THREE SIDES LIVE

This (specifically, the "fourth side live" version) is my favorite Genesis album. I have a lot of, shall we say, uncommon opinions about Genesis and their music, but this a hill I will (not literally) die on. Almost everything I love about Genesis is represented on this record.

Most of this set is pulled from recordings from the "Abacab" tour, with a few select older recordings added in for flavor. The "Abacab" and "Duke" material is very lively and lush, mixing catchier pop-rock moments with arena-prog bombast, extended instrumental jams, and occasional gentle atmosphere.

All five musicians are on top of their game. Phil Collins has come into his own as a lead vocalist, as has Mike Rutherford as a lead guitarist. Tony Banks is stoically competent as always. Chester Thompson holds down a steady groove with his own style--not as hard-hitting and room-filling as Phil Collins's gated-reverb sound, but he plays with a lot of groove and feel. On some songs, when Phil isn't busy crooning, he joins in on drums, and the double-drum is massive .. and fun. Then there's the unsung Daryl Steurmer, the rock-solid professional missing piece: sometimes dutifully thumping out eighth notes, sometimes shredding like the best of the guitar heroes.

Disc two (aka sides three and four) is filled with proggy goodness, though. "In the Cage" becomes larger than life with the thick sound design, and segues nicely into a sweet "Cinema Show" instrumental jam, bursting into a rolicking-yet- soaring "Slippermen" excerpt, and then blissfully falling into the climactic, lighter-waving "Afterglow." Then there's the mini-epic "One for the Vine," followed by a lush "Fountain of Salmacis," and ending with some bonus Bill Bruford on a mini-medley of "it" and the end of "Watcher of the Skies."

I should probably mention, though, there's a .. well, idiosyncratic version of "Misunderstanding" on here. If you're a Phil Collins hater and want a[nother] reason to torture a voodoo doll, this is the track for you--specifically, the last vamp-chorus.

But other than that, I think this is a pretty essential Genesis release. It's got a lively energy many of their studio albums lack. and it's got a great mixture of old material alongside the best of the early 80s.