3X3
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| EP by Genesis | ||||
| Released | 21 May 1982 | |||
| Recorded | May–June 1981 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 15:10 | |||
| Label | Charisma (UK), Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Genesis | |||
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| Singles from 3×3 | ||||
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| AllMusic |   |
3×3 is an extended play by the English rock band Genesis, released in May 1982 on Charisma Records. Its three songs were originally written and recorded for their eleventh studio album Abacab (1981), but they were not included on the album's final track selection. 3×3 reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, its tracks were included on the worldwide release of the band's third live album, Three Sides Live (1982). The lead track, "Paperlate", peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
All songs were recorded during the session for Abacab. A bootleg demo tape exists of the band playing an entire session of songs for Abacab, with the three songs from this EP also included.
For the song "Paperlate", Collins used the horn section of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins has often used the group for other projects, including Collins' debut solo album, Face Value. A music video was also created utilizing the band's 27 May 1982 appearance on Top of the Pops. According to "Connolly & Company", "You Might Recall" is a song about a lost love. Collins wrote the song "Me and Virgil". He has called it "a dog", and cites it as one of his worst ever pieces of writing. According to Collins, the group was trying to do something similar to the work of The Band, but "we couldn't." The song is written as a story.
Collins claims that the packaging for 3×3 was a throwback to The Beatles' first EP release in 1963, entitled Twist and Shout. The front cover photo is similar to the Beatles' EP cover. The liner notes and design of the back cover were done by the man who was in charge of designing the Beatles' EP, Tony Barrow. "these cheeky chappies from Guildford ... treasure these three audio-visual representations..." are parts that Phil recalls. The title itself is also a nod to The Rolling Stones, who released both an EP titled Five by Five and an LP entitled 12 X 5. Collins recalls that the album's cover and interior text received negative reviews from a reviewer who was not alive when the original Beatles EP was released, thereby misunderstanding the parody.
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