...And Then There Were Three...

Untitled

...And Then There Were Three... is the ninth studio album by the British band Genesis and was released in 1978.

A pivotal release in the band's history, the title is a wry reference to the recent departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, reducing Genesis to a trio (which would result in their longest unchanged line-up until 1996). As a result, the roles of the remaining members of Genesis became more sharply defined. Tony Banks handled all keyboards, Mike Rutherford all guitars and basses, and Phil Collins vocals and all drums and percussion. Additionally, ...And Then There Were Three... heralded a move towards shorter radio-friendly songs and marked the band's strategic move away from progressive rock at the height of punk rock, and included a song based on the fantastic adventures of comic strip character Little Nemo, ("Scenes From a Night's Dream"). As a more direct and accessible release, Genesis' fanbase increased considerably, with the album reaching #3 on the UK Albums Chart — having been bolstered by the Top 5 success of "Follow You, Follow Me", which also became Genesis' first hit US single. As a result, ...And Then There Were Three... reached #14 on the US chart, becoming their first Gold (eventually Platinum) album there (see RIAA certification).

For many fans of the band's earlier work, this album indicated a crisis in the musical direction in the band, and rumors abounded of Genesis' potential demise. While many of the shorter songs were still clearly avant-garde in terms of instrumentation and lyrical material, few were longer than five minutes in length, and the arrangements went from the more classical, movement-style composition of previous albums to the more standard verse/chorus/bridge/chorus format of popular songwriting.

Some of the songs hearken to earlier days - "Burning Rope" sounds like many of the more complex numbers of A Trick of the Tail, "Snowbound" is as pristine a ballad as anything on Wind & Wuthering, and the opening track "Down and Out" (with its 5/4 time signature) is as musically difficult and dramatic as "Dance on a Volcano".

A digitally remastered version was released on CD in 1994 on Virgin in Europe and Atlantic in the US and Canada. The booklet on the remaster features the lyrics although the gatefold picture was missing.

A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) is planned for release on April 2, 2007 (although it will be a CD / DVD double disc set for the US and Canada).

Album cover

The LP sleeve cover was designed by Hipgnosis, the design studio founded by Storm Thorgerson (best known for his work with Pink Floyd). In an interview, Thorgerson called the design a "failure", and described the concept being conveyed:

We were trying to tell a story by the traces left by the light trails. It was a torch, a car, and a man with a cigarette. The band was losing members and there were only three of them left. The lyrics of the songs were about comings and goings and we tried to describe this in photographic terms by using time-lapse. So there's a car going off to one side and then the guy gets out of the car, walks over to the front of it, and lights a cigarette. But as he walks he uses a torch and the car he was in leaves. There's a trail left by the car, a trail left by him as he's walking and then he lights a cigarette, which on the cover is where there's a flash of his face.

Track listing

1. "Down And Out" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 5:25
2. "Undertow" (Tony Banks) – 4:46
3. "Ballad Of Big" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 4:49
4. "Snowbound" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:29
5. "Burning Rope" (Tony Banks) – 7:09
6. "Deep In The Motherlode" (Mike Rutherford) – 5:13
7. "Many Too Many" (Tony Banks) – 3:30
8. "Scenes From A Night's Dream" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins) – 3:29
9. "Say It's Alright Joe" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:19
10. "The Lady Lies" (Tony Banks) – 6:05
11. "Follow You, Follow Me" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 3:59

2007 SACD/DVD Remaster

• Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
• Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "...And Then There Were Three..." in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material

1. Promotional videos: Many Too Many, Follow You Follow Me.
2. Reissues Interview 2007
3. Three Days With Genesis 1978
4. Japan Tour Programme 1978 (15 page gallery)
5. Knebworth Programme 1978 (4 page gallery)
6. German Festival Programme 1978 (10 page gallery)

Personnel

• Phil Collins - percussion, drums, vocals
• Tony Banks - keyboards, vocals
• Mike Rutherford - basses, guitars, bass pedals