Album of the Day

Three Sides Live, by Genesis (1982): Score one for truth in album titling, at least for a while. When this double LP hit stores in 1982, it delivered three sides of live tracks from the band's 1981 tour, focusing mostly on stuff from Duke and Abacab, plus the first appearance of an infamous "old medley." The four side was made up of studio left overs from those two albums, which had made their way onto B-sides or a UK EP called 3 x 3. That's what "the world" got.

The UK, already in possession of said studio leftovers, got a fourth live side, consisting of a clutch of classic older tunes, even with appearances from Steve Hackett and Bill Bruford. For whatever reason, when the album was remastered in 1994, Atlantic regularized things across the globe and the fourth live side was substituted for the studio stuff. All of which can lead to confusion - the poor person behind the counter at the Discount Den in Morgantown couldn't understand why I'd trade in one copy of Three Sides Live for another one without a lengthy explanation.

Oddly, although I never had much use for the studio stuff, I've come to like quite a bit of it as it's appeared in the Archives or the new boxed sets. "You Might Recall" and "Evidence of Autumn" are pretty good. I'll still never live long enough to erase the mental stain of "Paperlate," however (thanks, bro'!).