Everything changed when Steve Hackett walked out.
It was 1977. The band was mixing a live album. Hackett, the quiet architect of those shimmering, complex guitar textures that defined Wind & Wuthering, decided he’d had enough of the democratic—yet somehow stifling—power struggle within the group. Genesis was already reeling from the departure of Peter Gabriel a few years prior. Now, they were down to a trio. Most fans thought it was over. How could a band lose its theatrical frontman and then its virtuoso guitarist and still function?
But then came Genesis ...And Then There Were Three..., and suddenly, the rules of prog-rock were rewritten on the fly.
It wasn't just a personnel change. It was a survival tactic. Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford found themselves in a studio in the Netherlands, staring at a blank slate. They had to prove they weren't just a dying relic of the early 70s. Honestly, the result was one of the most polarizing yet pivotal shifts in rock history.
The Scariest Transition in Rock History
Most bands fold when they lose two-fifths of their "classic" lineup. Genesis didn't.
When you listen to the opening tracks of Genesis ...And Then There Were Three..., you can almost hear the gears grinding as they shift toward something leaner. Gone were the side-long epics like "Supper's Ready." In their place were shorter, more punchy compositions. Mike Rutherford had to pick up the lead guitar duties, which changed the entire sonic profile of the band. He wasn't Steve Hackett. He didn't have that same classical, ethereal touch. Instead, he brought a more blues-influenced, direct approach that grounded Tony Banks’ massive Wall of Synths.
Banks, arguably the most underrated keyboardist of his generation, really took the lead here. If you revisit a track like "Burning Rope," you hear him trying to squeeze an entire ten-minute prog epic into just over seven minutes. It’s dense. It’s busy. It’s almost like he was overcompensating for the missing members by layering more and more textures from his Yamaha CP-70 and the Polymoog.
The pressure was massive. They weren't just fighting for relevance; they were fighting for their identity. People forget that in 1978, punk was supposed to have killed bands like Genesis. The "old guard" was seen as bloated and pretentious. By trimming down to a trio, Genesis inadvertently made themselves more agile.
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Why "Follow You Follow Me" Changed Everything
You can't talk about Genesis ...And Then There Were Three... without talking about the "pop" elephant in the room.
"Follow You Follow Me" was a fluke. At least, that's how the band sometimes tells it. It was a simple love song with a catchy, syncopated drum beat from Phil Collins. It didn't have odd time signatures. It didn't have lyrics about Greek mythology or giant hogweeds. It was just... a hit.
And it changed their career trajectory forever.
Suddenly, Genesis was on Top of the Pops. They were reaching an audience that didn't care about concept albums. This created a rift that still exists in the fanbase today. There are the "Gabriel-era" purists who think the band died in 1975, and then there are the millions who joined the party during the trio years. This album is the bridge. It’s the exact moment where the art-rock experimentation of the past collided with the commercial juggernaut they would become in the 1980s.
Is it "selling out"? Kinda feels like a lazy critique. If you actually dig into the deep cuts of the album, like "The Lady Lies" or "Deep in the Motherlode," the complexity is still there. It’s just packaged differently. The melodies are tighter. The hooks are sharper.
The Sound of Reluctant Evolution
Technically, the album sounds different because it was recorded at Relight Studios in Hilvarenbeek. The production has this very specific, late-70s warmth—or muddiness, depending on who you ask. Nick Davis, who later remixed the catalog, had to do a lot of heavy lifting to bring out the clarity in the 2007 reissues because the original tapes were so packed with keyboard layers.
Phil Collins’ drumming on this record is often overlooked because people focus so much on his vocals. But listen to "Down and Out." That song starts with a complex 5/4 time signature that is absolutely relentless. It’s a reminder that even though they were moving toward the charts, they were still one of the most technically proficient units on the planet.
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- Tony Banks: Heavily reliant on the Roland RS-202 and the Arp 2600.
- Mike Rutherford: Doubling on bass and lead guitar, often using a double-neck Shergold.
- Phil Collins: Still playing with the jazz-fusion intensity he honed in Brand X.
They were a power trio, but not in the way Rush or Cream were. They were a symphonic power trio.
The Misconceptions About the "Short" Songs
A big myth is that Genesis ...And Then There Were Three... abandoned prog entirely. That's just wrong.
While the songs are shorter, the structure remains experimental. "Ballad of Big" is a weird, Western-themed track that feels like a leftover from the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway sessions but with a slicker coat of paint. "Scenes From a Night's Dream" is based on the Little Nemo comics. These aren't standard pop themes.
What changed was the editing. They stopped letting ideas wander. They forced themselves to resolve musical themes in four or five minutes. For a band that used to spend twenty minutes on a single story, this was an incredible feat of discipline.
The album also deals with a lot of loss and transitions, which makes sense given the context. "Many Too Many" is one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking songs Tony Banks ever wrote. It’s a goodbye song. Whether it was about a relationship or the band’s own shrinking lineup, the emotion is palpable.
Life on the Road as a Trio
When they took this album on tour, they had to figure out how to play it live. This led to the hiring of Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar/bass. This "touring" version of the trio became the definitive live sound of Genesis for the next 30 years.
If you watch old footage from 1978, you see a band that is incredibly hungry. Phil Collins is finally coming into his own as a frontman, losing the beard and the shyness, and starting to engage with the crowd. He wasn't Peter Gabriel's replacement anymore; he was the leader of a new version of the band.
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They played massive shows. They headlined Knebworth. The scale was getting bigger even as the band got smaller.
The Lasting Legacy of the 1978 Shift
Looking back, Genesis ...And Then There Were Three... is a brave record. It’s the sound of three guys refusing to let their legacy die. They could have easily called it quits or hired a session guitarist to mimic Hackett’s style. Instead, they leaned into their limitations.
It reached Gold status in the US pretty quickly, and Platinum later. It gave them their first real foothold in the American market, which would eventually lead to the stadium-filling heights of Invisible Touch.
But for the fans, it remains a transitional artifact. It’s a bit messy. It’s a bit experimental. It’s the sound of a band finding out who they are when the room gets a little emptier.
How to Appreciate the Album Today
If you’re coming at this from a modern perspective, don't expect a pop record. And don't expect a pure prog record.
- Listen to "Down and Out" first. It’s the bridge between the old and new. It’s aggressive and complex.
- Pay attention to the lyrics. A lot of people ignore them in the trio era, but the storytelling on tracks like "The Lady Lies" is top-tier.
- Check out the 2007 Remixes. If you find the original vinyl a bit "muddy," the Nick Davis remixes open up the soundstage significantly.
- Watch the "Three Sides Live" footage. Even though that’s from a later tour, it shows how the songs from this era evolved in a live setting.
The "three" were enough. They were more than enough. They were a juggernaut in the making.
To truly understand this era, you have to stop comparing it to what came before. It’s a different beast entirely. It’s the sound of survival, and honestly, it’s one of the most interesting chapters in the history of rock music.
Next Steps for the Genesis Enthusiast
Start by listening to the album in chronological order, but skip "Follow You Follow Me" until the very end. This allows the more complex, atmospheric tracks like "Burning Rope" and "Deep in the Motherlode" to set the tone without the pop hit coloring your perception. Once you've digested the studio versions, seek out the 1978 Chicago or Houston live recordings. Hearing Mike Rutherford tackle Steve Hackett’s solo on "Firth of Fifth" while also holding down the rhythm for the new tracks provides a masterclass in how a band retools its technical DNA under pressure.