Genesis in the 80's

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I was going to do Yes in the 80's but since I'm going to see Genesis in a couple of days I thought I would do this one first.
The 80's music of Genesis is very controversial among most prog fans primarily because it's their most commercial period and when they transitioned from more or less pure prog(how prog And there were three is is debatable though) to a more pop sound. 

I actually like much of the music from this era. I just feel that I have to turn off my prog expectations and appreciate it for what it is and that for me is very good pop-rock. I used to refer to it as pop until someone pointed out that it's more pop-rock. Some of it is still pop and not so much rock to me but I won't get caught up on particulars here. The point is the music became much more pop oriented. 

I think the main catalyst for this more pop oriented direction(at least in my opinion) was a song from the tail end of the previous decade called "follow you follow me." I believe it was their biggest hit up to that point in time(at least in the US). "I know what I like (in your wardrobe) was a minor hit in the UK(# 21) when it first came out but didn't dent the US charts(The album it's from made it to number 70 in the US though which while not great could still be a lot worse). Before "follow you follow me" Genesis apparently had a mostly male following. Most of these fans were probably fans of prog rock in general and so they probably became very critical of the band when Steve Hackett left(a similiar thing happened when Yes recorded 90125 but that's a whole other matter). 

Genesis started the 80's with Duke which made it to number 11 in the US charts. This album sort of sees a split down the middle between prog tracks (Behind the Lines, Duchess, Cul De Sac, Dukes Travels/Dukes End) and the more pop oriented songs on the album(Alone tonight, Please Don't Ask, Turn It On Again(it's in an unusual time signature but it's still very much a pop tune), and misunderstanding. Most of the others are somewhere in the middle but probably closer to pop than prog. While "man of our times" isn't really either one it does have an interesting drumming pattern to it that would probably disqualify it from being pure pop. So overall a very good album that apparently saw the band trying to throw a bone to their old fans while also trying to find a newer audience and a much larger one at that. It worked and that album was their biggest when it came out up to that point in time.

Next up we have Abacab which some people humorously refer to as "grab a cab" or maybe even "abacrap." This one follows in much the same style as Duke with pop tracks mixed in with pop. However, many people seem to think it is even a further step in the pop direction. I'm not sure I agree but if it is then it's only slightly more poppish imo. This album still had two songs that were very much prog (the title track and Dodo/lurker). The rest are either more or less pure pop(another record, like it or not, no reply at all) or somewhere in between(keep it dark). "Me and Sarah Jane" is mostly poppish but it's not as overtly pop as some of the tracks on here.

Next up we have the self titled (or "shapes") album from 1983. This one is a much more obvious transition to mostly full blown pop in my opinion although like the two before it has plenty of quirky pop songs(mama, illegal alien and just a job to do come to mind). It does however feature the two part Home By the Sea and Second Home By the Sea which is the most proggish track on the album. For a long time this was my favorite Genesis song (that changed when I heard Supper's Ready). The last song on this album(silver rainbow)is maybe my second favorite and probably the albums most underrated track. 

Finally, we have the Invisible Touch album. This was the band's biggest selling album(six times platinum in the US). In my opinion this is a slight return to a more prog sound but done in a very modern way with pop sensibilities. This album also seems to be throwing a bone to both the prog and pop fans though. If there was ever a prog pop anthem for the eighties it may very well be "tonight, tonight, tonight." A few of these songs were top 40 hits and a few were played a lot on rock radio and mtv(especially "land of confusion"). The most prog sounding track on the album was probably the two part "Domino." While those expecting "firth of fifth" or "the musical box" might be disappointed this was very much prog by 80's Genesis standards. The final track on the album which was the instrumental called "the Brazilian" was also very prog rockish. Another mixed of an album but for me it's maybe the second best combination of prog and pop the band ever did(behind Duke). 

While I still prefer 70's Genesis above anything else, I nonetheless have a soft spot for Genesis in the eighties no doubt because that's when I first discovered Genesis and prog in general. For those going to see Genesis for this current tour in 2021 you will very likely enjoy yourself and have fun as long as you don't expect a full on prog extravaganza. 

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 01 2021 at 20:55

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