Three Sides Live

Three Sides Live
Live album by Genesis
Released	1 June 1982
Recorded	Autumn 1981 Except: "Follow You Follow Me" and "One For The Vine": 1980, "Fountain Of Salmacis": 1978 and "It/Watcher Of The Skies": 1976
Genre	Rock, progressive rock
Length	1:32:42
Label	Charisma (original UK release) Virgin (UK re-release) Atlantic (USA) Vertigo (South America and some parts of Europe)
Producer	Genesis
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Genesis chronology
Abacab (1981) Three Sides Live (1982) Genesis (1983)

Three Sides Live is the third live album by British band Genesis, released in 1982. It is also the title of its video equivalent.

History

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The title for this album comes from the original world release which contained three sides of live material from the band's 1981 tour in support of their album Abacab, and a fourth side of studio tracks, three of which formed the British 3 X 3 EP and two B-sides from the sessions for their album Duke. Only the UK release featured a fourth live side of obscure performances recorded during previous tours. "Paperlate", itself from the 3 X 3 EP, became a Top 10 UK hit and a smaller US success.

Upon its mid-1982 release, Three Sides Live reached #2 in the UK and #10 in the US.

Like Seconds Out, the live album which preceded it, Three Sides Live documents the end of another major period in the evolution of the band. Focusing mostly on material from Duke and Abacab, including large sections from Duke's thematic song cycles, the third side contains what had become the centrepiece of their last few tours, the "Cage" medley. Replacing their previous centrepiece, "Supper's Ready", the "Cage" medley melded together the longer song "In the Cage" (from the The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album), with an instrumental which combined motifs from "Cinema Show" and a changing set of melodies from Wind & Wuthering and The Lamb. From here the song then slowly melds into "Afterglow", producing a medley which lasted over 15 minutes and served to satisfy many of the fans' wishes for older material in the live shows. As a compilation of many of Banks's most popular keyboard solos from the live shows, this medley, a staple of their shows for many years, encapsulates Genesis's strengths as a 'musicians' band. This album also includes many notable B-sides on the fourth side, and despite being a live album, Three Sides Live is considered essential Genesis by many fans.

While the 'fourth' studio side was unavailable on the UK release (and is no longer issued as part of the album), it contained five notable songs which didn't fit onto the "Duke" and "Abacab" albums. "Paperlate," which opens the fourth side, was an instant radio hit. "You Might Recall" is a song describing unrequited love. According to Tony Banks on the 2007 CD and DVD reissue of the Abacab album, "You Might Recall" was to appear on Abacab, but Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegün suggested that the band leave the track off in favour of the more bizarre "Who Dunnit?". The quirky "Me and Virgil" has a relaxed, almost country feel which allowed the group to explore rural family themes in a manner similar to Collins's solo track "The Roof is Leaking." "Evidence of Autumn" recreates the moods of the Wind & Wuthering days, and "Open Door" is a quiet ballad which hearkens back to the days of Collins's sparse vocal recordings like "More Fool Me."

In 1994, Three Sides Live was remastered and reissued with the UK edition worldwide. Four of the five additional studio selections from that out of print release would be issued in 2000 on the Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992 box set (all but "Me And Virgil"), and all five songs have since been included on the bonus disc of the Genesis 1976-1982 box set.

Track listing

All songs by Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Mike Rutherford, except where noted. ^[1]

Side one

1. "Turn It On Again" – 5:16
   • Nassau Coliseum, Long Island NY 29Nov1981
2. "Dodo" – 7:19
   • National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 23Dec1981
3. "Abacab" – 8:47
   • National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 23Dec1981

Side two

1. "Behind the Lines" – 5:26
   • Nassau Coliseum, Long Island NY 29Nov1981
2. "Duchess" – 6:43
   • Nassau Coliseum, Long Island NY 29Nov1981
3. "Me & Sarah Jane" (Tony Banks) – 5:59
   • Nassau Coliseum, Long Island NY 29Nov1981
4. "Follow You, Follow Me" – 4:58
   • Lyceum Ballrooms, London 06May1980

Side three

1. "Misunderstanding" (Phil Collins) – 4:06
   • Savoy Theatre, New York NY 28Nov1981
2. "Medley-(In the Cage/The Cinema Show/Riding the Scree/The Cinema Show/The Colony of Slippermen)" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 11:53
   • National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 23Dec1981
3. "Afterglow" (Tony Banks) – 5:14
   • National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 23Dec1981

Side four

1. "One for the Vine" (Tony Banks) – 11:04
   • Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London 05May1980
2. "The Fountain of Salmacis" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 8:37
   • The Summit, Houston TX 22Oct1978
3. "It/Watcher of the Skies" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 7:22
   • Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland 08Jul1976

• The North American edition and some European editions of Three Sides Live had originally featured "Paperlate", "You Might Recall", "Me and Virgil", "Evidence of Autumn" and "Open Door" in the place of live performances of "One for the Vine", "The Fountain of Salmacis" and "It/Watcher of the Skies". The album was re-issued identically only on CD worldwide with the live performances in 1994.
• On some editions, "One for the Vine" is divided in two parts. As a result, there are mistakes in the tracklisting. Part two is listed as "The Fountain of Salmacis", but "The Fountain of Salmacis" is inserted on track 6, "It/Watcher of the Skies". In conclusion, the titles of tracks 4, 5 and 6 of disc 2 should be: "One for the Vine, Pt. 1" (5:03); "Medley intro/One for the Vine, Pt. 2" (6:00); "The Fountain of Salmacis/It/Watcher of the Skies" (15:59).

Personnel

• Tony Banks - keyboards, background vocals
• Phil Collins - vocals, drums, percussion
• Mike Rutherford - bass, guitar, background vocals

Additional personnel

• Daryl Stuermer - guitar, bass
• Chester Thompson - drums

It/Watcher of the Skies:

• Tony Banks - keyboards
• Phil Collins - vocals, drums
• Steve Hackett - guitar
• Mike Rutherford - bass, guitar

Additional personnel

• Bill Bruford - drums

Tour

Genesis toured in support of the Three Sides Live album in August and September 1982. This tour saw the return of full versions of some of their classic songs such as "Dance on a Volcano," and "Supper's Ready." It also featured the instrumental version of "Watcher of the Skies" which had last been played on the 1976 tour with Bill Bruford.

Setlist

1. Dance On a Volcano
2. Behind the Lines
3. Follow You Follow Me*
4. Dodo/Lurker*
5. Abacab*
6. Supper's Ready
7. Misunderstanding
8. Man On The Corner*
9. Who Dunnit?*
10. In the Cage
11. The Cinema Show (closing section)/Riding the Scree (teaser)/The Cinema Show/The Colony of Slippermen (c) The Raven
12. Afterglow
13. Turn It On Again
14. Drum Duet
15. Los Endos

Encore:

1. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway/Watcher of the Skies (Intro and Outro)
2. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

"Paperlate" and No Reply At All was played at some shows on the US leg. At shows in New York and L.A., "Paperlate" and "No Reply at All" featured the Earth Wind and Fire Horns.

Personnel

• Phil Collins - Lead Vocals, Drums, Percussion
• Tony Banks - Keyboards, Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar
• Mike Rutherford - Electric Six and Twelve String Guitars, 12-string Acoustic Guitar, Bass guitar, bass pedals, vocals, drums on Who Dunnit?
• Daryl Stuermer - Guitars, Bass guitar*
• Chester Thompson - Drums, percussion

Footnotes