By 1981, Genesis had completed one of the most successful reinventions in rock history. The progressive architecture of the Peter Gabriel years, ‘Selling England by the Pound,’ ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ ‘Foxtrot,’ had given way to a leaner, more accessible sound that was connecting with audiences on a scale the band had never previously reached. ‘Three Sides Live,’ recorded during the ‘Abacab’ tour and released in June 1982, documents that commercial peak with a setlist that bridges both worlds.
The full laserdisc runs 12 performances, including “In The Cage” from ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ and “Afterglow” from ‘Wind & Wuthering’ sitting alongside newer material like “Abacab” and “Misunderstanding.” Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar round out the live lineup, giving Phil Collins the freedom to front the band full time, a role he had grown into completely by this point. The recording reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and remains one of the definitive documents of this era of the band.