Genesis - "Three Sides Live" - Reconstructed Original Project.

In December 1981, Genesis wrapped their four-month tour of Europe and North America to support the release of their eleventh studio album: "Abacab".

During the first months of 1982 the group selected recorded material during this tour for a new work.The result ,the third live album released as a double lp on 4 June 1982, on Charisma Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States; with a movie, wich was released on Betamax and VHS sistems.

This is a reconstruction of how this project was initially conceived to make it coincide with the content of the film.

"Abacab" was released on 18 September 1981 by Charisma Records, after their 1980 "Duke" World Tour. The album recorded at The Farm, a studio bought by the group in Chiddingfold, Surrey. The recording sessions were brief but very profitable; it began in May and ended shortly after in June. It was a commercial success for the band, reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 7 on the US Billboard 200.

The Abacab Tour was a European and North American concert tour, that began in September 25 1981 in Barcelona “Plaza de Toros – La Monumental” and ended with four shows in Birmingham,England at Resorts World Arena, the last one in December 23 1981. A short world tour but very, very intensive with 65 shows, practically one daily. The pace of work of the group was very intense, partly to forget the disastrous private life that the members of the band were going through, with divorces, separations and economic problems and health problems. 

The tour also marked the first appearance of the Vari-Lite automated lighting system. It was filmed by Stuart Orme and a movie was made with songs from two shows:  28 and 29 November 1981 at the Savoy Theatreand Nassau Coliseum, New York, respectively, but Some of the featured songs are incomplete due to editing. At the same time an live album was made following of the film sequence, Bit.ly/Gen3sl81 but adding a concert more recorded at National Exhibition Center. Birmingham, England on 23 December 1981 being as follows:

Side A: (19:11)

1.Behind The Lines. (5:28)

2.Duchess. (6:24)

3.Dodo / Lurker. (7:17)

Side B: (18:44)

4.Abacab. (8:42)

5.Me & Sarah Jane. (6:00)

6.Misunderstanding. (4:01)

Side C: (20:28)

7.No Reply At All. (4:50)

8.Man On The Corner. (3:45)

9.In The Cage Medley. (11:51)

"In the Cage" "The Cinema Show" "The Colony Of Slippermen"

Side D: (19:17)

10.Afterglow. (4:45)

11.Turn It Again. (5:12)

12.I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe). (9:20)

1,2 & 11 - at Nassau Coliseum. Uniondale, New York on 29 November 1981.

3,4,5,9,10 & 12 - at National Exhibition Centre. Birmingham, England on 23 December 1981.

6,7 & 8 -  at Savoy Theatre. New York City, New York on 28 November 1981. 

The project was later altered to make it more commercial, changing the original positions of the songs..There´s two versions: with “Evidence of autumn” and “Open Door” outtakes from “Duke”; and “Paperlate", "You Might Recall", and "Me & Virgil", outtakes from “Abacab”, with “ were included on the North American edition and other with: “One For The Wine”, “Fountain of Salmacis” and “"it."/"Watcher of the Skies”, recorded on tour between 1976 and 1980.

Some of the songs from the original project that were rejected as: “Man On The Corner” or “No Reply At All” were included years later in Genesis Archive 2: 1976-92”. .Others are yet to be published: “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)”. And it's a shame that this last song was left out, because the interaction that takes place with the audience makes it perhaps one of the best songs on the tour.

Even so, "Three Sides Live" reception was a commercial success, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard 200, where it sold 500,000 copies.

Ok!.., That´s all, see you soon, If you want, with more and better, I hope.

Joni Mitchell - "Blue" - Early Version. March 1971.

We continue with another great album of the early seventies: "Blue", the fourth studio lp by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released by Reprise Records on June 22 1971. It was  number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, 9 in Canada and 15 on the Blllboard 200. Regarded by music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time made by a woman

Here´s the less known version, from March 1971, shortly before being restructured as we know it today.

January 1970, Joni Mitchell make a decision to break from performing. A few months later,she set off on a vacation around Europe. While staying on the island of Crete and Malta she wrote some of the songs that appear on Blue, as:“Carey”;“California”;“My Old Man” or “River”. Songs inspired in old sentimental relationships that she had with David Crosby and in those moments with Graham Nash and shortly after with James Taylor.

When she returned to the United States from Spain ended the relationship with Graham Nash but because she had begun another with James Taylor. Joni Mitchell was accused, on more than one occasion, of using personal relationships to promote her musical career, as had happened with David Crosby in the past; thanks to him she got Reprise Records interested in his music. behind the sweetness and innocence appearance, there was always an interested woman., true or not?, what do you think?. 

Good.., we continue with this quick story. This new work start it to record on january 1971 at A&M Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles C.A  and finalize in March, the same month when James Taylor broke off the relationship with her. This personal disappointment caused that Joni to change the line-up of the álbum. Bit.ly/71JMbl Next the original “Blue” 

Side One: (16:38)

1.Carey.(3:03)

2.Little Green.(3:27)

3.A Case Of You.(4:23)

4.Hunter.(2:38)

5.Blue.(3:04) 

Side B. 19:26)

1.California.(3:49)

2.My Old Man.(3:34)

3.Urge For Going.(5:05)

4.This Flight Tonight.(2:52)

5.River.(4:04)

There were three old songs that had not found their way onto any of her previous albums. At the last minute, Mitchell decided to remove two of the three so that she could add the new songs:"Urge for Going" was rejected by "All I Want" and “Hunter” (The Good Samaritan) by "The Last Time I Saw Richard". Leaving the album as follows:

Side One: (16:30)
1.All I Want.(3:32)
2.My Old Man.(3:33)
3.Little Green.(3:25)
4.Carey.(3:00)
5.Blue.(3:00)

Side:B. (18:31)
1.California.(3:48)
2.This Flight Tonight.(2:50)
3.River..(4:00)
4.A Case Of You.(4:20)
5.The Last Time I Saw Richard.(4:13)

All songs written by Joni Mitchell, but on the disc there was also the shadow of the plagiarism, when it was said that the singer had included part of "Jingle Bells" in "River". "Blue" was about to be retired and the song "River" replaced in futures editions  by one of the other two themes that Joni had eliminated in March. Everything was solved between lawyers with an economic agreement and recognizing that it had been done in an innocent way, because since the original song was released in 1857, it was believed that the copyright had expired.

This work is short, maybe Joni Mitchell should have been more generous and have kept all the selected songs better because there was space on the album.or maybe not, possibly that's why it's so good in itself. The content of it is so explicit that even Kris Kristofferson when he heard an advance copy of it said to she: "Joni! Keep something of yourself!".

The title was "Blues", but the art director: Gary Burden changed it by the name of the color,.when he was commissioned to design the cover. Two singles were extracted from the álbum: “Carey” / “This Flight tonight  & “California” / “A Case Of You”.

It was discontinued in U.S in 1977 and did not return to the catalog until 1990 in which it was released on CD, although it was Canada who took the honors by releasing it in digital format three years before.

That´s all friends. Enjoy it.