THREE SIDES LIVE

Some pop Songs and some prog songs. Dodo & Abacab are great in the recent songs category era. In the Cage,Fountain of Salmacis and It/Watchers (with and exceptional drum performance by "YES" Drummer: Bill Bruford) are excellent for the older songs category.

I bought the Irish import so that I could get all 4 sides live with the throw-in 12in EP.

First the EP....Crap. Crap is a strong word, but it is what it is.

Three Sides Live is a decent album, good production values and very little overdubs that I could hear. The track listing is questionable, obviously they are catering to the `new Genesis` crowd once again. Me and Sarah Jane sounds muffled, as does Abacab.

The older material ( throwaway Seconds Out stuff ) is quite good, IT is remarkable.

Overall, I enjoyed the live album, just ignore the studio stuff , sit back and turn it up.

The original double LP contains, as says the album title, "3 Sides Live" and one studio side. So "Fountains of Salmacis", "One for the Vine", "It/Watcher of the Skies" are not there: there are rather ordinary short songs never released that could have been put on the Duke record. The album contains live songs mainly from "Abacab" and "Duke", and no it is not better than on the studio records. But there is an outstanding medley of "Cinema Show" and "In the Cage" lasting more than 10 minutes: the 2 excellent drummers, Phil COLLINS and Chester Thompson (Frank ZAPPA), offer on it a great drum solo; Tony BANKS seems to suddenly awake and delivers one of his best keyboards performance since the 70's. Mike RUTHEFORD's bass is delightful. Steve HACKETT is not there and Daryl Stuermer replaces him; he gives a quite honorable contribution, but Stuermer's guitar sound lacks originality and uniqueness.

On the CD version, I've listened to "One for the Vine", one of my favorite GENESIS' song, we feel that Stuermer has all the pressure: he surprisingly performs well, but the song never has all the subtlety, the refinement of the original one.

I had no intention to buy this album because people from the musical industry assumed that nobody in Perú could care for early Genesis songs (the same reason why they released a different edition for USA), so only the American version reached the stores, version that has a fourth side even worst than the previous three.

A few months ago I went to the store and the salesman offered me the Definitive Edition Remaster, which has the second CD mostly with early stuff, I wasn't decided until the guy told the price was only 8 bucks, so even if I don't like Collins voice very much is always nice to have another version of some classics.

I refuse to comment CD 1 because it's only POP stuff and this is a progressive place, so I'll go directly to CD2.

This CD starts with Misunderstanding which is not one of my favorite songs, but still can be listened without feeling sick, but to be honest this version is worst than the studio one because that nasty habit that Phil has of repeating some lines endlessly, simply drives me crazy.

In The Cage (Medley - Cinema Show/Slippermen) is a very good track, starts with Collins version of In the Cage, probably the most emotional song in Genesis catalogue. The band sounds better than ever, specially Tony's keyboards, but Phil's voice lacks from emotion and variations, Peter Gabriel expressed the claustrophobic atmosphere of this song without need to rise his voice, his semi yodeling and variations transmit anguish and pain, Phil can't do this, so he only shouts taking all the emotion out of the track, but still does a better job than I expected. Because they only play instrumental sections of Cinema Show and Slippermen, Phil does what he should always done, forget the mic and sit behind the drums, he's amazing as all the band.

Afterglow is a song made for Phil's voice, because he doesn't need drastic changes he can focus on the lyrics and show he has a very nice voice for simpler stuff, very good version.

One for the Vine is one of my all-time favorite songs, but this version was a disappointment, but strangely because of Banks, I don't know what Tony tried to do but his keyboards are terrible sounds as if he was playing a toy piano and the instrumental section in the middle of the song seems like a laser battle taken from Star Wars, simply weak.

Fountain of Salmacis is IMHO the one of the highest point of the album, Phil understands at last that his voice fits perfectly when the track is played slower and he uses his own style forgetting Gabriel's ghost. All the band is perfect and the song is a masterpiece.

The closer "It/Watcher of the Skies" is an older recording with Hackett and Bruford and of course is the best one, Stuermer is a good guitar player but he can't replace Steve's atmospheric guitar and Bill is the top drummer in prog history.

If you're willing to pay a double CD to play only the second one you should buy it, but please don't get the USA version with the studio tracks because you will regret CD2 deserves 4 stars but as a double album only deserves 3.

Definitely not as good as "Second's Out" but there aren't many bad things that can be said about this one. The second disc is very strong. IMO Phil sang "In The Cage" here much better than Peter and the instrumental pat of the band is so full of energy. "One For The Vine" also works for me here better than its studio version mostly because the band removed all this sweetiness that was present on studio counterpart. The first disc has "Dodo", "Me & Sarah Jane" and "Abacab"(extended instrumental section, great guitar solo by Mike). They are probably the best pieces from crappy "Abacab" presented here with great taste and energy. Oh, I forgotten that production values are far superior than on Genesis' previous live recordings. Still not the best it could be but more tolerant audiophiles will surely be pleased.

The first disc gets two stars and the Duke and Abacab crap are the main part of it. Side Three on Disc 2 was slightly better with the medley, but confusion about side 4 reigned. in Canada when we first got the double vinyl , the side 4 was full of studio stuff (mostly horrible if my memory serves me well ) Hence the title 3 Sides Live. However , the fourth side got changed to unreleased older live tracks coming from different tours Some with Hackett and Bruford some with Struemer and Thmpson. If this got released riight from the start , I would have bought it and I could compare the wear of vinyls : The fist disc would've been played only once and stay mint and the second disc would be almost transparent because totally worn out . As I consider this review , of couse the version stated as above , the original vinyl only getting two.

No where near as good as Second's Out! In saying that it has still got some great moments. Genesis at this stage managed to still offer a progressive feel to their stage acts and live sound. I do not like the medley of the Cage/Cinema show etc. It is a bored rendition of the originals and they got even worse as time went on. Highlights on this live set would have to be " Me and Sarah Jane","One for the vine" and everything off Duke except " Misunderstanding" where PC gets a bit over the top at the end of the song for my liking. But hey I guess he is just having a good time and jamming along for the gig. Also to hear the incredible Daryl Stuermer on guitar and Chester Thompson on the drum kit make further highlights to this live set.

This album takes a lot of flak, owing to the inclusion of many songs from the 'crossover' albums, Duke and Abacab - the two albums whick took Genesis from being a dying progressive dinosaur, to a more populist, pop-rock band, and their first brush with full on commercial success with the attendant (say it softly) radio play.

Give the album a chance though (ignoring the execrable 'turn it on again', 'misunderstanding', and 'me & sarah jane'), and you will discover Genesis's last progressive outings before the downslide into populism & creative stagnancy that even Phil Collins couldn't take after a while.

Dodo/Abacab in particular show the band in fine form, with the Collins/Thompson duo as always seeming to read each others minds, and Banks (although more restrained than usual) weaving in and around the melody; Rutherford & Steurmer on the whole do a workmanlike job, with Rutherford in particular not seeming to come out of himself until the In The Cage/Cinema Show/Slippermen/Afterglow medley - I'm generally not a fan of medleys, but even in 1981, the days were gone when you would hear any of the old classics in full form. Luckily, Genesis pull this off well, closing with a superb version of Afterglow.

The treat for the old guard came with the second version of the album, which included live recordings from a few years earlier featuring the Hackett / Bruford lineup, all three of which were crisply recorded, and showed Genesis as they were when they still felt they had something to prove, following Gabriel's departure. As a result, therefore, the last few songs on the album tend to eclipse the previous tracks in quality, recording, and sheer verve, and support my personal opinion, that Three Sides Live should have been the final Genesis album.

Beware of side 4!

Since this album was release around the time of Genesis migration from a great prog band to a Motown/funk tribute combo (OK slight exaggeration there!), it contains a strange mix of fine music, and average pop. The latter is more in evidence than the former, with the Gabriel era medley, consisting primarily of "In the cage" and "Cinema show", being the only real beacon of fine music. "Abacab" is at least marginally enhanced by an instrumental section, but even that's not a patch on what they were capable of.

The "fourth side" of the album (i.e. the last quarter) is worthwhile, featuring as it does the magnificent "One for the vine", plus two other Genesis greats. Unfortunately, there were two versions of "Three sides live", and the one I have foregoes the live fourth side, for a poor collection of rejected studio tracks from the Abacab and Duke sessions. (hence the title "THREE sides live"). Of these, only "Evidence of autumn" is of even passing interest, sounding more like it belongs on "And then there were three".

There are far better live Genesis albums (indeed there are far better albums!) than this.

I can`t imagine GENESIS playing the "same old songs forever" in concert. I really understand that some changes are necessary to keep bands alive. By 1982, GENESIS was a different band, and as the time has passed, they naturally changed too. So, the criticism about how GENESIS has changed since Gabriel and Hackett have left is not totally justified, in my opinion. They still were very good musicians, as this live album shows. As other reviewers wrote before me, the "real" "Three Sides Live" album (a version which was released in the U.S. and in some countries in Europe) had 3 sides recorded live and one side (the fourth) with studio tracks which were recorded during the "Duke" and "abacab" album sessions, and these studio tracks also appeared in the U.K. as B sides or in an E.P. called "3x3". As I reviewed these songs before in my reviews for the "Duke" and "abacab" albums, now I comment about the U.K. version of the "Three Sides Live" album, which really was a "Four Sides Live" album as it was released with 4 sides of live recordings. Almost all these live recordings were recorded during the "abacab" tour in late 1981, with the exception of "Follow You, Follow Me" and "One for the Vine" which were recorded in 1980 during the "Duke" tour, "The Fountain of Salmacis" which was recorded in 1978 during the "and then there were three" tour (not in 1980 as the cover says), and "it/Watcher of the Skies" which was recorded in 1976 during the "A Trick of the Tail" tour. All live recordings have Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer as supporting musicians, except "it/Watcher of the Skies" which has former member Steve Hackett and guest drummer Bill Bruford. This is now the available version on CD, as it was remastered in 1994. The "studio tracks" of the original U.S. version are now available in the "Archive Vol. 2" box set (with the exception of "Me and Virgil" which in the present is not available on CD). The album starts with "Turn it on again", a good version which has Collins and Thompson on drums in the end of the song. "Dodo" is the next song (which also really includes "Lurker" but it is not mentioned in this album`s song list). "Dodo" has very good drums by Thompson. Next, is "abacab", with again both drummers playing in the instrumental section. "Behind the lines" also has the two drummers in the beginning of the song, with Stuermer playing lead guitar. "Duchess" has a drum machine, with Collins adding acoustic percussion. "Me and Sarah Jane" is better in this live version, with very good drums by Thompson and bass by Stuermer. The live version of "Follow You, Follow Me" is very good. "Misunderstanding" is the next song, with a good live version. The "oldies medley" starts with "In the Cage", again with very good drums by Thompson and lead guitar by Stuermer, plus a very good synth solo by Banks. Collins sang this song very well, and I prefer this version than the original studio version. The "oldies medley" continues with some instrumental fragments of several songs: "Cinema Show", "Slippermen", "Riding the scree",with Banks playing synth solos, and with Collins on drums most of the time. The "oldies medley" is finished with a very good version of "Afterglow", with excellent drums by Thompson, who is joined in the end of the song by Collins on drums. This live version of "One for the Vine" is played very well, with Banks using his Yamaha Electric Piano which sounds better than the RMI Electric Piano that he used until 1977. In this version, in comparison to live versions from 1978, he adds some synths which were not played in the 1978 tour. This 1980 version is "heavier", and it has Collins and Thompson playing drums in the instrumental sections of this song. "The Fountain of Salmacis" is a very good live version, with again excellent drums by Thompson, very good vocals by Collins, and a very good lead guitar by Stuermer. It also has a mellotron, in the last tour in which Banks used this instrument (1978). The last song, a medley of an incomplete version of "it" (it lacks some verses in comparison to the studio version), followed by instrumental fragments of "Watcher of the Skies". "it" has very good drums by Bruford, while "Watcher..." is played mainly by Collins, with both drummers ending the medley. The quality of the live recordings is very good, with a good mixing. Collins` vocals sound more "raw" and strong (maybe more "matured" ) in comparison to "Seconds Out" (with the exception of "it" which is similar to the Collins ` vocal sounds of "Seconds Out"). The cover design is similar to the "abacab" album, very simple in design, with only one "in concert" photo included in the gatefold cover. There was a VHS video called "3 Sides live", with some songs of the 1981 tour, some incomplete. This video was marred by the inclusion of interviews with the band, including interview fragments between songs, leaving some songs incomplete.

Sides one and two are good, highlighted by "Abacab" and "Dodo". Side three has the fantastic "In the Cage" medley and "Afterglow" but is seriously marred by "Misunderstanding" and "Paperlate", two of my least favorite Genesis pop songs. Side four (on my version) is mostly composed of forgettable studio tracks that didn't make it on Abacab. If I had the "four sides live" version with "One For The Vine", "Fountain Of Slamacis", and "It/Watcher Of The Skies" replacing the filler, I'd probably give side 4 at least 4 stars instead of 1 star. Overall rating 2.4 stars out of 5.

This one was released in two versions, one UK and one US one. The former containing live tracks from both the "Abacab" tour as well as stuff from a couple of late 70's tours. The US one is pop stuff only, with the last part of it being tracks that didn't make it on the "Duke" and "Abacab" albums, obviously. While the live performances are very good, this is nothing too interesting for progheads, but is definitely a good purchase if you enjoy both Genesis eras. I personally think it deserves four stars because I like several of the tracks performed here, but generally, it get's a "Good, but non-essential" status here.

This is a p-e-r-f-e-c-t live album, only this (UK) version should be called Four Sides Live. Tony, Phil and Mike play live better than in the studio, looser, with more feeling, energy and power. Yet paradoxically, the live versions are perfect renditions of the classics songs. The sound is amazing live, it's brighter somehow, or maybe it's just my imagination. You get to hear Collins revive the old classics from the Gabriel era, which is a real treat, and you get the amazing meddley centerpiece which lasts about 16 minutes (too short) and it's pure bliss for Genesis fans. Now - the US version of the album has 3 live sides (thus the title) and a very interesting studio outtakes 4th side. It contains a couple of real gems (why is it that Genesis outtakes from this period are sometimes better than album tracks?) like Evidence Of Autumn - a true mini-epic in the classic Genesis style, the wonderful little pop- prog tune Paperlate, and the melodic You Might Recall that makes me sing along every time, and pretend I am onstage with Phil! If you are a Genesis fan, you NEED both the UK and the US versions, take my word for it.

Depending what version you get, you either get four sides live or three. The first three sides concentrate on Duke and Abacab albums. So if you like these albums then check out this. Good standard of playing from the band on this album. The version of in the cage is excellent on this album. If you have the USA version then get the UK one two. It has some great eralier live tracks on it. Try this album you may love it!

The title it of this job explains many things, but the adapted title would have been "Three sides and enough". In fact, I have bought it in vinyl, the fourth side (the second of the second disc) is the thing more ughly that I've never listened. The part live of the disc, instead, is much pretty, nothing to see with the best of Genesis in live exhibitions, but however of good level. So, this work is not necessary, but is not too bad.

The frequent thrashing that this album receives from some calcified old-schoolers is, in my opinion, over the top. Yes, the collection of songs on "Three Sides Live" is not nearly as impressive as on 1977's "Seconds Out." After all, any album that features "Supper's Ready," which is far and away the greatest prog/art rock song in the history of the genre, is by definition an A-list compilation. On the other hand, the sound quality here is far superior to "Seconds Out," which suffered from the overly-slick, detached, rather punchless style of then-Genesis producer David Hentschel. In addition, what "Three Sides Live" lacks in classic material it makes up for in confident musicianship, and a willingness to stray from an obsession with faithfully recreating songs in their studio form note-for-note on stage. What you hear is a band that now has the confidence to spice up songs such as "Abacab," "Dodo," "Behind the Lines," "Cinema Show," Dutchess," "Afterglow," and even "Fountain of Samalcis" with an extra degree of swing and, dare I say, funkyness. As for those who lament the failure to play full versions of old classics on "Three Sides Live" (by the way, contrary to a criticism that appears elsewhere on this board, the band does play the entire version of "In the Cage" on this album), these critics need to be reminded that on the hallowed "Seconds Out," songs such as "Carpet Crawlers," "Firth of Fifth," "The Musical Box," and even the revered "Supper's Ready" were all presented in shortened form in some way or another (although admittedly in the case of "Supper's Ready," only about 5 seconds of guitar work by Steve Hackett is left out during the intro to Apocolypse in 9/8). In summary, "Three Sides Live" is an excellent snapshot of Genesis in the early 1980s as it teeters on the precipice between prog rock and pop rock.

Genesis had just had released two #1 albums, DUKE (1980) and ABACAB (1981), and the band was growing into one of the biggest live acts in the world. Not surprisingly, the trio decided to release their third live album. Considering the time this live album was compiled, (fresh off the ABACAB tour), THREE SIDES LIVE is still a remarkably good album, and for the most part, features Genesis's more progressive repertoire of the early 1980's and latter 1970's. It a good representation of the groups live concerts of the time, and while not quite as strong as GENESIS LIVE (1973) or SECONDS OUT (1977), it is worlds better than the groups 1992 live album, THE WAY WE WALK. Genesis was still a potent band in 1981, and was just beginning it's ascent to mass MTV stardom.

The album begins slowly with Rutherford's guitar, in the excellent pop song, Turn it on Again. This song is fresh and exciting, and is much richer here than on the DUKE studio performance; it is a strong show-opener for Genesis. This leads into Dodo, the strongest track off of 1981's ABACAB. This is an excellent live replica. It truly is one of the best songs later Genesis wrote. The live rendition of the song Abacab grows a little wearisome. The extended jam is just as bad on the studio version. They should have stuck to the pop-single, and cut off five minutes. Behind the Lines and Duchess are all played well and are faithful to the originals. One wishes they had included the Guide Vocal and Duke's Travels here, as they would have flowed beautifully with these tracks, (completing the 'Duke Suite'). Despite this, Duchess is simple, but amazing. Me & Sarah Jane is a track that is initially weak, but grows on you. Bank's keyboards have a funky/light feel to them, making it an enjoyable track. Disc One closes with the haunting pop number, Follow You, Follow Me, which is a good track, although it does not come through as crisply as in the studio, and suffers for it.

While Disc One showcases much of Genesis's stronger work from their last three studio albums, while Disc Two is comprised completely of older material from the 1970's, and is therefore much more progressive in character. It begins with the awful Phil Collins number, Misunderstanding, which is in contention to be the worst Genesis song ever. Collins' annoying tendency to repeat lines endlessly makes this track even worse. This disc quick picks up from there. At this point in time, one couldn't expect to hear classic (Gabriel era) Genesis numbers in full form, and they were relegated to medleys. Luckily, these medleys are performed exceptionally by the band, which makes up for their shortened lengths. Medley: In the Cage/Cinema Show/Slippermen, is an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Since this track is off of the 1976 tapes, it features Prog Rock drummer, Bill Bruford (who toured with Genesis in '76), and the former Genesis guitarist, Steve Hackett. The track benefits greatly from the presence of these top musicians, and is executed seamlessly. Many Genesis fans believe Phil Collins handled the vocals on In the Cage better than even Peter Gabriel could. Sadly, Cinema Show and [The Colony of] Slippermen are only instrumental run-throughs, and do lose power without lyrics. (Phil Collins simply could not duplicate Peter Gabriel's vocal theatrics on a track like Slippermen). The next track is Afterglow, and excellent and emotional Prog- ballad. This song, (like always), is great, but unnecessary as it appeared on 1977's SECONDS OUT live album. The next track is probably the strongest on the entire album. It is a resurrection on the 1977 mini-epic, One for the Vine. This version runs circles on around the studio version. First of all, it rocks much harder. Tony Banks is great but his compositions can be a bit spongy at times. The instrumental bridge five minutes in is much stronger, due in large part to the first-rate drumming of Mr. Chester Thompson, who turns in one of his strongest performances with the band. Surprisingly, Fountain of Salmacis gets its first live treatment here, and is performed well, with cohesive guitars, drums, and keyboards. The second medley of the album is comprised of It and Watcher of the Skies. I never thought these songs came out well in this setting. It is much more emotional with Gabriel handling the vocals, and like Cinema Show, we see Watcher of the Skies receive only and instrumental run-through, a disgrace for this caliber of song, considered by many to be Genesis's anthem. While Steurmer does adequately on Watcher, his guitar is very weak on It.

Like on SECONDS OUT, this live album closes with a short taped clip of Ethel Merman singing "There's no business like Show-Business!" - An interesting touch. The playing on this album is exceptional, (some say prodigious), and while Genesis's creative talents were disappearing, they were still first-rate live musicians. I gave this album a Four Star rating, as the instrumentation is exceptional, it is bogged down by some weaker tracks (i.e. Misunderstanding, Abacab), and while it does put up a fight, it simply cannot compete with the live Genesis of the Gabriel days.

(Note: These tracks were recorded in 1981 in Europe and America, with the exception of tracks 4 and 5 on Disc Two which were recorded in 1980, and tracks 2 and 6 on Disc 2 which were recorded on the 1976 tour).

(Note: initially, there were two copies of this album, one released in the UK and one in the US. The edition reviewed here is the UK version, which features a fourth live side. The US version had 'three sides' of live material, hence the title, and a fourth side of studio material. This fourth side of studio material was released in the UK as an EP titled "3 X 3". For the most part, these tracks are garbage, and it is no surprise they never made in on an album. It did contain the UK hit Paperlate).

Dhuk-dhuk-dhuk "I got sunshine in my stomach ." dhuk-dhuk-dhuk .

What would you do if you hear the above?

And if you ask me with the same question, my answer is pretty damn simple: Totally Numb! Yeah, because I know that what follows is really a wonderful rock music that stirs my adrenalin to explode and reaches a true musical orgasm. Galileo man! I mean it. Well, all of you know that "In The Cage" is originally performed by Peter Gabriel as lead singer under The Lamb album. But, in this live set Phil Collins does his job really W-O-N- D-E-R-F-U-L! He does not need to emulate how Gabriel voice is. He's just doing it his own way and the result is truly a good and powerful voice combined with energetic music full of energies and inspirations. I bet you with my neck, if you have ever loved the original version of "In The Cage" you would definitely love this version to death. The total arrangement is tight and crispy; it's performed much much much more dynamic than the original studio. And Yes, Genesis has taught us that this is what rock music should sound. It sticks to your heart and brings your emotion to an uplifting mood. Really powerful man! "In this pain. Get me out of this pain ". The power of this song performed live is the combination of fast-speed keyboard work, fast speed guitar solo and . dynamic drumming which in some parts are performed by two drummers at the same time: Phil Collins and Chester Thompson. This dynamic drumming happens right after the end of lyrical parts: "Keep on turning, Keep on turning, Turning around, Spinning around. (round, round, round, round...) ". It flows to medley "Cinema Show - Slipperman" followed with the encore of "Afterglow".

Even though "In The Cage" only has justified you to purchase the CD, I need to add that some other tracks are also excellent performance. "One For The Vine" is performed flawlessly with great melody and powerful composition. "Fountain of Salmacis" is another touchy song with great composition. Bruford also performs in "It / Watcher of The Skies". Of course, "Behind The Lines - Duchess" is another great rocker to enjoy. Even, I have to admit that even though I do not in particular appreciate "abacab" album, but two songs from this album, ie "Abacab" and "Dodo" are performed with great live vibes here in this live set.

Well, this album bears so many memories for me when it was released as at the time we have a great local band COCKPIT who covered Genesis songs wonderfully during that time. Even in mid nineties I still remember vividly that I enjoyed the music with my other rock-mates consultants. We locked ourselves (four of us) inside my car, turned the engine and aircon on - turned on the soundstream power and played "in The Cage" LOUD. We had a great time while playing this track because during that playing time all of us were singing "keep falling on my head 3x" while letting our hands emulate how Phil plays his drum. What a crazy time man! Yeah man, talking about rock music, we sometime must go "insane". What do you think?

Progressively yours, GW

"Outside the cage I see my brother john, He turns his head so slowly round. I cry out help! before he can be gone, And he looks at me without a sound."

Way too underrated album. Even though the set list is not as progressive as on Seconds Out, the quality is far more better in many ways on this one. First of all, Gabriel-era songs featured here are perfectly suitable for Phils voice. Supper's Ready, The Musical Box and Firth Of Fifth on Seconds Out were simply raped: Phils clean sounding voice didn't replace Gabriels creaking old-man-voice at all, on the contrary, it ruined the songs totally. So all we had on Seconds Out, were a shortened version of The Cinema Show + prog songs from Colliens-era with a baby-sounding voice of Phil. In the eighties anyway, his voice matured and stabilized stylisticall. In The Cage on this album sounds thousand times better than the original version, because Phils voice is much more raw and rockier than Gabriels voice ever was, and In The Cage is a quite hard rocking prog song. On the other Gabriel-era song, The Fountain Of Salmacis, Phil manages to imitate Gabriels voice quite perfectly. You can hardly hear the difference. Exceptionally, It/Watcher Of The Skies is recorded in 1978 (I don't even consider it as an actual part of the album) and sounds like [&*!#] because of Phils childish voice.

The main reason for why this live album is the best one Genesis has ever officially released (also better than the one with Gabriel from 1973) is the Collins-era stuff that works here perfectly. Technically, only few actual flaws are made here. Tony Banks has clearly improved technically, and plays with certainty (for example, the keyboard solos of the long instrumental section of In The Cage/The Cinema... -medley are played flawlessly) and the singing is exceptionally good. Even the high notes seem to be no problem for Collins. The song choices are good, because that time Genesis had released only one quite poppy album, Abacab. Actually, the pop songs bring a nice balance and atmosphere here. The feeling is much more "live" than on the older live albums. And anyways, Me Sarah Jane is a quite proggy tune for a pop song, right? Turn It On Again, Dodo/Lurker, Afterglow are really good pop songs, too. Behind The Lines/Duchess and One For The Vine are very good prog song selections.

One of the best prog live albums recorded. Recommended.

For a long time I considered this album to be the poor stepchild of Seconds Out because the double LP version I bought back in the early 80s wasn't mastered particularly well and it also included the side containing studio outtakes and the forgettable "Paperlate." But recently I came across the remastered CD and noticed the extra live songs included and sprung for it without hesitation. What a difference a good remastering can do! The presence and clarity is amazing. Even the overplayed "Turn it on," "Misunderstanding" and "Follow You, Follow Me" seemed to come alive for my jaded ears. The drum duo of Collins/Thompson is truly unbeatable and so tight that it defies description. The "In the Cage" medley still sends chills up my spine even after decades of listening to it often. It is played ferociously and "Afterglow" deserves to be repeated from Seconds Out because Phil sings it with such emotion that it eclipses the previous live and album versions completely. I've read where some think his vocal is not up to par on this recording but I don't agree. At least not on that particular emotional song. Having this in my possession now makes me think what a crime it was to leave so many great live performances off the original US release. "One for the Vine," "Fountain of Salmasis," "Behind the Lines," "Duchess," "It" and "Watcher of the Skies" (the latter two featuring Bill Bruford on drums) are all top notch performances and make this collection necessary for all Genesis fans who have either overlooked it or are still judging it by the original inferior release.

Two (very) different track list according to the continent : the European version will consist only of live tracks while the US release will have a complete studio side but will be emasculated from the last live side of the European one which is IMO the best one with the wonderful "One For The Vine" and the fabulous medley "Fountain-It-Watcher". Since it was released in 82, this live sets is half made up of tunes from "Duke" and "Abacab". It is quite normal, since these were their last two studio efforts, but it is also normal that since those two do not belong to my preferred Genesis albums (Abacab being the absolute nadir of their carreer) I can hardly be over enthusiastic about the first CD. Out of CD one, only "Behind the Lines", "Duchess" and "Follow Me, Follow You" are good songs. So, let's go to CD two. The opener "Misunderstanding" which was a commercial success but one of the weakest number of "Duke" has quite unpleasant vocals at the end. By far the poorest number of disc two. Then, this album really starts : a stunning "The Lamb" meddley : the whole of "In The Cage" then excerpts of "Slipperman" interrupted by onother one from "Cinema Show". Just great. "Afterglow", one of their live anthem track of the era and a very, very, powerful and emotional crescendo song is rendered remarkably on this live album. It is the kind of song that give you the shiver when you listen to it. Fabulous. The last numbers of this live effort are just brilliant : at par with "Genesis Live" and "Seconds Out". One of their best song from "When They Were Four" era, is superbly rendered here : "One For The Vine" is a pure jewel (live or in studio). Then the fabulous medley (clocking at sixteen minutes and not ten as previously mentioned in anothe review) starting with the whole of "Fountain Of Salmacis" which is my second favourite from "Nursery Cryme". I have to admit that Phil's performance is brilliant. Then we get a short version of "It" which was the glorious finale for "The Lamb Lies Down"" and finally the closing part of "Watcher" which is truely FABULOUS. Only for these two tracks, you should get hold of the European version. The second CD is gorgeous (this one only would have reached five stars). If, like me, you are an old Genesis fan while they were four or five, the studio tracks from the US release will not add anything great to your Genesis collection. There are three songs that will take place on the boxset "Archive II" : "Paperlate", "You Might Recall" and "Open Door". A fourth one and the only good one is "Evidence of Autumn". There is also one unreleased song which is "Me And Virgil" : it sounds like a demo track and one understands why it remained unreleased. Believe me. This song is not mentioned though in the tracklist posted on this site. Little by little Genesis is losing stars in my rating of their live albums : five stars for "Genesis Live", four stars to "Seconds Out" and three stars for this one (European version).

A lot of people divide Genesis up into two periods, the Gabriel era and the Collins era. And many fans are divided over which version was better. Personally, I prefer the Gabriel era, but the Collins era was really good for awhile there. In fact the albums with Steve Hackett were just as good as the ones that came before in my opinion.

What you have here is a collection of live recordings from the Collins era, spanning from 1976-1982. And they are very good selections. The first CD focuses more on "the hits" so to speak, but it's a good selection of their more progressive and energetic rock songs. Dodo-Lurker, Me and Sara Jane, and Duchess are great songs.

CD two begins with one of the biggest hits in North America at least, Misunderstanding, which doesn't work as well live as the other tracks, but it quickly kicks into a high gear with an awesome rendition of In the Cage from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The end of the song morphs into a lightning fast version of The Cinema Show instrumental section with snippets of The Colony of Slippermen and Riding The Scree sprinkled in for good measure. The song eventually becomes Afterglow, a great song that works well after long instrumental passages.

You know you have the remastered version if the next track is One For the Vine, an incredible prog mini-epic off of their Wind and Wuthering album, but the real highlight is Fountain of Salmacis, another Gabriel era song from Nursery Cryme. This was an unexpected surprise, and they do a great job with it, although I wish they included a version with Steve Hackett playing guitar, as I think he handles this song better than Stuermer. Hackett is present, however, on the next track, it., also from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, which merges into an awesome instrumental excerpt of Watcher of the Skies from Foxtrot.

What I like about this album is mainly the energy of these performances. While I didn't like a lot of the poppier more electronic they were writing at the time, they still could put on a killer show at the time, as is evidenced by this live album. In many ways I like it more than it's predecessor, Seconds Out, which could have been a better album if it wasn't for the first CD, which I felt had a weak song selection and ordering.

Incidently, the other version of this album, pre-remaster, has Five studio tracks instead of One For the Vine, Fountain of Salmacis and it. / Watcher of the Skies. On the record, these songs took up the entire fourth side, hence the title "Three Sides Live". I prefer this remastered version because I feel those live tracks omitted were the highlight of the album, and the studio tracks are more in the vein of 80's pop rather than prog. Still, if you want those tracks, I believe they are available on the Archive 2 box set in addition to the original pressing of this CD.

The third live album released by Genesis was called "Three Sides Live" because it was a double-LP set in which three of the sides were live. The fourth side consisted of five songs that didn't make it onto any previous Genesis studio albums. Since then, it appears they have re-released it as an entirely live affair, but for consistency's sake, kept the same title. I have yet to purchase this "four sides" version, thus my review only concerns the original 2-LP set.

This is somewhat of a mixed bag, but for me seems to be on the enjoyable side rather than the frustrated side of the bag. That is because they chose the better material of the previous few years to perform live. True, it has Misunderstanding and Follow You, Follow Me on it. But hey, they were radio hits and more and more of the people attending their concerts wanted to hear that stuff. You can't necessarily fault them for that. Nonetheless, they perform the amazing Dodo and do a wonderful medley of In the Cage with instrumental sections pulled from Cinema Show and Colony of Slippermen. Even Abacab sounds better than the studio version.

The fourth side is basically the weakest side of the album. Me and Virgil and You Might Recall are wonderful songs, but the remaining (including the radio hit Paperlate) are understandable as to why they never made it onto one of their previous studio releases.

It's not perfect, it's not a masterpiece, but it's also not a mediocre work overall. I found this a rather enjoyable final tribute of the band to it's progressive leanings and the last worthwhile album to acquire. Four stars for an excellent work.

Genesis third live album shows the transitional period when pop and prog tendencies were quite balanced in the mix. The music was becoming more and more radio friendly, but still they retained enough prog leanings to make a difference form most bands of the time and the resulting sound is quite interesting. The orignal vynil record had three sides of live songs (hence its original title) and one side of studio recordings. I remember at the time when it came out I liked it very much. In fact I like it more than Seconds Out, becuase Seconds... meant to me the end of an era and it had a bitter taste, even if the playing and the song selection were excellent. GAbriel was sorely missing then.

Three Sides Live on the other side showed Genesis taking confortably their pop seats. Sophisticated pop, indeed, and it seemed somehow appropriated for that time. The songs may sound odd nowadays, but they are still very good and cannot be discarted as pure commercial stuff. In fact, these early 80´s tunes are much more progressive than most of what Genesis did afterwards.

The sound is good, and they prove they could give the audience a fine show of instrumental virtuosity when they wanted (like in the meddley "In The Cage/Cinema Show"). They haven´t really forgotten where they came from and did not deny their past. Genesis simply had this pop sensibility all along. That´s why I think this album is quite convincing. Ok, they are a new band, not the old Genesis we wanted them to remain, but they´re very good anyway.

As for the studio tracks, they look a bit like leftovers from the previous albums like Duke or Abacab. Not par to their best stuff at the time but not bad songs either.

Conclusion: a very fine live album and a good showcase of Genesis at the beginning of the 80´s. Recommended for non radical Genesis fans and anyone who likes the good, more accesible side of prog music.

I really wish I could have seen the 1981 tour live, "Three Sides Live" finds Genesis playing like they really still enjoy it. Sure, that can sometimes lead to some overexagerated Collins vocals, but that's ok when you get an extended cut of "Abacab", and a great live version of "Me and Sarah Jane". It's true that if you did not like "Duke" or "Abacab" you are much better to stay far away from this live album because it won't change your mind. Myself, I love double live albums and those two albums are my favorites by them, so it doesn't get much better. It's also worth mentioning that the b-sides that are included at the end of the second disc are really good and should have made their ways on to their respective albums. "Evidence of Autumn" should have made it onto "Duke", and "Paperlate" definately should have made it onto "Abacab". Oh well, I'm glad they made it onto this record, b-sides are always interesting, and these don't fail.

As a live album, Three Sides Live (now Four Sides Live as the CD reissue is based on the US release of the album, which included a fourth side of live tracks - from 1976 - instead of the studio tracks the UK release originally proposed - things like Paperlate, Evidence Of Autumn) is a very good one. Not as great as Seconds Out (which is my favorite Genesis live album), but very good anyway. The only thing I don't like about this release is that mostly of the tracks present here are from the albums Duke and Abacab, the two Genesis albums I don't like (I hate Abacab). Me And Sarah Jane, Misunderstanding, Behind The Lines/Duchess, these versions are good, but I prefer the 1976- 77 era... The sleeve looks like a bootleg one, just like Frank Zappa's Fillmore East, June 1971. Awful sleeve, anyway. Quite listenable after all these years.

Three Sides Live is the third live album by UK progressive rock act Genesis. The original album from 1982 was a double with three sides live ( as the title suggests) and one side with studio material which was recorded between 1979 and 1981. The live material is primarely taken from their two latest albums at the time Duke (1980) and Abacab (1981) and includes some of the better tracks from those albums. Unfortunately the only track from And Then There Were Three...(1978) is Follow You, Follow Me which I have always seen as one of the most cheesy ballad type tracks the band ever made. I really dislike that song.

The real attraction for the fans of seventies Genesis is of course the 11:52 minute long In The Cage / Cinema Show / Slippermen medley and Afterglow. The medley is excellent. Played with lots of power and conviction and the same can be said about Afterglow ( even though it was never my favorite from the band). The CD re-release includes One for the Vine, Fountain of Salmacis and It/ Watcher of the Skies instead of the studio tracks that were on the original LP which should greatly increase the reasons for buying the CD version.

The five studio tracks from the original LP are all of the usual high commercial pop/ rock quality. A few of them even stand out as being pretty good to my ears and that´s Me and Virgil and especially Evidence of Autumn which style-wise could have been on And Then There Were Three... album.

The musicianship and production is top notch.

So it´s rather critical which version of this album you purchase as the CD version will probably speak more to fans of seventies Genesis than the LP version which only has a limited connection to that era of the bands output. The CD version is a BIG 3 star album for me while the LP version is just a 3 star album, so my final rating will be 3 stars.

This album does not receive the kudos it should for the two now usual reasons. First, Peter Gabriel is gone, and now so is Steve Hackett. For people with the too common belief that Phil Collins killed the band and couldn't do justice to PG led songs ought to have a listen to In The Cage/ Slipperman/Cinema Show/ Afterglow Medley. Stunning! There really is no other way to describe it. The pace is picked up, the band adds muscle to the originals and PC sings it with pure emotion. This version of Afterglow is head and shoulders above the original or the one on Seconds Out.

The first album or sides 1 & 2, contains songs from the last three Genesis albums and they are And Then There Were Three, Duke and Abacab. The set starts with Turn It On Again, which is a very good way to open a concert. I have to say that all of the songs on the first album except Follow You Follow Me benefit greatly from being live as opposed to the studio recordings. The playing gains energy live. The musicianship and production are excellent for the entire set.

Side Three starts with Misunderstanding and it is a serviceable rendition of the song, but I usually skipped thru to the above mentioned In The Cage.

The fourth side is were the confusion kicks in. The American release contained the 3 live sides above (hence the album title) and one side of cuts that did not make Duke / Abacab. That in itself is a bit of a mistake as I could easily find a place for them on those two albums. They may have been out takes, but they certainly pass quality control. Paperlate was a hit, You Might Recall a minor hit and the other three songs all had the Genesis short story songs going for them. There are some who believe these should remain out takes but I'm not one of them. The closing 3 songs are wistfully done, they leave you thinking after the songs are over. The tone and production perfectly fit these songs in an understated way. A great way to slow down after the mighty In the Cage medley. These 5 songs previously had an English release as an EP. Therefore the fourth side outside of the US has 4 vintage Genesis songs from prior tours. The fourth live side is also excellent. This version is what was released worldwide when the CD was remastered. Since there are only pros to both versions, one has to keep both!!

I don't take the 5 star lightly and latter day Genesis is not heavy with prog, but the pure enjoyment that I got over the years with Three Sides Live pushes it to that level. As the Alan Parsons Projects "Sirius" is played before many sporting events across the country, Abacab, Dodo/ Lurker,and In the Cage were played before any event I was playing in or went to. For Genesis fans not enamored with Genesis after the personnel changes and may have jumped ship during this period, they may want to dig out 3 Sides Live again for another spin.

When I originally bought this album (in a cassette), it was really a three sides live, with one side with b-sides from the Duke and Abacab sessions. The when I bought the CD it becames a Four sides live, and finally that is what this album really is: a complete live album. And by this way is far better than the original three sides live. In my opinion, Three Sides Live is one of the better live recordings that I ever heard. The band was in a great shape, and as an overall album the set list is fantastic, mixing old progressive stuff with the most progressive tracks of the eighties, with some little pop ones. Phil Collins was at his peak in terms of the power of his voice, and the live versions sounds really powerfull and musically strong.

Turn it on again: The best version of this song ever.

Dodo: A progressive number from Abacab, great track, wich sounds better here than in the studio album.

Abacab: The strongest version I heard. Maybe the Mama Tour version is a bit faster and by this way maybe better by this side. But here the instrumental part is superb. The Mike's guitar solo at the end is outstanding, and maybe is the best guitar solo that he did.

Behind the lines: Far better than the original, and the best version of all.

Duchess: Don't like much this version. The studio version is far better, specially in the chorus.

Me and Sarah Jane: A good one, stronger than the original

Follow you follow me: One of the pop ones. The version is less mellow than the original and so is better.

Misunderstanding: The other pop track. Not between the best pop songs of Genesis, but this live version is far better than the album one. The guitar is more in the front, and Phil's voice is more agressive.

In the cage meddley: The absolute highlight of the album, and the best one of all the In the cage meddleys out there. (except Cinema Show, in which I think that the Live Over Europe version is better because de keyboard sound). The In the cage version is superb, far better than the original, faster, heavier, perfect. The keyboard solo and the subsequent guitar riff are perfect. Cinema show is superb too. Bank's job in the keyboards is an milestone in the progressive rock history, only exceeded by the Live over Europe version in which the keyboards seems to fill everything with a monstrous sound.

Afterglow: Another highlight, and the best version ever of this great song. The voice of Phil Collins is almost everything, he sings with abslute power and passion. The end is apotheotic.

One for the vine: Fantastic version of this masterpiece. In my opinion is in the same level than the original version but in a different way. The instrumental interlude is superb.

The Fountain of Salmacis: I can't believe when I listen this version on the first moment. Is far better than the original one. One of the reason is the bad mixing of the Nursery Crime version. Really a highlight.

It / Watcher of the Skies: I don't like the It version. Too anarchic, without cohesion. Seems to be that Phil didn't know how to sing this song. Watcher of the skies is in a compressed version with includes only the intro and the closing section all in an unique instrumental version. Sounds really great, majestic and with a clear sound of the keyboards. The electric guitar touches of Steve at the end are incredible.

Five stars

Better called 'Four Sides Live' (if you have the right version)

Three Sides Live was Genesis third official live album after 1973's Genesis Live and 1977's Seconds Out. While Seconds Out was recorded at what must be considered a peak of the band's career, Three Sides Live was (partly) recorded on the tour for the weak Abacab album. It surely would have been more appropriate to release a live album directly following Duke which was a much better album to represent the early output of the three man line-up of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Still, four songs here are taken from Duke; Turn It On Again, Behind The Lines, Duchess and Misunderstanding. Though all good, I certainly would have preferred to hear the Behind The Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal/ Turn It On Again/Duke's Travels/Duke's End-suite as it was performed on the Duke tour (as can be seen on the recently released Live In London DVD). Here, Only Behind The Lines/Duchess are played together which constitutes one of the highlights of this live album. Turn It On Again functions very well as a stand-alone and as the opening number. Misunderstanding is decent but hardly among the better songs from Duke.

The songs taken from Abacab are much weaker, though the title track is a good song (even if I prefer the version from the Live At Wembley DVD). Dodo is decent, but Me And Sarah Jane is a bit of a bore. And Then There Were Three is represented with Follow You Follow Me which, again, is hardly the best song from that album.

For fans of the older Genesis, the In The Cage-medley is clearly the most interesting part of the three vinyl sides (the content on the fourth side depends on which version of the album you have). This medley contains, apart from In The Cage itself, also snippets of The Cinema Show, Riding The Scree and The Colony Of Slippermen. It then flows very nicely into Afterglow, resulting in 17 minutes of continuous, progressive music. This closes the third side of the original album. Why they decided to fill the fourth side with something else is a bit of a mystery as there clearly was enough live material from the time to fill all four sides of a double vinyl release. I think this could have been a much better live album had it stayed more true to the actual set list of the time (or ever better, the set list of past times!).

On some versions, the fourth side is filled with non-album b-sides and on other versions it contains older live material. It is the version with the extra live material that is the most common version today (and the b-sides in question have since been made available elsewhere). This is in effect, then, not three sides live, but four sides live! We get here the excellent One For The Vine, the great Fountain Of Salmacis and a long version of Watcher Of The Skies with It. All nice but a bit out of place here.

I would strongly recommend starting your investigation of live Genesis with Seconds Out which is a much better representation of the band's live act at the peak of their career. After that, there are several live concert DVD's that are clearly preferable over the Three Sides Live album. The aforementioned Live In London DVD features a full set list from the Duke tour and as such it contains all of the best songs also present on Three Sides Live plus a plethora of more classic Genesis material from the 70's (the sound and picture quality is, however, not the best). Also the early 90's live DVD The Way We Walk is, in my opinion, much more enjoyable than Three Sides Live. These other releases makes Three Sides Live primarily a release for fans and collectors. There surely are some great bits and pieces here, but overall it is a rather incoherent and strange album. Besides, most of the best bits are, as indicated, available in better live versions elsewhere.

Recommended for fans and collectors

The third live Genesis album was recorded on the 1981 tour in support of the Abacab album. When I bought the CD a few years ago I was confused, because side four had changed from the studio tracks I remembered to some older live tracks. Apparently that US version from back in the day had been changed to match the UK version. The old version had a couple of studio hits in "Paperlate" and "You Might Recall" plus a few others, while my 1994 remaster contains "One for the Vine," "Fountain of Salmacis," and "It/Watcher of the Skies." For most Genesis fans the reworked version was likely very preferable, for me it didn't matter much as I found both versions interesting in their own way.

The first half contains a good deal of crossover material from the more recent albums (at that time.) The stuff from Duke is pretty well done and this is just before Phil really started getting into the annoying showboating of a few years later. "Follow You Follow Me" is the only weak track, one of the worst they ever wrote. They were heading into the commercial phase of the 80s but I often still enjoyed them, in my view 80s Genesis was still preferable to dreadful Rabin-era Yes. Here the playing remains solid and Banks especially steals the show. Side two delves more into older and more progressive fare. The 16 minutes of "Afterglow" into "One for the Vine" are probably the highlight for this Wind and Wuthering fan, lots of tasteful Banks moments though I still prefer my Genesis on the studio side for the full concept context of the original. There is even a bit of "Watcher of the Skies" as a fitting closer with those aerial, majestic sounding keys.

While it is no "Seconds Out" this is certainly a nice document for Genesis fans, with many respectable moments. A decent mix of transitional material from a period of change, plus some old favorites handled with care.

The double CD Three Sides Live is an impressive outing by Genesis, or at least the CD version that I have which has the 'fourth' side live rather than studio tracks.

The CD has very high production values and musicianship with Chester (Drums) and Daryl (guitar/bass) doing an excellent job.

Although by this stage Genesis were becoming very popular, this CD has more than enough quality prog for even the most die-hard fan.

There are no weak tracks although occasionally Phil misses the vocal delivery ('It' is sung too fast and he is over the top on 'Misunderstanding').

Most of the material comes from And Then There Were Three, Duke and (thankfully) the best tracks from Abacab supported by a wonderful melody of In The Cage/Cinema Show/Slipperman (from Lamb/Selling England).

The 'fourth' side live also picks up some older material going back as far as Fountain of Samacis from Trespass (5 stars).

Given the high overall standard and the live 'Fourth Side' it is difficult to see how this rates as anything less than 4 stars.

4 Stars but make sure the fourth side is live

Turn it on again

Suddenly in possession of massive worldwide success, once revered prog rockers return after 5 years with their next live album, Three Sides Live. From 1977 to 1982, the band traversed through a complete and total revamp of their style, converting from the loved symphonic sound to a heavily pop influenced quasi-prog rock sound through hugely successful albums such as Duke and Abacab. This release, which holds the last strings to the band's former sound before the complete departure with albums like Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance. While Sides A and B may consist of the band's more popular and recent material such as Turn it On Again, Abacab, and Me And Sarah Jane, Sides C and D have a slight return and appeasement of those prog rock fans with classic tracks like In the Cage, Fountain of Salmacis and It.

Overall, Genesis is able to retain its legacy of a powerful performance, with Collins being replaced by both Bill Bruford and and Chester Thompson, making for a killer jazzy duo of rhythmic mastery. The performance of Behind the Lines is especially powerful, with the killer instrumental opener featuring the whole band ripping through the speakers with ultimate force and agility, which shows how the band still has it, despite losing two essential members and departing from the beloved classic sound. Although the music may not be the cup of tea for the classic fan, it is still a great performance, making for a good live album overall. The revival of some of the proggier moments in the band's history makes for a nice dynamic on the album and mixes up the atmosphere of the recording spectacularly. Collins, although he is not Gabriel, is still able to put life into the classic recordings. Overall, Three Sides Live is a good live release by the (then) quickly popularizing band. 3 stars.

Please note this is a review of the 1982 version which starts with Turn... and ends with the It/Watcher medley. That's the version listed on the top of this album presentation.

This album is a game of two halves. The pop stuff dominates the first half and the symph prog stuff is at the end of this album. A disjointed affair, in other words.

Turn It On Again is by all standards a very bad song. It is bravado kitsch with no refinement. It is like a 99 cents teddybear from a tacky shop in any tourist destination in USA. The same goes for Dodo / Lurker. Fine. The band has put the worst stuff in the beginning and the album really gets better and better for each song until the final three songs which is all very good.

My gripe is that none of the versions here is anywhere near as good as the versions presented on any official or bootlegs live albums. Not to mention the studio albums. Following the cheap and nasty kitsch theme, this is exactly what this album feels like. Cheap and nasty. It is hard to give two stars to an album featuring some of my alltime favorite songs, but I see it as my duty to warn readers from buying substandard albums. This album is substandard. Another gripe is also the pretty flat sound on this album. It is lifeless and I cannot remember hearing Genesis with so little blood and life. Giving two stars is my only option if I am honest. I do my best.

2 stars

This live album rarely troubles my hi fi system. It is the least of all Genesis live albums with only a few moments that lift it to a superior level. All of these moments are classic Genesis tracks and of course they are masterfully played as usual; namely In The Cage / Cinema Show / Slippermen medley that runs for a glorious 11:52 and shows what the band are still capable of. Afterglow is as good as ever along with seminal Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding. The tracks from Duke are excellent such as Behind the Lines and Duchess, though I prefer the studio releases.

Ironically enough the live album follows hot on the heels of their appalling "Abacab" album, but the band managed to salvage the best tracks from that release and they are way better live, much more punchier and interesting overall. Follow You Follow Me is a crowd pleaser and is okay on a live set. The other pop songs in the first half I could have done without.

The fourth side on my version is not live but a bunch of throwaway studio material that I listened to a couple of times before getting bored. I noted the newer CD version features a total concert and is far superior do that reason. Unfortunately this is not the version I am reviewing so I will stick to 2 stars for the excellent live material.

|C-|

This live album was made by the band with the apparent intention of promoting their two most recent albums, Duke and Abacab, which were at the time by far the most commercial- oriented of all of their work, and the songs performed from Duke were perhaps the most commercial from the album itself (even if it's a personal favorite!). This concert, after all, was given in 1982, which many of us prog rock listeners typically view as the beginning of a decade in which money and fame would become the main intention of music development, rather than creativity or adventure. This album makes this reality quite evident, especially with the often stagnated-sounding song extensions and especially Phil Collins' singing antics, him and his mass-appeal "ow"s and the "aren't I cool" ways of singing the songs, most evident on Misunderstanding (seriously, Phil?). These unfortunate pop-isms, plus the commercial-mindedness of much of the original material from the start, are perhaps the worst things about the album, sufficiently enough to keep me from recommending it much for progressive rock enthusiasts. Call me elitist, but to me anyway, this album sends the message of "here's us cashing in with the masses - oh, and for you prog listeners, here's a 15 minute collection of some old material to try to keep you coming to our concerts." And the saddest thing of all to me is that it's hardly even noticeable that Bill Bruford is a main percussionist on this album, unlike a previous live performance on the tour of Trick of the Tail. This seems hardly coincidental with the commercial direction the band was taking.

However, despite these issues. performance of all of the music here really is great from a purely musician-minded standpoint, with all of the instruments balanced almost perfectly and an inspired attitude coming from the players. Duchess is a particular favorite of mine in this regard, very emotionally and delicately played. There's hardly a mistake to be noticed anywhere in the entire performance, which is very praiseworthy in my book. The transition from The Cage to Cinema Show is nicely done, and it's great hearing some cheers from the audience at that part. The increase of energy on Afterglow is well done too, and here Bill Bruford shows us some nice fills.

I suppose my feelings on this album might be described as ambivalent, resulting from an inspired performance of mostly poppish Genesis material, with some good playing on their more prolific earlier work. A good live album, but more for Genesis fans than for progressive rock listeners, in my view. I'll round up my rating in the spirit of being merciful.