Undertow & Burning Rope

The Cries of Hate:

In this episode of Mild Mannered Supermen, we continue our journey through Genesis's 1978 album …And Then There Were Three… with two powerful Tony Banks compositions: “Undertow” and “Burning Rope.”

Despite their musical differences, the two songs share a surprisingly similar theme—mortality, the passage of time, and the realization that the natural world will endure long after we're gone. We dig into Banks's lyrics and explore how both songs ask us to confront the limited time we have and decide what we're going to do with it.

“Undertow” delivers that message with one of the most emotional choruses of the early Phil Collins era, while “Burning Rope” stretches back toward the grand progressive-rock tradition of Genesis, complete with shifting sections, dramatic keyboards and an extended instrumental passage.

But “Burning Rope” also raises an interesting question about the future of the band.

We revisit Phil Collins's later comments about songs like “Burning Rope” and his growing frustration with lengthy progressive compositions—comments that offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative differences that would become increasingly important as Genesis moved toward shorter, more direct songwriting.

We also discuss another major change following Steve Hackett's departure: Mike Rutherford stepping forward to handle the majority of the guitar duties. How does Genesis sound without Hackett? And can Rutherford develop his own identity as the band's new lead guitarist while still anchoring the music on bass?

This is Genesis caught directly between two worlds—the sprawling progressive rock of their past and the increasingly concise songwriting that would eventually make them one of the biggest bands in the world.

Join Mild Mannered Supermen as we explore “Undertow,” “Burning Rope,” Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, mortality, and the changing sound of Genesis during the …And Then There Were Three… era.

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