Filmed live in 1981 on the band's North American tour in support of Abacab, this concert interwoven with behind-the-scenes clips and interviews captures the three-man prog-rock-evolving-into-pop band several years before they hit mainstream mega-success with 1986's landmark Invisible Touch. Shot a mere three months after the birth of MTV, Genesis: Three Sides Live finds singer/drummer Phil Collins quickly abandoning his drum kit to work the stage, mugging his way through a number of unnecessary interpretative slapstick gestures that actually ruin otherwise poignant songs such as “Misunderstanding” and “Turn It On Again” (and when the pasty Brit doffs his shirt and performs bare-chested clad in track pants and oh-so-‘80s wristbands, no one is likely to mistake him for Mick Jagger). The other two official Genesis members—Tony Banks on keyboards and Mike Rutherford on guitar and bass—are joined by Daryl Stuermer (guitar/bass) and Chester Thompson (drums). Fully 10 of the 12 songs featured here hail from 1980's Duke and 1981's Abacab (early prog-rock-Peter-Gabriel-era fans go home), and several are fine tunes, including “Behind the Lines,” “Duchess,” “No Reply at All,” “Me & Sarah Jane,” and “Man on the Corner.” Unfortunately, some of the songs are also truncated—interrupted by superficial radio station interviews and a long-running chat with interviewer Hugh Fielder that all comes across like basic promo fluff. Visually, the program appears in old-style 4:3 full-screen, although the audio is reasonably sharp. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include audio-only tracks of seven songs. Optional, at best. (R. Pitman)
Genesis: Three Sides Live
(1981) 84 min. DVD: $14.98, Blu-ray: $19.98. Eagle Rock Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 30, Issue 1
Genesis: Three Sides Live
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: