ABACAB

Mmm Genesis' attempts to join prog and pop would never work as good as in the previous album "Duke", in my opinion. This is a strange album.

It opens with a straight-forward rocker which then tries to go into instrumental mode and... nothing interesting happens... too slow, too simple... and then it fades out. What? Check the live version from the Live at Wembley VHS or DVD for a much faster, energetic and... well, simply better version. Still, a mediocre song.

"No Reply at All" at least knows it's pop and goes for it, complete with Earth Wind & Fire horns. Kind of a Collins solo number this one, but I enjoy it. Warning, though: it's the kind of fun, happy stuff prog purists detest.

"Me & Sarah Jane" must have at least a dozen different melodies on it, almost as if Banks didn't know where to go and jumped from unfinished song idea to another. But then it gets to a kind of reggaeish-feeling stuff that can be enjoyable.

"Keep it Dark" goes a little too far for Phil's voice in its chorus, but it's a brief return to sci-fi land. Poppy and happy, though.

"Dodo/Lurker" is probably the song that could be called "proggiest" (hate to enter that discussion) here. Weird lyrics, and a second part which plays like a riddle. But the most interesting thing for me is the music of this second part (Lurker), because it has the "epic" feel of things past (well, the recent "Behind the Lines" had had it too)

"Who Dunnit?" I didn't, Jesus. Who did this song? What was the point? Or was it X or Z? Too much drugs, lads.

"Man on the Corner": Feels like solo Collins, though the drum machine has been around in many tracks. It's got a nice quiet atmosphere, I can grant the song that. But nothing special.

"Like it or Not": it has a nice ending... emm... what, you wanted more?

"Another Record" I wish this one would be.

Bottom Line: Good A side, uninteresting B side. Too bad we're in the CD/DVD/MP3 era where you won't find that division. 2.5.