Poor Little Nemo:
We've reached the end of …And Then There Were Three….
In this episode of Mild Mannered Supermen, we wrap up our journey through Genesis's 1978 album by exploring the remaining songs credited to the entire trio of Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford: “Ballad of Big,” “Scenes from a Night's Dream,” and the breakthrough hit that changed everything—“Follow You Follow Me.”
We start with the strange tale of “Ballad of Big,” Genesis's excursion into the American West, before moving into the surreal world of “Scenes from a Night's Dream,” inspired by the adventures of comic-strip character Little Nemo. They're two quirky deep cuts that show Genesis could still embrace storytelling, humor and fantasy even as the band's music was beginning to change.
And then comes “Follow You Follow Me.”
Built from a Mike Rutherford guitar idea and developed collaboratively by the trio, the song became Genesis's first major international pop breakthrough. Its warmth, simplicity and unmistakable melody sounded very different from the sprawling progressive rock that had defined much of the band's past—but rather than being a calculated attempt to “go pop,” it emerged naturally from the three musicians working together.
We discuss why “Follow You Follow Me” became such an important turning point for Genesis, Phil Collins's increasingly recognizable voice, and how its success offered a glimpse of just how enormous this three-man version of the band could eventually become.
With Steve Hackett gone, …And Then There Were Three… began with Genesis facing uncertainty. By the album's final song, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins had accidentally discovered part of the formula that would define their future.
So we say goodbye to 1978 and to a fascinating transitional Genesis album—one that still contained plenty of progressive rock, but quietly opened the door to Duke, Abacab and the extraordinary success that lay ahead.
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