Genesis

Abacab

Great Job Amazon!

Review Score:

(10/10)
To whoever keeps accusing Genesis of being uncreative because they used "machines" on this album: Drum machines and digital synthesizers are just as much real instruments as pianos and guitars are. Contrary to what some believe, it does not necessarily show a lack of talent to use instruments like these. Granted, a lot of pop singers will simply select a preset drum machine pattern and a digital loop sample and sing over that, but that's not what Genesis did on Abacab. Phil Collins came up with some very inventive rhythms on the drum machine (check out In The Air Tonight, Man On The Corner, etc.) and used them mainly for atmosphere. He didn't use them in place of real drums, because he always added real drums on top of the machine and played against it. This is very different than what most pop acts do.

Likewise, Tony Banks took advantage of the new set of sounds that became available with digital synths in the 1980s. He selected sounds that were appropriate in context and played them as such. This does not show a lack of talent at all, he's still carefully choosing the right sound and playing an appropriate part, just like he always did. I can understand why someone might prefer the analog sounds of the 1970s, but that still has nothing to do with talent.

Also, in reply to the "no Peter no Steve no Genesis" argument: Peter and Steve were certainly important members of Genesis, but the backbone of the band has always been Tony and Mike. Most of the music and a good deal of the sound has usually come from them. Peter was mainly a lyricist and a showman, and Steve is an excellent guitarist but he didn't contribute much to the band in terms of writing. So I think as long as you've got Tony and Mike, you've got Genesis.

Anyway, back to Abacab...it's not one of Genesis' best albums but it's certainly not the worst either. It doesn't have the epic grandeur of Selling England and The Lamb, but it still has some unique and clever songwriting, and doesn't sound stale like some of the later PC-era albums or Calling All Stations does. So three stars seems about right.

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