Three's Company

When Steve Hackett left Genesis in 1977, in no small part due to the group's democratic approach to songwriting (& having his own material rebuffed time & time again), one would think the band would have thrown in the towel & called it a day. But despite losing Hackett, Genesis soldiered on as a trio & came through with the brilliant ...And Then There Were Three. Not only is the album title a nod to Messrs. Banks, Collins & Rutherford's former bandmate; this would also signal the start of something new, a shift in the band's musical direction (& which would become apparent by the start of the following decade).

...And Then There Were Three, as a result, could be seen as a transitional album: one foot deeply set in familiar prog-rock waters, the other set in a poppier, more accessible mode (as their first bonafide hit, "Follow You Follow Me" boldly indicates; this song became a precursor to the hit-making machine Genesis would become some time afterwards, as well as throughout Phil Collins' solo career). This isn't to say that the results are mixed; far from it!! "Down and Out," "Ballad of Big," "The Lady Lies" & "Deep In The Motherlode" reveal that the threesome still had it in regards to their old prog-rock sound but the songs come off more focused, more concise, a refining of the epic songcraft from their previous studio release Wind and Wuthering. "Snowbound," "Many Too Many" & the aforementioned "Follow You Follow Me" on the other hand showcase Genesis entering the next phase of their career, when they would become even more famous than ever.

A lot could be said about Tony Banks' keyboard playing & Collins' rock-solid drumming throughout this album but I'll sum it up like so: both men are up to the task & kick some major tail. Yet the other key player in this incarnation, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford, deserves equal praises & kudos. Filling Hackett's shoes would have been a bit much to ask but Rutherford stepped up to the challenge & not only is his guitar playing effective ( & stellar) but it also services the needs of each song. At the same time, Mike's playing would make his old bandmate & predecessor (an amazing guitarist in his own right both with Genesis & solo) proud...paying the man homage for sure!!

At any rate, ...And Then There Were Three was a musical fork in the road for Genesis: one still set in its proggish leanings, the other going in a more poppier direction. Still the group proved that they could forge ahead as a triumvirate & deliver the goods in spades before hitting paydirt with Duke, Abacab and their 1983 eponymous effort. And ...ATTWT showed us that life could still go on with one of the more important bands of our time, despite the odds & setbacks which came their way.