Artist: GENESIS
Album: AND THEN THERE WERE THREE REMASTERED (CD)

Release date: 1978/ 2008
EAN/UPS: 0094639164028
Media type: CD

...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 ...And Then There Were Three... 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, which lasted 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"). Also a torch song ("Say It's Alright Joe") about a drunk who goes into a drunken stupor. As a more direct and accessible release, this album saw Genesis' fanbase increase considerably. 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.

For many fans of the band's earlier work, this album indicated a crisis in the musical direction in the band, and rumours 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.

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.

TRACKLIST :

"Down and Out" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 5:26
"Undertow" (Tony Banks) – 4:46
"Ballad of Big" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford) – 4:50
"Snowbound" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:31
"Burning Rope" (Tony Banks) – 7:10

"Deep in the Motherlode" (Mike Rutherford) – 5:15
"Many Too Many" (Tony Banks) – 3:31
"Scenes from a Night's Dream" (Music: Tony Banks/Lyrics: Phil Collins) – 3:30
"Say It's Alright Joe" (Mike Rutherford) – 4:21
"The Lady Lies" (Tony Banks) – 6:08
"Follow You, Follow Me" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford)(lyrics:Mike Rutherford) – 3:59

LINE-UP :

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