GENESIS

My wife and children and I are members of a church, and we are believers. We teach Sunday school and serve Communion. However, I would not be surprised to be called a heretic. I firmly believe that Genesis is just as good without Gabriel as with him! I also think this album has a lot of good material, and I give it 3 and 1/2 stars. One of the things I like about Genesis is that they've never completely abandoned prog on each of their albums. I would call them prog-related after Gabriel left; other reviewers have made the same point. On Genesis, "Home/Second By The Sea" is the most obvious example. It's a terrific track. Other favorites are "Just A Job To Do" and the beautiful "Taking It All Too Hard". Being accessible is not a sin, and being "progressive" doesn't guarantee being good. I think Emerson, Lake and Palmer have demonstrated that. I can do without "Illegal Alien", which is just absurd, and "It's Gonna Get Better", which just puts me to sleep. I do miss not hearing Steve Hackett on these later albums, but Tony Banks and Phil Collins, drumming and singing, are terrific. I wouldn't give any Genesis album more than 4 stars, and I don't think Genesis (the album} is their best, but I think it deserves 3 and 1/2 stars.