Genesis

Abacab

Like it or not...they have a lot to say

Review Score:

(8/10)
I really do not know why so many of fans hate this album.Man, this is maybe not their best but if you listen to it closer it will blow your head off!!!
Still you can hear progressive taste in the songs here.
"ME AND SARAH JANE" could be their classic tune if it would be released around 1975-76 on,let's say,"A trick of a tail".
"DODO/LURKER","ABACAB","KEEP IT DARK" are surely ambitious and very interesting, compared to catchy pop tunes from middle eighties such as "Invisible touch" or "In too deep".
This album is showing how great Genesis is as a trio.
Tony is experimenting with a lot of various synthesisers, Phil Starts to use Drum machine more often and Mike Does not forget that he is a Great Bass Player at first(He is was playing 12-string in the seventies, after Steve Hackett left he started to play Electric Guitar).
The change of Genesis style was really drastic.After "And then there were three" and "Duke", which were still a prog-rock but with a small steps through a pop music gates.On "ABAcAB" these gates are open wide, which don't mean that Collins/Banks/Rutheford came through them leaving past behind.
What about Pop tunes? Still good!!! "NO REPLY AT ALL" is a very energetic song with some nice horn section and One of Mike's finest bass lines."MAN ON THE CORNER" is Quite simmiliar to Phil Solo ballads, but a bit creepier and more interesting.Fine (easy, but still very inteligent) lyrics and great melody.It features Phil's favourite trick : First he sings to a beat of synth drum machine, but later suddenly his real heavy drum set starts to play...Simple but amazing."LIKE IT OR NOT" reminds me of their earlier pop tunes after S.Hackett departure,Solid rock ballad.Sadly the ending of album, "ANOTHER RECORD" is quite dissapointing song-I thing if they would spend more time on it, it would sound better (Very fine Chorus is short and played only once, replaced with a dull verse section!!!).

That's all about "ABACAB".Genesis still sounds very fresh and their music is as original and vibrant as it was then.I recomend buying it with "Foxtrot" and make sure how evolving and interesting group they are....
Ps. I forget to mention "WHO DUNNIT?", Bands most strange and Chaotic song through they career.Reeeeaaaalllllyyyyyyyy creeeeepyyy thing......Interesting experiment, sadly their first and last.

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