And Then There Were Three: Genesis

SteveG wrote: What's your take on this so called "transitional" album by Genesis. It's one of my favs and I think it gets a bad rap by Genesis fans. It was one of the last few they did with producer David Hentschel and I almost consider him part of the band for the great production work he did on this album.

Genesis never ceases to amaze with their constant surprises and musical evolution. Considering the loss of Peter Gabriel and then Steve Hackett this album didn't disappoint. I can't think of any other band that has been as successful in transitioning from being one of the leaders of prog to becoming a successful band outside of prog. Whether you like Genesis or not their sold-out world tours in some of the biggest venues is the proof in the pudding.

Now back to Phil Collins, while Genesis were auditioning new singers (after Gabriel left), Collins at night was recording and working on Brand X.  Brand X Old Grey Whistle Test And So To F 1979  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XauOTo-BKSY xxxxx

M27Barney wrote: everybody SHOULD get on the new Hackett CD - that is AWESOME, with some of the best guitar work I've heard in ages! To lose such a talent was the death knell of genesis and they sank like a stone from the sea of prog as soon as Hackett left, never to return unfortunately !

There is some truth in this. But I think there was a tailing off of quality rather than the plummet that you suggest. As discussed above And Then There Were Three is a very good album, much better than most of Hackett's solo albums. I agree that Wolflight is a great album - one of his best, but he has produced several patchy albums in the past. Duke is also a great album (the best post-Hackett album) and is arguably as good as Wind and Wuthering. I also think that Abacab is a very strong album (Dodo, Lurker, Me and Sarah Jane etc have strong prog credentials). The following albums see a gradual decline, but there are still standout moments on even these albums. Sure, post-Gabriel followed by post-Hackett Genesis marked a transition away from their classic 70s prog style. But the work they produced still has tremendous merit - which brings us back to the delights of And Then There Were Three.

'And Then There Were Three' was the first proper album I ever bought. This is the one that started my love affair with the band (still going strong after 36 years). I still rate the album very highly - Undertow in particular is one of my favourite Genesis tracks ever. The production is brilliant - so vast sounding. I also think the cover art is great - very atmospheric.

It's one of my favorite Genesis albums and as some others have said earlier in this thread, it creates a special atmosphere. I does this for me as well, whether it's the music itself or nostalgia on my part. The album always takes me back to a very happy part of my teen years very near Christmas. When the first snow of the year comes this album always gets a spin. 

Edited by Relayer09 - December 05 2014 at 17:12

I'm quite happy that many here like this album...It's a sweet album with memorable melodies and week spots. I certainly agree it doesn't deserve the negative feedback it gets, probably because it's not so ambitious as previous albums by the band (Gabriel-era mainly). Also, sonically speaking and to my ears of course, it sounds kind of 'reduced'. It's a different album definitely, but it can hold it's own, and I find myself coming back to it from time to time for a few songs.

There is little (possibly nothing) on the album to interest a symphonic prog ear.....it DOES have a lot to offer your average pop-picker on the street.....

richardh wrote: Ok but also Collins drumming is amongst some of his best on tracks like Down and Out , Motherlode and Burning Rope

HackettFan wrote: ^Yeah, I hate Afterglow, by the way. But I just listened to it (ATWT) again. The vocals are terribly ponderous. I like some of the timbres from the keyboards, but that's about it. Boredom is what I greet it with, I'm afraid. There are bits of interesting stuff, but it's always bits, not unlike what you get from a lot of Indie bands today. Knowing your delight for keyboard heavy material I can squint and see some of its appeal for you. As mainly a guitar fan, there isn't much of intrigue in it for me, though.

I tend to think there was still an intensity about Genesis at this this time and you can hear it in the playing. They did however deliberately try to distance themselves from the early Genesis approach to create something that would be more accessible. People forget that Afterglow was a minor radio hit in the UK and it was this that started to move Genesis in a more pop direction if you want to call it that. Duke was basically a split album of prog and pop and showed they were still hedging their bets. Anyway I like both albums and there is no reason why they should have been doing the same things they were doing 5 years earlier especially as the two most adventurous members of the band had now departed.