Genesis

Abacab

Unlike anything they've done before or since

Review Score:

(8/10)
Abacab is an interesting entry into the Genesis catalog. Circa 1978 after the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett (whose 1999 release "Darktown" deserves a listen), Tony, Mike and Phil decide to try and write shorter songs in the wake of the punk explosion which has publications like NME proclaiming the Sex Pistols to be the end all and be all of what rock music should sound like. Genesis were infinitely more capable of shedding some musical excess than, say, ELP, whose 1978 attempt at short pop songs, "Love Beach," makes one want to jump off a nearby bridge.

Their first attempt at an album full of short pop songs was 1978's "...and then their were three..." (must not forget the dots and lowercase lettering), which for the most part was forgettable, save for the catchy hit single "Follow You Follow Me". On that album, Mike Rutherford proves he is no Steve Hackett, and thereafter, thank God, he didn't try to be. "Duke" from 1980 was much better - two fantastic pop songs in "Misunderstanding" and "Turn it on Again," and a return to prog in "Duke's Travels."

Then, you get to 1981's Abacab, which pretty much derrives nothing from the previous two albums, and damn near nothing from their past at all. If you want to divide the history of Genesis into groups of albums, this one really belongs in a class by itself. The next phase would start with their self titled album from '83, which again sounds nothing like this.

With Abacab, Genesis tried to shed every single conceivable cliche associated with their music. No long instrumental musical passages (except the synth solo at the end of the title track); breaking convention with backward guitar riffs (Keep it Dark), horns (No Reply at All), heavy pumping synth and chunky rhythem guitar (Abacab), odd vocals and acid-rock synth (Dodo) and nonsense (Who Dunnit?).

You can tell Phil really LIKES this material, which is not entirely apparent on certain tracks from Wind & Wuthering through Duke.

'Dodo' in particular isn't just unique-sounding for Genesis, I don't think I've ever heard anything else even remotely close to it in the history of rock. 'Acid-rock synth' is a genre than Tony Banks and co. might have explored more fully on subsequent efforts.

But even on their third 'pop' album, Genesis are still not entirely master pop-smiths. 'No Reply' and 'Man on the Corner' are great, but the last two tracks are forgettable. 'Another Record' is a passable attempt at some blues-based R&B, but is not a memorable track. One of the least memorable tracks in Genesis history would have to be Rutherford's 'Like it or Not.' It's not that it doesn't have a fairly good hook and strong melody, it's just boring. It could have come from any third rate hack band trying for a hit single in the early 80's. Hell, 'Who Dunnit?' may have taken a lot of flack from Genesis fans over the years, but at least it's something different, and leaves a more lasting impression than the two low-quality pop songs which end the album.

All in all however, Abacab marks the beginning of an exiciting new era for the band. For the most part, it's Genesis taking chances, trying new things, and most of it works.

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