the second one: "what a piece of sh..." Well, that was because of the context of the Gabriel era. In the context of this album I think that these two songs are fresher and more interesting than longer songs as attempts to stick with the past. Unfortunately there is no way back and still, I consider Duke great album and I find at least 2 great songs on each 80's album (maybe except for Abacab).

PS: Steve Hackett is very missed - on the previous album, Tony Banks tended to absorb all the space for himslef, but he is not Emerson, there might have been arguments between these 2, but here, after Hackett's departure, Banks' creativity seems shocked and as if he got scared from the suddenly gained space. I believe he needed this tension and competition.

Let me finish with an experiment question: If this album had been released by a completely different and unknown band, would it be appreciated more or less than the way it is now?

After the superb "Wind And Wuthering" I have alway felt "And Then Their Were Three" was a big disappointment.Obviously with Steve Hackett gone it would be unfair to expect them to carry on in the same vein as their previous albums especially as they decided not to replace him with another guitarist but have bassist Mike Rutherford step up to the mark. Infact his guitar playing is not the problem.Nor is the production which in retrospect is not dramatically different from the previous album.No- what the real problem is are the songs themselves.If they were to lose the long form songs which was their strength and replace them with shorter songs they really needed to make sure all of those songs were potential chart worthy. As it turned out only "Follow You Follow Me" gave them a big hit- admittedly a substantial hit as well which no doubt helped make the album a hit as well.But most of the other songs were simply not well crafted and song craftsmanship is something they usually excelled at. Even the one epic- "Burning Rope" seems a little clunky in places especially the chorus.My personal favourite track is the driving opener "Down and Out" with its complex rhythm and keyboard solo.It is a pity there are not more tracks like that. As it is- not a bad album but definitely their weakest to date

3 stars

Surprisingly strong album considering this followed the loss of guitarist extraordinaire and composer Steve Hackett (and was not replaced with another guitarist). Yes, there is a noticeable shift in style, but several excellent tracks here. With Hackett gone, the sound is even more keyboard-oriented, with Tony Banks dominating the sound, but he creates many very effective soundscapes. Several songs have quite beautiful melodies and themes. They purposely went for shorter songs here in order to fit more songs on, but the style and structure are still very much in the progressive rock vein. The only weakness here is that overall, there is somewhat of a sameness to the songs here (most likely due to the loss of a key songwriter and the more diverse sounds and styles that he brought). Some have tried to make the case that because this album contains the band's first actual hit single ('Follow You, Follow Me'), it signals their sellout, but the song is in the same vein and quite similar to other songs that they made much earlier in their career (such as 'I Know What I Like'), and is quite a good song. Overall a very good album, showing they could carry on as a threesome. Best songs: 'Burning Rope', 'Undertow', 'Deep in the Motherlode', 'Snowbound', 'The Lady Lies'. Weakest songs: 'Scene's From a Night's Dream', 'Say It's Alright Joe'.

Review #122

Steve HACKETT left and GENESIS became a trio, the result was good but not as good as the previous records of the band. Most of the songs in "And then there were three" are short and without experimentation, it is clear that the band was (whether on purpose or not) approaching more and more to Pop music and getting every time further from Prog Rock. Even when there is still resemblance to some of the earlier albums of GENESIS (especially the ones without Peter GABRIEL), GENESIS was changing and evolving into something more catchy and less demanding. The album is not a total waste since it has some very good songs but in general, this record is not at all an indispensable record that someone SHOULD have in his collection.

SONG RATING: Down and out, 5 Undertow, 4 Ballad of big, 4 Snowbound, 3 Burning rope, 3 Deep in the Motherlode, 4 Many too many, 3 Scenes from a night's dream, 3 Say it's alright Joe, 3 The lady lies, 4 Follow you, follow me, 3

AVERAGE: 3.55

PERCENTAGE: 70.91

ALBUM RATING: 3 stars

Although the departure of Peter Gabriel after "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" affected in part the musical and visual style of Genesis, making it more accessible, they still maintained a clear progressive vein. But the subsequent departure of the talented Steve Hackett after " Wind & Wuthering" was too much to sustain the group within the genre in which it was a reference. With no major intention of keeping or pigeonholing themselves in the progressive rock schemes, however wide and varied they may be, Genesis definitely moves away from the intricate and complex paths they proposed at the beginning of the 70s.

" ...And Then There Were Three..." is that album that makes the turn and breaks away from one style to begin to transform itself into another, neither better nor worse, simply another one, much more related to the commercial threads, of short and easily digestible songs. Where the evident protagonism in the vocal part of Phil Collins is accompanied by the shy guitars and keyboards of Mike Rutherford and Peter Banks respectively. For example: "Undertow", "Many too Many", "Say it's Alright Joe" and the very successful and radio-friendly "Follow You, Follow Me". Since shaking off the recent past is never a simple process, we find some of their original DNA in fragments of "Ballad of Big", "Burning Rope" and a little bit more in "Deep in the Motherlode", period. Just crumbs.

It is probable, although unprovable by the way, that if Genesis had started their musical adventure with this album, they would be qualified as a very successful pop rock band, which in fact they are; they would not be part of forums like this one; and the constant controversy between those who stayed with their first era and those who digested the change, would not exist. As a matter of personal taste, I'll stick with early Genesis.

2.5 stars.

After Steve Hackett left the band during the mixing of the "Seconds Out" live album in 1977, there were three members remaining in Genesis: Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford, hence the title of the album, '...And Then There Were Three...' Steve Hackett's absence is felt on this album with the lack of interesting lead guitar lines. That's not to discredit Mike Rutherford's guitar playing as he is a great rhythm guitar player. '...And Then There Were Three...' is a transitional album for Genesis. The band were moving into a more commercial direction which is indicated on tracks such as "Many Too Many" and "Follow You Follow Me." The band's poppy-era is hit-or-miss, but I still appreciate the fact that the band were willing to truly progress their sound, which resulted in an expansion of their audience. '...And Then There Were Three...' contains some of Phil Collins' best vocal performances. The first two albums he sang on, 'A Trick of the Tail' and 'Wind & Wuthering,' demonstrated that Collins was more than capable of succeeding Peter Gabriel as the vocalist for Genesis. That being said, he wasn't the most confident frontman. On '...And Then There Were Three..." Phil Collins sounds better than ever before. Unfortunately, Phil Collins in the eighties became overconfident and would frequently oversing.

The album opens with "Down and Out," which starts with atmospheric synths. A high note is played with chords shifting underneath it in a typical Tony Banks fashion. The music resolves into a guitar riff in 5/4. Phil Collins drumming is exceptional. Tony Banks plays a modal keyboard solo. The song ends satisfyingly with a Picardy third. "Undertow" is a gorgeous piano ballad that I used to not like as much but I now love it. "Ballad of Big" starts with Tony Banks keyboards that lead into the song. I like the change in meter between the verse and chorus. "Snowbound" is another song that, as of recently, I have grown fond of. It captures the magic of innocence with its childish melody. "Burning Rope" is the longest song on the album. The piano melody is grandiose and brilliantly utilizes modal mixture. The pre-chorus transitions beautifully into the chorus.

Side two opens with "Deep In the Motherlode," starting with a powerful chorus intro. I love the pulsating compound meter rhythm. The bridge section is atmospheric, providing a nice break for the band to explode back into the chorus. "Many Too Many" is a great piano-led pop song. The chorus provides a powerful juxtaposition from the verse. "Scenes from a Night's Dream" is the weakest song on the album, in my opinion. The verse to "Say It's Alright Joe" is slow and spacious, which beautifully contrasts the dramatic chorus. "The Lady Lies" is, in my opinion, the proggiest song on the album as it contains a theatrical vocal performance from Phil Collins and has a sinister quality. The guitar riff during the chorus is quite heavy. Tony Banks' synth solo is excellent. The last minute or so of this song is classic Genesis. I love the hemiola played between the piano and drums. Phil Collins drumming is as usual, outstanding. The album closes with "Follow You Follow Me," which is a herald of the direction that the band would go on subsequent albums. This is one of my favorite Genesis songs. It starts with the iconic delayed guitar riff. Tony Banks plays a pleasant synth solo. "Follow You Follow Me" is a delightful ending to the album.

In conclusion, '...And Then There Were Three...' is an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. Outside of one weak track, this album is nearly flawless. I will say, there are certainly better moments on other Genesis albums that preceded '...And Then There Were Three...,' but this is album is fairly consistent in terms of quality of music. The band didn't know if they could continue when Peter Gabriel resigned from Genesis, but when Steve Hackett left, they knew that they could, even though Hackett was a significant member, as they all were. Many fans of the Peter Gabriel-era of the band see this as the beginning of the end, but after revisiting '...And Then There Were Three...' in preparation for this review, I can positively say that this was not the end of Genesis, and they would go on to release another great album and some, for lack of a better word, interesting albums. Highly recommended. 8/10