genesis ( abacab )
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=125156
Printed Date: April 19 2024 at 19:45
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Topic: genesis ( abacab )
Posted By: grantman
Subject: genesis ( abacab )
Date Posted: January 15 2021 at 08:59
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The heavy opening track a pulsing song ABACAB finds genesis in fine form .ME AND AND SARAH JANE good lyrics so so song .DODO and LURKER good proggy epic sounding tracks good keyboard work from tony banks.The best song on the record is KEEP IT DARK .Three blah for me were NO REPLY AT ALL , WHODUNNIT and ANOTHER RECORD overall good but not great genesis Thanks for taking the time to read my review grant 3 out of 5 stars 
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Replies:
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 15 2021 at 09:09
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3 stars is about right for me too, at a push. A few gems but a fair amount of trash too. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: January 16 2021 at 11:26
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A mixed bag with some great stuff and stuff that would've been better as unreleased stuff for a future fans-only box set. Me and Sarah Jane, Keep It Dark, and Dodo/Lurker were great. The rest of side B was like falling off a cliff. Oddly enough, Who Dunnit? doesn't bother me as much as one might expect. What would have made this better? Extending the title track out like the way they performed it live and replacing that bass line during the vocal parts with something more interesting. Attaching the Naminamu and Submarine tracks to Dodo/Lurker. These extensions alone could have bumped out many of the weaker tracks. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: January 16 2021 at 11:55
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I was listening to this album yesterday actually. I was surprised at how much I liked "like it or not." For some reason it jumped out at me where as before I thought it was one of the weaker tracks on the album. Abacab(the title track)is maybe one of the most underrated tracks they have done. Over all, it's an interesting album. I'm not sure how I would rate it though. I guess 3.5 stars.
Also, I think the first half of "who dunnit" is ok. However, at some point it becomes redundant and just gets a bit silly. I do think submarine or some other song should have taken it's place on the album though.
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Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: January 17 2021 at 02:02
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Secretly a favorite; I love the production and title track. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 17 2021 at 20:01
| So far, the album I have liked least from them. Besides Dodo/Lurker I don't really find anything else to enjoy. |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 17 2021 at 21:26
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The title track is great once you get to the instrumental portion. ------------- A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now) |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 18 2021 at 01:13
It's definitely pretty good live. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
HackettFan wrote:Posted By: Sacro_Porgo
Date Posted: January 18 2021 at 01:30
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I love Genesis' pop stuff. To me, Abacab is the first record where Phil and the guys get up the nerve to step out of their prog comfort zone and try out new sounds and snappier songs. It pays off brilliantly, as well as showing their collective knack for being weird. Keep It Dark? Dodo/Lurker? Man On The Corner? Me And Sarah Jane? Heck even the title track is really quite unusual. The only duds here are the less than exciting Another Record (though I appreciate the thought of having that message at the end of the LP) and the perhaps misguided, but eye-roll smile inducing Who Dunnit. But hey, I think the next one is a top 5 Genesis album, so what do I know, lol. ------------- Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :) |
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: January 18 2021 at 16:26
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Still my favorite Genesis album - flawless! I will admit this opinion is probably heavily influenced by the fact that Abacab was also my first ever Genesis album!
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Posted By: Ruby900
Date Posted: January 18 2021 at 16:35
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Love the title track, but not a lot else. ------------- "I always say that it’s about breaking the rules. But the secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place". Rick Wakeman |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 12:00
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What's good on it is really, really good, but what's not is really forgettable. 3 stars sounds about right. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 13:13
Agreed ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 13:31
| Regular album, dont age well 2 1/2 stars |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 13:55
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Good album, does age quite well, 3 1/2 stars... I even like Whodunnit, and I actually wish that more prog bands would take themselves a bit less serious and have the guts to produce some lighter or even humorous stuff... ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 23:10
Succinctly stated  !------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: January 22 2021 at 23:46
| From a prog perspective I think the title track is one of the most underrated things they have done. Dodo/lurker would be not too far behind it in that regard. I think just about any prog attempts they made after Steve Hackett left is underrated though (at least among prog fans). |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: January 24 2021 at 04:49
Keep It Dark is one of my favourite Genesis songs and so for that alone I'm prepared to cut this album some slack. Yes as mentioned its a bit of a mess and very uneven , perhaps an EP at 20 minutes would have been the best option. Not convinced that the extended version of Dodo/Lurker would have helped although it would have been nice to have it on the deluxe release. Overall one of those albums that is not as bad as it's reputation. Perhaps add Love Beach and The Big Generator to make a trio 
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: January 25 2021 at 01:19
As is my opinion of And then there were Three, as it was my first first Genesis album. For a long time, I didn't understand why so many seemed to dislike it. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: January 25 2021 at 01:23
 first thing I heard from genesis were songs from their self titled album from 1983. Although I still love the Home by the Sea suite, it was never a favorite album. Abacab flawless?! What about Whodunnit? That's a facepalm moment I could never ignore.
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Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: January 25 2021 at 01:32
Other than the title track, Keep it Dark is the gem of said album, totally agree! ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Earl of Mar
Date Posted: January 26 2021 at 15:43
| Sorry,I didnt like the album when I bought it on release and I have little love for it now. |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: January 26 2021 at 18:41
This!
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 26 2021 at 21:00
Even though I do enjoy their pop stuff very much indeed, not this album, which I found rather forgettable. There are some other songs from that era that I love, and as far as an album goes, for me it would be Invisible Touch. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 07 2021 at 02:39
| I was musing on this and thinking its probably the only real Genesis 'experimental album'. They were in a strange moment and knew they wanted to do something different but didn't know what. It's very much throwing out the old formula and replacing it with something more punchier and 'cleaner' sounding. It was not well received by anyone generally but by about 1983 they had enough money and they stopped really caring about musical innovation and bothering much what people thought I believe. |
Posted By: Deadwing
Date Posted: February 07 2021 at 04:17
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2 Stars for me. Best song of the album is Man On The Corner. Abacab is also good, but the live version of that song is a lot, lot better, the studio version feels a lot unfinished. Dodo/Lurker would have worked well if they kept Submarine as the third part of the album.The rest is pretty bad, except Me and Sarah Jones, but I hate any Genesis songs with that kind of horns, and the other tracks are way too average. A lot of the Outtakes from the album are really good, though.
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Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: February 08 2021 at 09:33
Agreed on the "experimental album" label. Certain songs on Abacab are the closest Genesis ever came to sounding like King Crimson (Discipline/Beat/Perfect Pair era), yet even then only just slightly.
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