Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Genesis
Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1982
Rating: 3.5/5
By the time “Three Sides Live”, Genesis’ third live album, came out, they were already one of the most famous and commercially successful bands of the ’80s, while at the same time pushing their mighty prog past further and further into the background. You can hear it in the song selection on this live recording, too. Still, it’s yet another excellent live album, packed with pretty much all their big hits from “Duke” (1980) and “Abacab” (1981), plus “Follow You Follow Me” (And Then There Were Three, 1978), of course. It also has a medley, a string of classics from their “golden” era, which makes it well worth a look for fans of their classic days. Phil Collins is in the best vocal form of his life, especially on all the hits, and any resemblance to Gabriel’s voice is completely gone by now. Tony Banks adapted to the keyboard sounds of the ’80s with ease, while Rutherford nails both the guitar and bass parts. The two touring members chip in nicely too: Chester Thompson (ex-Frank Zappa, ex-Weather Report) on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar.
The title of this album still confuses plenty of people today. It comes from the original North American version of the album, which had three sides of live recordings from the 1981 “Abacab” tour and a fourth side of studio tracks: three from the “3 X 3” EP (1982) and two B-sides from the “Duke” singles. The international release, the definitive one, which came out on Virigin Records, has its fourth side filled with live tracks from earlier tours, meaning the ones from the ’70s. Those tracks are, of course, also the best things on this live compilation. The pop ditty “Paperlate” from the “3 X 3” EP became a big hit single in North America, even though it’s one of the band’s weakest creations. As for the rest of the tracks on that version, “You Might Recall”, “Me And Virgil””, “Evidence Of Autumn” and “Open Door”, I won’t even bother mentioning them, because most of them are second-rate by the band’s standards, whereas the live recordings on the definitive edition are brilliant versions of some Genesis classics from earlier tours. Which fan of the band wouldn’t be thrilled by masterpieces like “One For The Vine” (from the 1980 tour), “Fountain of Salmacis” (from the 1978 tour) and “It/Watcher Of the Skies” (from the 1976 tour, with Bill Bruford (ex-Yes, ex-King Crimson, ex-UK) on drums)?
In 1994, “Three Sides Live” was reissued as the international version of the album, while the American version with its studio tracks was dropped. Four of the five tracks from the American version can be found on the box set “Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992” (2000).
Just like “Seconds Out” (1977), the live album before it, “Three Sides Live” marks the end of a particular era in the band’s evolution. As a live act, the band is brilliant again, and the songs are played with tons of energy, in excellent renditions of the studio versions. The album mostly focuses on the hits from “Duke” (1980) and “Abacab” (1981). So the first part of the album gives us all the big hits, like the opening pop rocker “Turn It On Again” (Duke, 1980), which Collins closes out with a playful rendition. I’d even say he takes it a bit too far. From “Abacab” (1981), the recording has all three of the best tracks from that album, namely “Dodo”, “Abacab” and “Me And Sarah Jane”. The longer pieces are “Dodo”, with its reggae rhythm and Collins’ vivid vocals, and “Abacab”, which is better with real drums than in the original version. Both bring back a bit of the epic feel, just coated in new wave elements. “Behind The Lines ter “Duches” are the two opening concept pieces from Duke. “Behind The Lines” has a great rhythm line thanks to both drummers, Collins and Thompson, while “Duchess” is played even better than the studio version. Stuermer’s tasteful guitar “extras”, which weren’t on the studio version, are especially good. I’d say “Me And Sarah Jane” also tops the original in this live rendition. And of course there’s no skipping the romantic hit ”Follow You Follow Me” (And Then There Were Three, 1978), which is played with real feeling and sung in the best possible way.
The second part, apart from the pop hit “Misunderstanding” (Duke, 1980), has their classic prog works, which will delight all lovers of classic, progressive Genesis. Among them is the “In The Cage” medley, which replaced “Super’s Ready” (Foxtrot, 1972) in the live repertoire. Among other things, this medley contains the dramatic “In the Cage” (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, 1974) combined with a few motifs from “Cinema Show” (Selling England By the Pound, 1973) and some other works by the band from the ’70s. These medleys and collections of Banks’ superb keyboard solos stuck around in the band’s live sets for a long time, and for all the old fans they were a fond reminder of the band’s magnificent compositions at their best. The “In the Cage” medley is followed by the epically melancholic “Afterglow” (Wind and Wuthering, 1977), which usually closed out the regular part of the show. After that come the real treats for all lovers of classic Genesis. First the forgotten epic masterpiece “One For the Vine” (Wind and Wuthering, 1977), then the big surprise, “Fountain Of Salmacis” (Nursery Cryme, 1971), in an excellent vocal performance by Collins, sung his own way yet staying true to Gabriel’s original, and bringing back one of the band’s most majestic works. Definitely one of the highlights of this live album. The closer, the “It/Watcher Of the Skies” medley (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway/Foxtrot), recorded on the “A Trick Of the Tail” tour (1976), still with Steve Hackett on guitar and Bill Bruford on drums, is without a doubt the peak of the entire live compilation.
The production on the album is excellent for its time, and the sound is incredibly alive. Even though this is a live album recorded at the start of the band’s commercialization, I’d put it among the albums that no fan of either phase of the band, prog or pop, should be without. Anyone should be satisfied with the excellent performances of classics from both phases. “Three Sides Live” is of course not the definitive Genesis live album. In fact, they never released one. Even the previous live albums, excellent as they are, “Genesis Live” (1973) and “Seconds Out” (1977), lacked that final touch that could have made them the definitive document of Genesis “live”. Still, “Three Sides Live” is the best possible live document of the band from the early ’80s, when they started their commercial march, and it marks both the end and the beginning of a period in the band’s evolution.
Lineup
Phil Collins – vocals, drums and percussion
Mike Rutherford – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
Tony Banks – keyboards, backing vocals
Steve Hackett – guitar (13)
Guest musicians:
Daryl Stuermer – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
Chester Thompson – drums and percussion
Bill Bruford – drums and percussion (13)
Production
Genesis
Track list
CD1:
1. Turn It On Again (5:15)
2. Dodo / Lurker (7:18)
3. Abacab (8:46)
4. Behind The Lines (5:25)
5. Duchess (6:38)
6. Me And Sarah Jane (6:02)
7. Follow You, Follow Me (4:58)
C2:
1. Misunderstanding (4:05)
2. In The Cage / Cinema Show / Slippermen (11:52)
3. Afterglow (5:13)
4. One For The Vine (11:05)
5. Fountain Of Salmacis (8:37)
6. It / Watcher Of The Skies (7:22)
Running time: 92:36
