History Music / AndThenThereWereThree

In addition to being a major change for the band's lineup, ''...And Then There Were Three...'' also marks a huge turning point for the band's sound, with the group shifting to a more commercially accessible sound developed as a response to the rising NewWave and PunkRock movements. While Banks was hesitant to the idea, he was outvoted by Collins and Rutherford, and ultimately came around to appreciate the new sound; however, he would still conspicuously incorporate elements of Genesis' prog roots in their new material, setting a trend for their following albums. Although Collins insisted the material was "fundamentally the same" as before, he recognized that the album gave the impression of the band moving away from progressive rock, a shift that would only become more prominent on Genesis' subsequent records and in Collins' own solo material.

''...And Then There Were Three...'' is the ninth studio album by English ProgressiveRock group Music/{{Genesis|Band}}. It was released through Creator/CharismaRecords on 31 March 1978.

* EndOfAnEra: For many Genesis fans, this album marked the point where the band's time as a purely ProgressiveRock act came to an end, with the introduction of poppier song structures here that would only grow in prominence and make its way into the band's instrumentation on following records. However, anyone that thinks this is a simple pop-rock album need only listen to its first track, "Down and Out", to be disabused of that notion - the band's transition to performing pop music was rather gradual, and they kept at least two or three progressive rock songs on every studio album they recorded.

* MusicIsPolitics: "Down and Out" is sung from a record executive's point of view, and it's not a flattering view of the industry. Tellingly, it includes the line "Smoke a cigar", which is probably a ShoutOut to Music/PinkFloyd's "[[Music/WishYouWereHere Have a Cigar]]" (a song with a very similar lyrical stance).

->''I need a shower, take a nap''\\
''I'll meet you in the bar, we must have a rap''\\
''There's a lot on the line, a lot to say''\\
''And there's something I must tell you today''\\
\\
''You and I both knew the score''\\
''You can't go on like this forever''\\
''So it's with regret that I tell you now''\\
''That from this moment on you're on your own!''
-->-- '''"Down and Out"'''

''...And Then There Were Three...'' is the ninth studio album by English ProgressiveRock group Music/{{Genesis}}. It was released through Creator/CharismaRecords on 31 March 1978.

* EndOfAnEra: For many Genesis fans, this album marked the point where the band's time as a purely ProgressiveRock act came to an end, with the introduction of poppier song structures here that would only grow in prominence and make its way into the band's instrumentation on following records.

In addition to being a major change for the band's lineup, ''...And Then There Were Three...'' also marks a huge turning point for the band's sound, with the group shifting to a more commercially accessible sound developed as a response to the rising NewWave and PunkRock movements. While Collins was hesitant to the idea, he was outvoted by Banks and Rutherford, and ultimately came around to appreciate the new sound. Although Collins insisted the material was "fundamentally the same" as before, he recognized that the album gave the impression of the band moving away from progressive rock, a shift that would only become more prominent on Genesis' following records and in Collins' own solo material.

It was probably one of the most important releases in their history as artists in more ways than one.

In addition to being a major change for the band's lineup, ''...And Then There Were Three...'' also marks a huge turning point for the band's sound, with the group shifting to a more commercially accessible sound developed as a response to the rising NewWave and PunkRock movements. While Collins was hesitant to the idea, he was outvoted by Banks and Rutherford, and ultimately came around to appreciate the new sound. Although Collins insisted the material was "fundamentally the same" as before, he recognized that the album gave the impression of the band moving away from progressive rock, a shift that would only become more prominent on Genesis' following records and in Collins' own solo material. For fans of prog Genesis, this album marked the EndOfAnEra, and starting with this album, a rift would begin to form among listeners between those who preferred their artsier early material and those who preferred their increasingly poppy output throughout the 1980's.

The album was not only divisive among fans: critical reception of the album was mixed too. In his review for ''Magazine/RollingStone'', Michael Bloom referred to the album as a "contemptible opus" that was "but the palest shadow of the group's earlier accomplishments". Still, the magazine gave the album four out of five stars in their album guide. Chris Welch of ''Melody Maker'' called the album "as good as any they have made in the band's post-Gabriel years". Charley Walters of ''Circus'' said that Genesis had sacrificed "neither direction nor quality" from the departures of Gabriel and Hackett. Retrospective looks back at the album by fans have been somewhat kinder, in part due to the band still maintaining their progressive rock roots quite strongly here compared to the trimming it wound up becoming in the 80's, though compared to the albums before it, it's still considered a noticeable step down.

Despite being received poorly, the album indeed advanced the band's growing popularity, peaking at No. 3 in the United Kingdom, matching their highest reach with two previous albums, and No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It also garnered the band's first platinum album from the RIAA, additionally being certified gold in the UK, Germany, and France. Three singles were released: "Follow You Follow Me", "The Lady Lies", and "Deep in the Motherlode" (which was released on its single with the alternate name "Go West Young Man" and the subtitle "In the Motherlode"). "Follow You Follow Me" would become the pattern for the future success of Genesis, as it became their first American Top 40 hit (No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 22 on Cashbox), and their first Top 10 hit in the UK (reaching No. 7 on the UK Singles chart).

Despite being received poorly, the album indeed advanced the band's growing popularity, peaking at No. 3 in the United Kingdom, matching their highest reach with two previous albums, and No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It also garnered the band's first Platinum album from the RIAA. Three singles were released: "Follow You Follow Me", "The Lady Lies", and "Deep in the Motherlode" (which was released on its single with the alternate name "Go West Young Man" and the subtitle "In the Motherlode"). "Follow You Follow Me" would become the pattern for the future success of Genesis, as it became their first American Top 40 hit (No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 22 on Cashbox), and their first Top 10 hit in the UK (reaching No. 7 on the UK Singles chart).

* EpicRocking: Largely averted. The album lacked a song that exceeded 8 minutes for the first time since their debut album, ''From Genesis to Revelation''; only two tracks exceeded six minutes, those being the 7:10 "Burning Rope" and the 6:08 "The Lady Lies".

* NonAppearingTitle: "Down and Out", "Undertow", "Ballad of Big", "Deep in the Motherlode", "Snowbound", "The Lady Lies".

* NonIndicativeName: "Ballad of Big" is anything but a ballad, being more in-line with Genesis's more aggressive and material.