GENESIS

Review Nº 682

"Abacab" is the eleventh studio album of Genesis and it was released in 1981. Curiously and strangely, the album was released with four different embossed art covers simultaneously across the country and all depicting the same collage but with the paper shapes in different colours. The four different covers variants are usually identified by the colour of the largest upper shape adjacent to the title lettering. This shape was being coloured navy blue, red, peach and yellow.

"Duke" showcased a new Genesis, a sleek, hard, stylish trio that truly sounded like a different band from their first incarnation. But, "Abacab" was where this new incarnation of the band came into its own. "Abacab" continues the band's sharp stylistic shift, that begun on the preceding studio album "Duke", towards to a more radio friendly pop music sound. Genesis escalated the innovations of "Duke", increasing the pop hooks, working them seamlessly into the artiest rock here. The sound on the album is as bright, bold, and jagged as the modernist artwork on the art cover.

"Abacab" has nine tracks. All songs were written by Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, except "Me And Sarah Jane" written by Tony Banks, "Man On The Corner" written by Phil Collins and "Like It Or Not" written by Mike Rutherford. The first track is the title song "Abacab". It was the second single taken from the album. The title was taken from the structure of an early version of the song, which no longer followed that format. I like very much of this song and I sincerely think we are in presence of one of the best songs on this album. This is a song with a very simple structure but that progress in a modern sound. The second track "No Reply At All" was the song released as the first single from "Abacab". This song marks clearly a step toward the mainstream pop direction that Genesis was taking at the time, and shows perfectly well the main influence of Phil Collins in the song writing of the group. It's a nice and typical pop song in the same vein of Collins' solo studio albums. See the inclusion of horns on it. The third track "Me And Sarah Jane" is clearly one of the two best songs on the album and is also the only song with slight reminiscences from Gabriel's musical era. This is a perfect example that proves the band never cut completely with their progressive roots, and why I always considered Tony Banks with Steve Hackett my Genesis favourite band's members. The fourth track "Keep It Dark" was another song to be taken from the album to be released as a single. It's a little rock song with an unusual musical structure and a different rhythm. It's lead by a distinct and syncopated rhythm guitar sound and by the voice of Phil Collins that sings in falsetto for certain lines of the song. This is a nice and pleasant song to hear. The fifth track "Dodo/Lurker" is the other highlight of the album, with "Me And Sarah Jane". It follows the same steps of "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's Ends" of their previous studio album "Duke". This is clearly a song with many good progressive parts. The beginning of the song reminds me very much their eighth studio album "Wind And Wuthering". The sixth track "Who Dunnit?" is the biggest and true deception of this album. I have some difficulty to express really my true feelings about it. This is, without any doubt, one of the worst things I've ever heard from any one. The lyrics are completely stupid and the music is repetitively annoying, which made of this song a complete aberration. The seventh track "Man On The Corner" is another song of the album released as a single. This is a song with a very simple musical structure, commanded by a simple drum machine and by the voice of Phil Collins. This is another nice and typical Phil Collins' song, very similar to many other songs made by him. The eighth track "Like It Or Not" sounds to some old songs made by Mike Rutherford in Steve Hackett's musical era. It's a very simple song without great progressivity and made more in the Phil Collins' style. However, we are in presence, in my humble opinion, of one good track with a very good melody and it's nice to hear. The ninth and last track "Another Record" was the song chosen to be released as the B side of their second single "Abacab". It's another pop song with nice rhythm and melody, and nice to hear. This is another song clearly influenced by Phil Collins' pop style. Anyway, this song represents a nice way to finish this album.

Conclusion: "Abacab" represents definitely the last step to turn Genesis into a pop/rock band. It confirms the path started by them with their previous studio album "Duke". I don't say "And Then There Were Three?", because who read my reviews know that I consider it a truly progressive album, not as good, but in the same vein of "A Trick Of The Tail" and "Wind And Wuthering". "Abacab" isn't really a bad album. We may even say that it's a good album. In reality, it has even three very good songs, "Abacab" and especially "Me And Sarah Jane" and "Dodo/Lurker". The rest of the album is good, but we can say that it's also very vulgar for a progressive album, with the exception of "Who Dunnit?", which is absolutely awful. I had already referred to this track, previously, when I reviewed some time ago, "The Game" of Queen. Then, I wrote that "Don't Try Suicide" from that album is, for me, one of the worst songs made by Queen and that it reminds me immediately "Who Dunnit?". However, "Who Dunnit?" is even worse than "Don't Try Suicide", really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

#56 Review

I will start by saying that this album was a hit, it managed to get even 4 platinum in some countries, so from money Genesis perspective, this was a good release, meanwhile i can't imagine me or most of us even daring to buy this thing, unless you have nothing else to buy.

I encourage you to read the titles at the top of this page, in its album description, i will only focus and point out the ones that are different in length and structure to the original album releases:

- Mama (Single Edit): It starts sooner, a lot sooner, the wait for the keyboard is shorter and what the keyboard plays before the singing is also cut a bit (no repetition), the instrumental intermission is also cut short, and it fades out earlier at the guitar solo, making the original 7 minute track into a 5:20 one.

- Abacab (Single Edit): Based on the video version, its a terrible conversion, this doesn't say much, but i have literally done better mixes than this one. This one cuts right before the instrumental at 3:30 and re-starts part of the introduction, making this almost 7 minute track a 4 minute one.

- No Son of Mine (Hits Edit): This one cuts a bit of the introduction... i really don't like this song much, so i don't know what really got cut in here to make this track a minute short, its probably just the introduction and ending getting a bit cut, i'm glad because i really don't like how the track ends.

- Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Single Edit): This is probably the worst offender, the edit cut is worse than Abacab, it reduces the track to literally half its length, skipping the instrumental section entirely, this is also based on the video version. The cut is extremelly jarring and cheap in comparison to all the others, because its just a fade-in, even the Michelob ad did it better, i can't believe this is a real release, i have literally done better edits than this.

- Congo (Hits Edit): Doesn't say that its an edit (on YT), and despite this song already having a single version, this one is slightly different as it includes the introduction, but still not the solo, what an odd choice really, they could've just added the single version.

- Carpet Crawlers 1999: A new rendition of the classic Genesis song done in studio, with some approval from the band, apparently not Mike nor Tony played anything in this version, yet Phil, Steve and Peter did give new lines, but i can't confirm. Compositions will always be beautyful, no matter the form, but in this case, i'm not a fan, most of the things i like from the original are missing (like the keyboards) and the new sections added don't work for me. The only reason i don't hate this track its because of were it comes, rather than whatever this new version is trying to accomplish.

Even though this album has some changes, they aren't interesting enough to warrant a listen, the edits are mostly bad and unnecessary, and the final track, was released as a single that i already reviewed, and again, it doesn't warrant someone buying this collection, but its a welcome adition. Overall, this official release was apparently pretty popular, and at the time, i can see why but also i can't, during that time it was easy to find bootleg compilations that probably would've featured the same tracks and in complete form, and nowadays its even worse, because of the easy to access music on the internet, having the package could be interesting, but in my case, i feel better by getting the albums separately and the single as well, the only saving grace of this compilation would be the "Hits Edits", but those are a few, are bad and/or not interesting, so this compilation is a no from me, only for hardcore fans that even want the trash edits that Genesis did in a few minutes... i seriously can't stress enough how worse than amateur the edit is in Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, they should've atleast fixed that one for this release.

#55 Review

It so happens that the version of the single that's available on the official Genesis YT page (atleast for my region) is the US single, and the one featured here is the UK single, there is a big chance that the previous review also had this difference. This US single is vastly superior to the UK one, because of its B-side.

- Follow You Follow Me (Single version): Its obvious that this is the single version, but its important to point out that there is a difference from the album version, because this one has a different mixing, the bass is brought more to the front and the keyboards mark the chords more than the studio version. I personally think that this is great, a big incentive to get this version more than the others, and its available in the official YT channel of all places.

- Inside and Out: Ok, this was on the EP released before this single, but the EP wasn't released outside of the UK, so this was the only way the US got to hear this excellent track (without bootlegs or imports) so i'm glad they did this, wether a decision from the band or not, its just the fact that this track had to be listened more, the band really liked this track and overall, this and the new mix of Follow You Follow Me made this release a must for a Genesis fan at the time.

Nowadays, in the digital age, this release doesn't seem that special, if you only listen to the official releases by the band though, that meaning, Spotify or Genesis official YT channel, this release has something that you won't find in any other album, and that's the different mix. This single is the reason i came back to review singles, i wish the others were more unique, i think that if you are a Genesis fan, this is special, if you like Inside and Out only, but not the rest of the EP, this is also special (unless you hate Follow You Follow Me, wich is something hard to do, specially with that solo), the american B-side is a must, and the new mix is also a must, so there you go.

Next up, i will continue with compilations, those also have some weird things.

Returning to my role of reviewer I chose an odd and rare item but relatively easy for me to develop. I met with this album at the beginning of the '90s as a part of the CD collection of a female friend of mine. She liked Genesis as she liked many other bands of this moment and surely she bought this album as 'something else' and no more than this. For a died hard fan like me with almost 10 years of Genesis on my back at this time, at a first glance it resulted a sort of pastiche but soon I realized about the presence of two 'jewels' I could say. Clearly I can divide the review in two parts:

Part1: The irrelevant Not because of the songs, most of them I loved for years and even love them, but put here in a weird 'mescolanza' of tracks from Shapes, Abacab and Three sides live. In a random order, without any criteria, mixing live with studio, there is nothing special to say. Just that Mama is a bit shortened and Home by the sea is criminally cut with a bad quality fade out.

Part2: The relevant Beyond the judgement one can do about this songs and versions, clearly they conform a hook for the fans, and in the light of time, it is not a minor issue.

Turn it on again: I met with this version long time ago when I bought in a record shop a cassette of the EP Spot the pigeon. Strangely the cover of this cassette was the picture of the Ilegal aliens with the spanish sign 'Oficina de pasaportes' in the back. There you had those three songs, Pigeons, Match of the day and Inside and out, but this long version of Turn it on again with the medley, recorded from a Philadelphia show on Mama Tour. Now I saw it as a part of an other but new and massive official release. This version has its own details as a beginning nuanced with some keyboards motives and with Collins singing in a closer way to the original track than what he did in Three sides live (even when this version is the best ever to me). In addition the 'turn it on again' last phrase finishes with a sort of echo and not with the rocker shouting mode of TSL. The sound is high level.

Firth of fifth: The true reason for have this album. The relevant here is that this is the last version of this masterpiece in complete form played live and officially recorded. I met with this version before, when another female friend of mine show me and LP she was bought, the maxi of That's All. I remember a sort of beige cover. This version of Fifth of fifth has three relevant aspects. 1- The only complete official recording of the song with Daryl Stuermer on guitar, and I love his solos on Firth of fifth, with a heavier and rougher approach than Hackett, not better nor worst, just different. As a virtual friend of mine said once 'as Tony asked Hackett to play his music with the guitar, then he did the same with Daryl, giving him freedom to develop it'. 2- Tony Banks here use different equipment than in the previous versions, wath gives to the song another colours and sounds. 3- Collins was in the peak of his voice and he was giving to Genesis a heavier approach with sounded absolutely amazing. Old pieces like The lamb lies down on broadway, In the cage, Suppers Ready (Encore tour) and now Firth of fifth reveal this fact. The sound is top notch.

Being an odd compilation in which I can rate the first part of the list just for completionists, so one star, but the last two song (and specially the last one) with five stars, I guess that three stars for the pack is fair.

#54 Review

One of the two releases that differ between what it says here and in YouTube, while the information here says that the B-side is "Taking It All Too Hard", the one i have here has "Second Home By The Sea" instead.

1.- That's All: A pretty good pop track, really fun to play and sing, has some cool solo sections near the end and overall a great simple time. This version is the same as the album version.

2.- Second Home by the Sea: Would've been nice if it started without the sounds of the first section of Home by the Sea, this is exactly as it is on the album version of the digital album on YT, so its not that special. Still, its a weird choice to have this on its own, because this instrumental ends with vocals that just don't make sense on its own without the first section. Its cool that they added this music piece to accompany the pop single though.

With the release listed here and the one i listened to, i don't think this release is very special nowadays, it doesn't add anything to what the album already offers, even the cover looks bad, this is again another 2 star from me, but my next review will feature something interesting that i think everyone should hear because even i had no idea something like that existed, also the reason why i expect more from singles and B-sides.

#53 Review

This one does have many versions, and the one available in YT is the first one named here (the 7" single), this is the last one of the three (technically 4) singles on YT that fit with the descriptions on this page, my next 2 reviews will feature the ones that are different in the singles that they are supposedly to be, its weird.

1.- I Can't Dance: You know the deal here, everyone knows it, this and Invisible Touch are the most well known tracks, yet this has to be the simpler of the 2, it was the intention to keep it simple, it came from a simple idea and then added what was needed to complete a full song, you can't get more pop than that and it worked, i would say the extra touch is the dance step or rather, the no dance step, somehow still very in character with the band, more so what they are trying to say than the music made here.

2.- On The Shoreline: This is a good B-side, not a great one, not the best thing Genesis could've done, not the best thing for We Can't Dance, but certainly better than half that album, from that point of view, its a tragedy that they left this song out of the album. Its very interesting because years later, they are still discussing this, Mike was neutral, Tony wanted this on the album and Phil didn't. Ultimately, since they left one of Phil's songs out, they left this one out as well, that's what i can get from interviews really. Tony Banks has been critical of the inclussion of "Since I Lost You" and i agree, and also agree with him that "Hearts on Fire" is a terrible song and that this one "On The Shoreline" should've been on the album, and would've made the album better than what it finally released.

Ultimately, On The Shoreline is Good, and I Can't Dance is poor, from a collection stand point, i still believe this is worth it enough, it has a dedicated cover and different versions. I just can't see me giving this 3 stars unless it was "On The Shoreline" alone, even though this is essentially it, i just can't.

Freed from the rock and pop parameters of the 60's that pigeonholed them in the debut "From Genesis to Revelation", Genesis, still without the lineup that composed their most representative works, gives free rein to the effervescent ideas that flowed in their still very young members, and they shape them in the stupendous "Trespass", the second album of the British band.

Peter Gabriel, in a decidedly leading role, guides the band with his unmistakable vocal timbre and histrionics to narrate stories and fables, as in the heartbroken "Looking for Someone" or in the sordid and epic wolf fight "White Mountain", and endows them with a unique dramatism, which is underpinned by musical structures built on the elegant arpeggios and guitar textures of Anthony Phillips and the excellence of Tony Banks on Hammond and Mellotron, as in the powerful and excellent "Stagnation", the dystopian story of the sole survivor on earth and the challenges of loneliness that comes with it.

But the best of "Trespass" comes towards the end, Genesis combines the bucolic and reflective atmospheres of the previous tracks, with sweeping and unexpected riffs from Phillips' unleashed electric guitar, with the whole band in sync, united to develop a remarkable instrumental wall in the extended and sharp "The Knife", a demonstration of their ability to navigate both calm waters and electrified storms.

Upon completion of the album's recording, Phillips, overcome by the demands of being part of Genesis and stage fright, leaves the band on good terms, and drummer John Mayhew is fired.

"Trespass" is not only an excellent work of the British, but it would become the first step of all the good things to come.

4 stars

#52 Review Continuing with the YT available singles that are the same in there as described in here, its the turn of this single's 7" version, i have literally found nothing about the 12" version (or a 7 minute version of I'd Rather Be You) so i don't know what that's about.

1.- In Too Deep: Exactly the same as the album version, the closest you will get to a naked piano sound in this album, and what a weird track though, behind its ballad mask there are some pretty interesting decisions made by Tony Banks. The track has a nice progression into different sections, they don't feel extreme at first hear, but in more listens you will notice that the changes are there and constantly. I would rather listen to this one everyday than Throwing It All Away, but that's my opinion, that track is pretty too, is just that this one has the weird edge that wins for me.

2.- I'd Rather Be You: A fun B-side that sounds like a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive sonic song, maybe because the sound chip that the Sega Genesis uses is the exact same that many popular keyboards used in 80s, i haven't done my research but there's a chance that the keyboard used in the song has the same chip. Overall, its very repetitive, very pop, with just one cool change really, the bass is very classic 60s pop though, similar to a Phil Collins cover song called "You Can't Hurry Love", but with a Genesis twist, so its more layered and with the change already described. Of all repetitive pop b-side songs that Genesis did, this one is the least annoying and it doesn't overstay its welcome, it lasts as much as it needs.

Back then this was probably the only way to listen to this B-side officially, then it was the turn of the compilations, almost 14 years later, but now its online, so this is really just a collectors item, there is not much especial about this release, and also, i just read that in the UK this single came up with Do The Neurotic, wich is a fantastic track, but regardless, only collectors would want this nowadays, and even i don't care much because both songs are on Archive 2 that i own.

#51 Review

After a year and almost 2 months i'm back, no one cares. Anyways, decided to look up the singles uploaded on the official Genesis YT channel, i don't own any of these or the ones i have already reviewed so i can't comment on the physical stuff, but i can write about its 2 contents:

1.- Invisible Touch: Its an ok pop single, hard to believe the hate when this one is still a pretty weird piece that has just that instant edge over other 80s pop tracks, but its still pop, don't get me wrong. This version is a bit shorter but overall the same as the album one, and that continues for the next piece.

2.- The Last Domino: A section from this track inspired the creation of the previous one featured on this 7" vinyl, particularly Mike's riff before "Now you never did see..." starts. Anyways, i have listened to Domino so much lately, that i have been liking the first section more because of its "Keep It Dark" hypnotic qualities (the rythms overlap), but this one is also pretty complex, is just that it repeats sections to reach the end, wich is ok, but the entire track changes so much, and has many "keep moving" qualities that its hard to accept a complete reprise near the end.

Overall, i like this package, but its not really that special, even less special now on the digital age. This won't be the last single i review, i'm a bit tired of long reviews, yet Youtube features different singles than the ones listed here on progarchives, so stay tuned for that if you care, or just search for it, doesn't matter, singles are fine for collecting, but sometimes they have something extra, and those are more essential, but this one is just for completionists and fans.

'Three Sides Live' is a concert film featuring Genesis that was released after their live album of the same title. This DVD doesn't use all of the material that was included on the live album as it only contains footage from Genesis' 1981 Abacab Tour, as well as interviews, tour bus and backstage footage. If you want to read more about my thoughts on the live performances themselves, read my review of 'Three Sides Live,' the live album. In this review, I will mainly talk about the visuals and how it affects the music.

I like how there is a video of Mike Rutherford saying something along the lines of, "You're jamming and all of a sudden, there's a spark," which then explodes into "Duchess," which is one of my favorite Genesis songs. The lighting during "Dodo / Lurker" complements the dark music well. A radio show with Phil Collins leads into "Abacab." The video for this song showcases Mike Rutherford's guitar playing. After the song ends, the video transitions back to Collins at the radio show and he answers questions from fans calling in. He doesn't appear to be particularly enthusiastic to be there, which is understandable; touring is a grueling endeavor. No Reply at All isn't the same without the Earth, Wind and Fire horn section, though Daryl Stuermer does a good job of playing the horn parts on his guitar.

Then, there is a radio interview with Phil Collins, and the interviewer asks some really odd questions. I have a feeling she didn't know the music of Genesis well. This then leads into a live performance of "Who Dunnit?" which wasn't featured on the live album, and I understand why. Watching this song is like experiencing a fever dream, but it's actually quite funny. Phil Collins is wearing what looks like a scuba mask and sings into a microphone that is bent sideways. Mike Rutherford is playing on Collins' drum kit with Chester Thompson playing on his. You can't make this stuff up. I know many Genesis fans who claim that "Who Dunnit?" is the worst Genesis song, but I strongly disagree. It's very entertaining. The video for the "In the Cage" medley demonstrates visually the exceptional musicianship of each of the five members. The medley ends with the instrumental passage from "The Colony of Slippermen," which bleeds into "Afterglow." This is my favorite moment of the DVD. All the viewer can see is the silhouettes of the band members as they are consumed by dry ice, which makes the song even more majestic when seen in a live context. There is then an interview where the band essentially talk about how they have changed musically since 'Duke.' "Turn It On Again" is a fun song to end the DVD.

In conclusion, 'Three Sides Live' is a good, but non-essential DVD from Genesis. Musically, the DVD features mostly material from 'Duke' and 'Abacab.' If you like the early eighties period of the band, you will love this DVD. I wish that all of the interviews were used as extras rather than interspersed throughout the concert. I also was a bit disappointed by the song selection, but then again, I'm not the biggest 'Abacab' fan. 6/10