KEEP IT DARK

This is a 12" E.P. which has "Keep It Dark" on the side "A", while in the side "B" it has "Naminanu" (which was also released as the "B" side of the "Not Reply at All" single in the U.S.) and the full album version of "abacab".

"Keep It Dark" is a very Pop Rock/ New Wave song in musical style with good lyrics about a person who is kidnapped by an U.F.O. and is taken by the aliens to a world on which all the people is happy and lives in peace. He is later returned to the earth but was prevented by the aliens to not tell to anybody about this journey: to "keep it dark". The lyrics maybe sound a bit naive 32 years later, but for 1981 were good, I think. The song was not played on tour until 1983-84, and it was played before the song called "It`s Gonna Get Better", one song after the other, sounding both very well in this combination. For both songs in concert Mike Rutherford played a guitar synth for the bass sounds while Daryl Stuermer played guitar. The studio version of "Keep It Dark" has some very good percussion sounds which could not be played in concert in the same way but the song sounded well anyway.

The interesting thing here is the b-side "Naminanu," which has been in and out of print (it was most recently included on the 12-disc Genesis 1976-1982, released in 2007).

"Keep it Dark" is a mediocre song, in my opinion. It has a bit of a new-wave feel, which fits pretty well on Abacab, but unlike, say, "Man on the Corner" or "No Reply at All," it doesn't make as much sense as a standalone single.

I find "Naminanu" pretty interesting because it seems to be a work in progress. It seems like the syllables Phil Collins sings (literally no more than "na-min-anu....") are placeholders which were never filled with actual lyrics (which reminds me of "Sussudio"). A few of the sparser phrases sound like sections which would be embellished with a lead guitar or keyboard part in a finalized song.

So I'm going to have to rate this two stars, as I would recommend it for collectors or fans only.