Genesis "...And Then There Were Three..."

...And Then There Were Three... is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Genesis. It was released in March 1978 by Charisma Records and is their first recorded as a trio of singer and drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and bassist and guitarist Mike Rutherford following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett. The album marked a change in the band's sound, mixing elements of their progressive rock roots with more pop-oriented and commercially accessible music, and Collins contributing to more of the group's song writing.

The album reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard 200. Three singles were released from the album; the lead single "Follow You Follow Me" became their highest charting since their formation with a peak of number 7 in the UK and number 23 in the US. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1988 for selling one million copies in the US. To further promote it, Genesis toured worldwide for ten months with their new touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer. The album was remastered in 2007 as part of the Genesis 1976–1982 box set.

In July 1977, the Genesis line-up of singer and drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett, and touring drummer Chester Thompson completed their tour in support of their eighth studio album, Wind & Wuthering. The band proceeded to edit and mix their second live album, Seconds Out, in August 1977, during which time Hackett left the band as he wished to pursue a solo career. He had enjoyed producing his first solo album Voyage of the Acolyte, and felt his desire to work on a solo career had outgrown his need to work as a member of the band. He felt that he had to make too many musical compromises, and had grown tired of the band's frequent touring. The three-man line-up would last until Collins' departure in 1996. News of Hackett's departure was not made public until Collins, Banks, and Rutherford were promoting Seconds Out and they had finished recording and were mixing ...And Then There Were Three..., on 8 October 1977.

As with their past three studio albums, the album cover and packaging was designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. In a 1998 interview, Thorgerson called the design a "failure", and described the concept being conveyed:


We were trying to tell a story by the traces left by the light trails. It was a torch, a car, and a man with a cigarette. The band was losing members and there were only three of them left. The lyrics of the songs were about comings and goings and we tried to describe this in photographic terms by using time-lapse. So there's a car going off to one side and then the guy gets out of the car, walks over to the front of it, and lights a cigarette. But as he walks he uses a torch and the car he was in leaves. There's a trail left by the car, a trail left by him as he's walking and then he lights a cigarette, which on the cover is where there's a flash of his face.