funny that the B-sides and other 1981 Abacab sessions, later featured on Genesis Archives are more interesting than a lot of the songs on the actual album - Naminanu, Submarine, You Might Recall. 

Same as you...totally agreed with you on the tracks on the box set being more interesting? 

Yes and agreed about the B sides, lol.

Abacab is a guilty pleasure for me. I LOVE the title track, Keep It Dark, Me and Sarah Jane, etc.; tons of good Tony Banks hooks and grooves in there. I know it's not the best classic Genesis, but I'm biased for Phil Collins' vocals LOL.

I know people blame Phil for the whole going pop, but Banks and Rutherford were on it as well, especially Rutherford. And Banks is still the main songwriter after all at this point. 

no, that's Invisible Touch. 

thought it was Duke (assume we are talking American Psycho)

i think it's the best produced Genesis album before the plastic eighties sound took over. This is one that you can put on really really loud (although as you say its not 'classic' by any stretch)

Anyway, I expect some consensus about Who Dunnit? being crap.

This...  ...though obviously the album version is a bit longer...though still not long enough...

Funny many are picking Dodo; that's the ONE track that sounds like they're genuinely trolling their audience with this album lol.

Exactly, lol. I'm one of the few that likes even the "weaker" 80's Genesis stuff. I'm a sucker for high quality synth production with that classic 80's "This is the future, bro!" vibe lol.

Haven't seen the movie, but someone showed me the scene. He says Duke is the first album of theirs that really grabbed him and didn't come off as pretentious. Invisible Touch was indeed his favorite, he called it their crowning achievement or something. I should check that movie out, heard it's good.

Consensus denied.

Dodo/Lurker is credited as  team effort, in fact most songs are, except Me & Sarah Jane by Banks, Like It or Not by Rutherford and Man On the Corner by Collins. 

how would that make any sense? 

I'll vote for Selling England by the Pound if we can vote for Another Record.

I figured I would fill in for psych Paul here. ;) Of course I'm no match for the master but I figured I would give it a shot.

Good job! For a moment there, I thought I was reading one of my own posts.

Well, what can I say? You inspired me. You were bound to have at least one imitator sooner or later. Remember, they say imitation is the highest form of flattery. ;)

I'm flattered. Reading this thread is far more entertaining than listening to the Abacab album.

Yep. Abacab is admittedly a bit of a mixed bag. Some good moments and it's interesting at times but maybe a bit too much filler imo.

I agree but I think the selections on what stays and what goes comes down to writing credits.  Each of the guys got 1 solo song (Me and Sarah Jane, Man on the Corner and Like it or Not).  So if one goes, they all go and that wasn't going to happen.  So what are you going to substitute out for those 3 B-sides?  They are all on record as liking WhoDunnit, at least at the time.  Abacab and Keep it Dark are very strong, so they are staying too.   Dodo / Lurker is what I call their nod back to the past track for the long time fans, so it stays too.  That just leaves Another Record  as the only track that could be swapped out.  

Personally, if their wasn't any writing credit problems, chuck the last two tracks, cut Whodunnit in half and add the 3 B-sides.

I'll argue it's actually the single-catchiest post-prog era Genesis pop song that wasn't a massive hit.

Catchiest vocal melody for verses, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, etc.

Also, I'm still blown away that Dodo is genuinely the fan favorite here; I legit thought that was THE song that made everyone turn the record off, too much cheese LOL. It's not a bad song but it's literally the one I expected PA to check out on and ditch Genesis after this lmao.

Whodunnit is one of those songs that make me say "what were they thinking?" It's clear they made it like a joke, Phil refers to it in an interview as their punk song , but an irritating joke nonetheless. If there was song to take it and put one of the three songs I mentioned is this one. 

i wondered about that

Not a fan at all of "WhoDunnit" 

 

No vote.  Can't stand this album.  Sorry.

This . . .

LOL at least you're honest!  

At least Abacab's not as bad as We Can't Dance & Calling All Stations, although that's not much of a recommendation.

all these three albums are on the same level for me, all three uneven, all three got a few great songs, and some bland or uninteresting songs. 

We Can't dance had the three long songs that are excellent IMO

Calling All Stations has three longer songs that are quite good, especially The Dividing Line and There Must be Some Other Way + the title songs is really good.

Abacab has the title song, Dodo/Lurker and Me & Sarah Jane that are really good + Keep it Dark that is enjoyable. 

Well said and agreed!

Yeah, THAT'S the truth!! 

Mind you, I was a huge fan of "And Then There Were Three" and saw that tour live.  It was wonderful! 

Genesis was diminished by not having a legitimate 6 string guitar wizard.  Daryl would have been amazing and would have brought some excellent musical/composing chops to the band.  Alas, Michael is not brilliant on the 6 string.  

However, the business of music is to pay the bills, and they certainly did that!!  Hat's off to them for a long and successful run in pop music, who'd a thunk?

What you said is not wrong, despite their actual monetary success being way, way higher post-golden era. Rutherford is a very solid musician, though, despite not being Hackett on guitar or even close. He's extremely competent as a bass player and guitar player, I'd even argue a tad underrated and overlooked on bass because of his flexibility as a player!

Amazing you saw that tour live, btw; that was still a few years before I was around LOL .

Let's just say Land of Confusion was already out fora two years before I showed up to the party LOL.

No one has yet mentioned that this was intended to be a double album, with "Paperlate", "You Might Recall", "Me and Virgil", "Naminanu", and "Submarine" being the remaining tracks. The record company talked them out of it.

I had no idea about the concept album part; everything I've read said the band intentionally made a very conscious effort to avoid traditional Genesis pro tropes! Interesting!

I LOVE the production on this album. It's perfect. Synth heaven! Tony Banks all day FTW.

I've never heard the story of the double album, in 1981 , I just don't see it. Could be hearsay unless you actually can give us a source. 

That would 100% be their self-titled for me. I love Mama and the HMTS Parts 1/2, but that's it.

I think it's saving grace is that it was a very clear approach (trimmed down) and no fudging. It reminds me a bit of Mike Oldfield's Platinum album that showed a very different approach to what he's done before but nevertheless its very creative. Genesis totally jumped the shark for me when they did Mama but then that's a whole different discussion 

Thanks, great reply!!  Mind you, I've long been a HUGE fan of Rutherford on the bass guitar, and put him on the same level as Squire, Lake etc.  

As a bassist and guitarist, I know that the skills don't always translate well.  Rutherford was competent on the 6 string, but no maestro, and I always thought the music of Genesis deserved that maestro in the guitarist chair.

I need to put on the headphones and listen to their later catalog more closely.  Cheers, Charles

Again, we're similar! Also a guitar/bass player. I played guitar to start, then switched to bass semi professionally to gig and record for YEARS, came back to guitar, and it's like a toy it's so easy LOL!  

Gonna throw on some Genesis with my coffee right now! 

Wonderful!!  Do you ever play lead guitar licks on a bass guitar? 

I was the bassist for Alonzo "Lon" Jones, one of Bob Fripp's first Guitar Craft students, and played in his brilliant band "CAVU" (acronym for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited).  I honed a style where I played lead guitar on the bass guitar and became quite good at it, using guitar effects such as wah-wah, delay, distortion etc.  In a later band, I did all lead lines when the guitarist did ambient walls of noise from the six-string guitar using rack mounted gear.  Much fun!! 

 

The whole Ababcab album makes me go back to my Gabriel-era Genesis albums.

or to the 4 previous albums with Collins on vocals. 

No? 

Yes, especially A Trick of the Tail - my favourite Genesis album with Phil Collins on vocals.