[Author's Note: This review refers to the reissue of this CD, which has two CD's of live material. The original American album with three live sides and one side of studio material is not present in this review.]
In my last review of a Genesis live album, I implied the band put out less-than-stellar live albums. Both Seconds Out and Live had their moments, but were mostly just louder versions of studio songs with very minimal changes.
But Three Sides Live expands on the studio versions of the songs
it represents, which is mostly from 1978's
…and then there were three to 1981's excellent
Abacab. And let me say this up front -- I used to be a hater
of Genesis after Peter Gabriel left, but after hearing this album,
I became a true Genesis fan, purchasing the rest of their albums
and seeing the artistic merit present in each.
The title of this comes from the original album release -- some of the albums had a fourth side of live material, the same as the Atlantic reissue, and some had five unreleased pop songs. Those songs are nothing special.
The first half is devoted to hearing Phil Collins come into his own. Far from 1976, Collins imbues the newer songs here with his own style, a mix of soul/R&B that would surface on later albums and Gabriel-type theatrics. The versions of "Misunderstanding" and "Turn It On Again" feature Collins scat-singing near the ends, completely in control of the crowd, while "Me And Sarah Jane," "Duchess" and "Follow You Follow Me" are a bit more passionate than their studio counterparts. Only "Behind The Lines" and "Afterglow" fail to impress, showing the direction the band would soon take with 1983's eponymous album.
Both "Dodo" and "Abacab" show up here and are easily the highlights of the first CD. "Dodo" is already a good song, but here it's less doom-laden and more energetic. However, "Abacab" blows the studio version out of the water, with some inventive bass work by Michael Rutherford, a great guitar solo not present on the original and a general jam feel, not something associated with Genesis. The song also has an ending, instead of randomly fading out like the studio version.
The other disc is just as good, with spirited renditions of "In The Cage," with Collins doing a great job as Rael and a medley of "Cinema Show" and "Colony Of Slippermen" coming after "Cage." However, then things get confusing, with a good live version of "One For The Vine," a 1978 recording of original guitarist Steve Hackett doing "Fountain of Salmacis" (which is great to hear live) and a combination of "It" and the instrumental parts of "Watcher Of The Skies." All are random picks, but it's nice to hear such rare album tracks live, and proved Genesis did not end when Hackett and Gabriel left.
If you've been skeptical about trying Collins-era Genesis like I was, pick this one up and you may just convert. With a healthy sampling of old and new tracks, plus the stellar musicianship and passion normally associated with Genesis, this is the band's best live release and one of their best releases overall.
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