And Then There Were Three

Blacksword wrote: Snow Dog wrote: A major dissapointment when I bought it. Time hasn't really changed that for me. Some good songs, but they are all missing something. A bit of passion or Hackett "atmosphere" maybe. So I'm not keen on it! I think whether you take to an album or not can depend when you hear it, and what is going on in your life at the time. Many people criticise this album, and all the arguments against it are perfectly valid. For me personally, I took to it immediately partly because it was the most 'prog' Genesis I had heard at the time - believe it or not - I had no idea who Steve Hackett was, and much of the lyrics struck a chord with me, especially Burning Rope & Undertow. It was winter 1985, and I was going through some sh!t at the time. This album was an enormous comfort to me. Partly for this reason my appraisal of it may not be objective, but if it's aim was make someone happy, then it worked on me! BTW, I thought later on, that Rutherford tried to emulate Hackett in places on this album, and I think his guitar playing generally is very good.

I bought it on release. I though that hacketts absense may make the band "stronger" as it did when Gabriel left IMO. I was so wrong. As you say it depends when and why you bought it. A friend of mine only bought it a couple of years ago and he likes it a lot!

I don't hate it though, I don't hate any Genesis album.

The end of the greatest prog band ever.

Bye Steve

I think this album is always underrated, and aside from Eleventh Earl of Mar and Unquiet Slumbers, it's better than Wind and Wuthering. It's the last good Genesis album, and everything that followed is crap, Duke included.

Track by track:

1. Down And Out (5:24) AWESOME BALLS TO THE WALL ORGAN-DRIVEN PROG, WITH TRICKY TIME SIGNATURES
2. Undertow (4:45) - PLEASANT BALLAD IN GREAT GENESIS TRADITION
3. Ballad Of Big (4:48) - DUMB COWBOY SONG. DUMP IT.

4. Snowbound (4:28)  - PLEASANT BALLAD IN GREAT GENESIS TRADITION
5. Burning Rope (7:09) - GREAT MINI EPIC
6. Deep In The Motherlode (5:12) - OVERRATED - DON'T EVER NEED TO HEAR AGAIN
7. Many Too Many (3:30) - PLEASANT BUT TOO POP
8. Scenes From A Nights Dream (3:29) - FUN WITH GREAT GUITARS AND LYRICS
9. Say It's Alright Joe (4:19) - ONE OF THE THREE LOW POINTS
10. The Lady Lies (6:04) - AWESOME PROG MINI-EPIC THAT TELLS A GREAT TALE
11. Follow You, Follow Me (3:59) - UNDERRATED - HAS A GREAT VIBE - I THINK IF GABRIEL SANG IT, IT WOULD GET MORE RESPECT. I MEAN, HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM SOLSBURY HILL?

OUTTAKES - THE DAY THE LIGHTS WENT OUT SHOULD HAVE REPLACED ONE OF THE CRAP SONGS. Maybe replace Many Too Many with Vancouver

So here's my new and improved version: Down and Out/Undertow/Burning Rope/Snowbound/The Lady Lies/Day the Lights Went Out/Scenes from a Night's Dream/Vancouver/Follow You Follow Me

 

 

ATTWT had some good moments, but a lot of it sounded like solo demos polished up to fill an album. Duke was a stronger effort overall, but that was the end of Genesis as a classic prog band - though I'm sure all the money they made in the 80s cushioned the blow for them!