ABACAB

While I do understand that this Genesis is not a past Genesis, that's not why I think that Abacab lacked a lot of quality compositions, or consistency for that matter. After the outstanding Duke, there is a drop-off, but it's not the worst album ever. One big difference is the solo works, which this time are limited to one by each; that turns out to be a good thing. Tony Banks' "Me and Sarah Jane" is a rather uneven piece, with some great moments but some rather overdone ones. Meanwhile Phil Collins' "Man on the Corner" (a minor hit), and Mike Rutherford's "Like it or Not" seem routine and somewhat boring, let alone generic; the former two pieces also further Collins' obsession with drum machines.

The rest of the album? The title track is a great composition, but Banks tends to overdo the synths and drown out everything else, a sign of what you'll hear for the entire album. "No Reply at All" is one of the couple gems here, a pop radio staple augmented by the same horn section from Earth, Wind & Fire and great bass work by Rutherford. "Keep it Dark" is not a bad song, but again I fault Banks for being too heavy with the keys. "Dodo/Lurker," the other long track here, is the other truly good piece; it likely has the best lyrics on the entire album, and Rutherford gets a chance to shine some on the six-string. I don't need to comment on one of the worst Genesis pieces ever, "Who Dunnit?" for every other review echoes my comments on that song. "Another Record" closes, which is somewhat bland, but at least Banks' piano is near its best for this album.

The eponymous follow-up would be a nice rebound for me (if that proves that my problems aren't because of Genesis' identity), but I found Abacab to seem rather run-of-the-mill and not easy to get into.

3.0

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