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...And Then There Were Three...

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...And Then There Were Three... is the ninth studio album from the English rock band Genesis, released in March 1978 on Atlantic Records. It is the first recorded by Genesis as a trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and singer and drummer Phil Collins, following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett in 1977. The album marked a change in the band's sound, mixing elements of their progressive rock roots with more accessible pop music, and Collins contributing to more of the group's song writing.

The album received mixed to mostly positive reviews from critics but it was a commercial success, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 14 in the US. It spawned three singles; its lead single, "Follow You Follow Me", became their most successful single since their formation, reaching No. 7 in the UK and No. 23 in the US. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over one million copies. Genesis toured worldwide in 1978 to support the album, their first with touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer.

Production

Recording

...And Then There Were Three... was recorded at Relight Studios in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands, the same location as Wind & Wuthering.[2] According to Rutherford, the album was recorded in two weeks. The band considered auditioning new guitarists or utilizing a studio guitarist for the album, but Rutherford felt confident enough in his skills to take over the job himself. [2]

The title ...And Then There Were Three... comes from a verse of the children's rhyme "Ten Little Indians" ("Four little Injuns up on a spree, One got fuddled and then there were three"). It alludes to the state of the band at the time, after the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett in 1977 reduced the group to a trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Mike Rutherford, and singer and drummer Phil Collins. This three-man line-up would last until Collins' departure in 1996.

The band considers this album one of the weaker ones in their output. Rutherford stated that the songwriting sessions were difficult, the band was burned out, and needed some time apart. They took their first hiatus as a group following the tour for the album and came back refreshed.

Songs

While many of the songs were still progressive in terms of instrumentation and lyrics, the arrangements went from the more classical, movement-style composition of previous albums to the more standard verse/chorus/bridge format of popular songwriting. This was the final Genesis album to use a Mellotron, which is used on just one track, "Many Too Many".

The lyrics to "Ballad of Big" were written by Collins. The introduction contains a wobbly guitar effect created by Rutherford, whereby he rubbed his guitar strings with pieces of metal, giving it a "slightly Eastern strain".[2]

"Scenes from a Night's Dream" is based on the adventures of comic strip character Little Nemo. The song developed from a musical idea from Banks who also proceeded to write its lyrics, but he gave up halfway through writing them as he felt they were unsuitable. The band instead settled on a set of lyrics that Collins offered.[2]

"Say It's Alright Joe" is a torch song about an alcoholic who goes into a drunken stupor. Rutherford intended for the track to be a mock on "the Dean Martin set 'set 'em up Joe' alcoholic style'".[2]

Rutherford said that the group deliberately planned to end the album on a "lighter note", as a contrast to a more heavy sounding track to close the record.[2]

Sleeve design

As with their past three studio albums, the sleeve was designed by Hipgnosis. In an interview, Storm 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.[3]

Release

The album reached No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart, and remained in the charts for 32 weeks[4] having been bolstered by the UK Top 10 success of "Follow You Follow Me", which also became Genesis' first hit U.S. single. ...And Then There Were Three... reached No. 14 on the US chart, becoming their first Gold (eventually Platinum) album there (see RIAA certification).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Q[9]
Robert ChristgauD+[6]
Rolling Stonenegative[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

Tour

Genesis toured in support of ...And Then There Were Three.. between March and December 1978. This tour marked the debut of Daryl Stuermer as their touring guitarist.

Reissues

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 is missing. A SACD / DVD double disc set (including new 5.1 and Stereo mixes) was released on 2 April 2007. It was released in the US and Canada as part of the Genesis 1976–1982 box set. This includes the album in remixed stereo and surround sound, and related video tracks. The only exception is the track "Say It's Alright Joe", which was not remixed because the band was unable to locate the multitrack recordings.[10]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Down and Out"Collins, Banks, Rutherford5:25
2."Undertow"Banks4:47
3."Ballad of Big"Collins, Banks, Rutherford4:47
4."Snowbound"Rutherford4:30
5."Burning Rope"Banks7:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Deep in the Motherlode"Rutherford5:14
2."Many Too Many"Banks3:30
3."Scenes from a Night's Dream"Collins, Banks3:30
4."Say It's Alright Joe"Rutherford4:18
5."The Lady Lies"Banks6:05
6."Follow You Follow Me"Rutherford, Banks, Collins3:59

Personnel

Genesis[1]
Production[1]
  • Genesis – production
  • David Hentschel – production, engineer
  • Pierre Geofroy Chateau – engineering assistant
  • Steve Short – mixing assistant
  • Geoff Banks – equipment
  • Andy Mackrill – equipment
  • Dale Newman – equipment
  • Hipgnosis – sleeve design, photographs

References

  1. ^ a b c ...And Then There Were Three... (Media notes). Charisma Records. 1978. CDS 4010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fielder, Hugh (1 April 1978). "Genesis Track By Track". Sounds. p. 17–18. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. ^ Cerio, Steven (1998), "Storm Thorgerson", Seconds Magazine (46): 46
  4. ^ Genesis UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "And Then There Were Three – Genesis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Album: Genesis: . . . And Then There Were Three . . ". robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Bloom, Michael (10 August 1978). "Genesis: And Then There Were Three : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 327–328. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ Andy Fyfe Q, May 2007, Issue 250.
  10. ^ Explained at http://www.genesis-news.com/genesis/reviews/sacds/1976-1982.htm
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