Three Sides Live

video

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For concert film, see Three Sides Live (film).

Untitled

Three Sides Live is the third live album by the English rock band Genesis, released as a double album in June 1982 on Charisma Records in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. The album is compiled of recordings from their 1980 and 1981 tours in promotion of Duke (1980) and Abacab (1981), with side four of the UK edition containing live tracks from their 1976, 1978 and 1980 tours, and studio tracks from the Duke sessions and their 3×3 (1982) EP on the North American edition.

Three Sides Live received a mostly positive critical reception and was a commercial success, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard 200. Its release coincided with the Three Sides Live concert film home video.

Background

The title comes from the original vinyl release which contained three sides of live tracks from the band's 1980 and 1981 tours, and a fourth side of studio tracks: three from the group's second extended play, 3X3 (1982) ("Paperlate", "You Might Recall" and "Me and Virgil") and two B-sides that were recorded but not included on Duke (1980) ("Open Door" and "Evidence of Autumn"). The side of studio tracks is no longer issued; only the UK release, that featured the live tracks, was subsequently made available. Four of the five non-live tracks were re-released on Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992, and a modern remixed version of "Me and Virgil" was released on the bonus CD of Genesis 1976-1982.

Release

Three Sides Live reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 10 in the US.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone gave the album a rave review, particularly praising Genesis's advancement to more refined and concise material: "Unlike Seconds Out, where the concert versions of Genesis' songs were shrouded in virtuosic bluster, this album offers incisive, sharply focused performances uncluttered by theatrics or instrumental tedium." AllMusic's retrospective review asserted that the performances were impressive and exciting throughout, delivering nothing but "lean, crisp, and generally bracing accounts of the group's then-current sound."

Reissues

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 were 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 written and composed by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Recording date and location	Length
1.	"Turn It On Again"	29 November 1981; Nassau Coliseum, New York	5:16
2.	"Dodo/Lurker"	23 December 1981; National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham	7:19
3.	"Abacab"	23 December 1981; National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham	8:47

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date and location	Length
1.	"Behind the Lines"		29 November 1981; Nassau Coliseum, New York	5:26
2.	"Duchess"		29 November 1981; Nassau Coliseum, New York	6:43
3.	"Me & Sarah Jane"	Banks	29 November 1981; Nassau Coliseum, New York	5:59
4.	"Follow You Follow Me"		6 May 1980; Lyceum Theatre, London	4:58

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date and location	Length
1.	"Misunderstanding"	Collins	28 November 1981; Savoy Theatre, New York City	4:06
2.	"In the Cage Medley" "In the Cage" "The Cinema Show" "Riding the Scree" "Raven"	Banks, Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Rutherford	23 December 1981; National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham	11:53
3.	"Afterglow"	Banks	23 December 1981; National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham	5:14

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date and location	Length
1.	"One for the Vine"	Banks	5 May 1980; Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London	11:04
2.	"Fountain of Salmacis"	Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford	1978; Unknown Venue	8:37
3.	""it."/"Watcher of the Skies"	Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford	8 July 1976; Apollo Theatre, Glasgow	7:03

Side four (North American edition)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Paperlate"		3:20
2.	"You Might Recall"		5:31
3.	"Me and Virgil"		6:20
4.	"Evidence of Autumn"	Banks	4:57
5.	"Open Door"	Rutherford	4:06

• In 1994 the album was re-issued on CD with the live tracks from the UK edition.
• On some editions "One for the Vine" is incorrectly divided into two separate tracks, leaving the second part titled as "The Fountain of Salmacis", while "The Fountain of Salmacis" and "it./Watcher of the Skies" follow as a single track.
• "The Fountain of Salmacis" is erroneously listed on some sources as being from the Houston show on October 22nd, 1978. However, that song was not played at that show.

Personnel

Genesis

• Phil Collins – drums, lead vocals, percussion, drum machine
• Tony Banks – keyboards, backing vocals
• Mike Rutherford – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
• Steve Hackett – guitar on "it."/"Watcher of the Skies"

Additional musicians

• Daryl Stuermer – guitar, bass
• Chester Thompson – drums, percussion
• Bill Bruford – drums on "it."/"Watcher of the Skies"

Production

• Genesis – production
• David Hentschel – engineering on "Follow You Follow Me", "The Cinema Show", "One for the Vine", "The Fountain of Salmacis", "it."/"Watcher of the Skies"
• Geoff Callingham – technical engineer on everything else
• Craig Schertz – sound engineer
• Bill Smith – cover
• Martyn Goddard – photography

External links

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