Genesis - Abacab (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

The Last Blast

Jerry G. | shaker hts, oh United States | 03/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Genesis managed to record only one good album in the studio they built for themselves in 1981 and this is it - Abacab. The title means nothing and provides a hint as to the abstract nature of the music, which at the same time manages to pack an emotional punch and some great progressive jams. The title track is one of several stand outs, along with Dodo/Lurker, Me and Sarah Jane, Keep it Dark, No Reply at All (featuring the Earth, Wind and Fire horns), Man on the Corner and Another Record. That constitutes most of the songs on the album, the only exceptions being the ridiculous piece of filler Whodonnit (the band must have wanted a lighter moment) and Like it or Not, a rather tired ballad by Mike Rutherford. That's a pretty good score. What makes these songs good, you ask? Well, they are accessible without being too corny, which means that they combine a pop sensibility with the traditional Genesis spirit of experimentation. This makes for an interesting and engaging listening experience. Nothing like Foxtrot but still a world better than the shockingly atrocious self-titled album that followed in 1983. The Ababcab era was truly the last blast of creativity for Genesis. This is documented further on Three Sides Live and the second box set, which contain live versions from this album that are actually much better than the studio recordings, in addition to some fantastic outtakes. Come to think of it, you might just get turned off to the Ababcab era of Genesis by listening to the album first and the live tracks and outtakes second, so maybe you should start with them. All I know is Ace Frehley of Kiss spent some ungodly amount of money building a state of the art recording studio in his home which never once produced an album. It was literally filled in with concrete by the people who bought his house a few years later. At least Genesis managed to make one good one with theirs. But why you would want to pay double the price for a Japanese import is beyond me."

20th Anniversary

John Sposato | Syracuse, NY, USA | 05/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released by Virgin Japan/Toshiba-EMI. This was only the second one I ever heard in my life, after "Invisible Touch". This was the first to sell a million copies in the US alone. This came just months after "Face Value", making 1981 a breakthrough year for Phil Collins. I have the UK LP now."

Genesis revitalizes with clean new sound

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 10/13/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Genesis went through a transition on the "...and Then There Were Three" and "Duke" albums, writing shorter songs than in the past and picking up the intensity on the recordings (especially Phil Collins' vocals). On "Abacab", they completed the process. "Abacab" provided the sound that paved the way for Genesis' pop success in the 80s and early 90s. The band had not been satisfied with how tinny "Duke" sounded on the radio, and came up with a production style, including new ways to process the drum sounds, that resulted in a fantastic crisp, clear sound. Digital synthesizers were now available (great for buzzy sounds like those on "Abacab" and "Dodo"), and gave Tony Banks a lot better sound than the wimpy Polymoog used on "Duke". And the band also changed its way of playing -- rather than showing off their chops by playing as much as possible, they simplified the arrangements and left a lot of space in the recording, similar to the approach used by the Police. Mike Rutherford made the biggest sacrifice to the sound. On "Another Record", he only plays guitar on the intro, on "Man on the Corner" only on the closing, on "Who Dunnit?" and possibly "No Reply at All" not at all (his bass playing on the latter is amazing). There are none of the fiery leads he provided on "Duke", though he gets in a decent solo on the title track.

On songs such as "Abacab" and "Dodo/Lurker", the new approach resulted in songs that were among Genesis' best. "Abacab" has Rutherford and Banks trading simple licks to great effect, though the long instrumental ending hadn't yet been fully realized (the live version, with a lot more interplay between the musicians, was a highlight of the next three tours). "Lurker" couples a synthesizer theme with a lyric right out of "The Hobbit"'s game of riddles. But overall, the material on the album isn't as strong as on most of their albums. It's not BAD, it's just not up to the usual standard. Genesis recorded a lot of extra songs, and chose for the albums the ones that they felt people would least expect to hear from Genesis (for example, the dance beat and Earth Wind & Fire horns of "No Reply at All"). In doing so, they left off some songs that were better than many of the ones that made the album. Replace "Who Dunnit?" and "Another Record" with "Paperlate" and "You Might Recall" and this becomes a much stronger album. "Who Dunnit?" is a throwaway done as a goof, and it's perhaps the weakest cut Genesis ever put on an album. "Another Record" is memorable mostly for Collins' drum work. "Keep It Dark" matches a syncopated 6/4 guitar riff with a lyric about a missing man who tells his loved ones he'd been kidnapped because the utopian alien planet he was ACTUALLY brought to was too beautiful for life on Earth to compare to. "Me and Sarah Jane" is one of those catchy Banks pieces made up of several musical snippets thrown together, like "Burning Rope"; the lyric is...who knows? Something about a man and his imaginary girlfriend drowning together. Think of it as a practice run for the lyrics about incipient madness on "Domino". Each band member has one solo composition on the album, and the rest were co-written; after this album, all Genesis songs were always co-written by the band.(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)"

Abacababacabacabacabacabacabacabacabacabacab

Distant Voyageur | Io | 11/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Genesis returned less than a year after what many fans consider their last progressive rock album. Released in 1981, Abacab is considered the album where Genesis left behind it's progressive, storytelling rock past and embraced the pop arena. Many fans seem to detest this album as well as the ones following it and I completely object to their "Phil Collins ruined Genesis" ranting. In fact, Collins revitalized the band with some of the best of what pop music the 80s offered. I can easily say that Abacab was YEARS ahead of it's time, even ahead of Invisible Touchâ€™s time. The drums sound more like real drums as opposed to drum machines like those on 1983s self-titled album and 1986â€™s Invisible Touch. Whoever keeps saying that the first half is great and the second half is weak, needs to get his ears checked. ALL of the songs are strong, ALL of them. The title track is a 7 minute long, state of the art, song with awesome keyboards, incredible drumming, unforgettable guitars, and that unforgettable voice of Mr. Collins. The first half is more mainstream while the second half is slightly creepier, almost like two songs in one. No Reply At All was the main hit with a more danceable beat, and Phoenix horns from the Earth, Wind & Fire band. I just love those fast playing keyboards. I'm guessing the lyrics of someone trying to make up but the upset person completely ignores him. It's actually a great song and one of the highlights of this CD. Me And Sarah Jane is a midtempo rock ballad with yet more awesome beats. I just love the bizarre chord changes in the middle of the song. Keep It Dark is a darker, yet another catchy rock song with awesome 80s synthesizers and bell-sounding percussion. I love when Philâ€™s vocals echo during the last minute and a half of the song. Dodo/Lurker is a more turbulent track with a darker, heavier edge that foreshowed the coming of Domino from Invisible Touch. The second entitled Lurker is quirkier with piercing keyboards. Who Dunnit unfortunately gets too much criticism as itâ€™s actually a great song. In fact, itâ€™s my favorite track off Abacab. Itâ€™s a tale of someone denying doing something wrong and inserting some humor and very loud buzzing sonics and pounding beats. I would even go far enough to say that itâ€™s probably the most â€~violentâ€™ Genesis ever got. Crank up the stereo, stomp on the floor to the beats, when this one starts playing. Just be careful not to crack the windows. ïŠ After the explosive Who Dunnit, things mellow down with the socially conscious Man On The Corner which tells the tale of a homeless man. This track is a virtual twin of Collins solo epic â€œAnother Day In Paradiseâ€ and is in the vein of â€œIn Too Deepâ€ and â€œTaking It All Too Hardâ€. Like It Or Not is another midtempo power-ballad. The last track Another Record, is way ahead of itâ€™s time. Itâ€™s the last track on the album and features awesome keyboards that would become a trademark keyboard sound of Philâ€™s solo albums during the 80s. It starts off with intoxicating keyboards and ambient keyboards and distant guitar sways before piercing cymbals come in and then the song becomes a passionate, semi-danceable, track about the tale of one trying to move on after a tedious period in ones life. It also has what I guess is a harmonica too. This is another favorite of mines and it ends Abacab on a high note. I highly recommend this CD. Invisible Touch may be their most successful album they ever released and while itâ€™s a must-have, Abacab ranks above that album, the same thing with â€œGenesisâ€. Abacab doesnâ€™t even sound like early 80s New Wave. In fact, from my point of view, itâ€™s at least five years ahead of itâ€™s time and still sounds fresh more than 20 years after itâ€™s release. It may be difficult for me to say which CD is Genesisâ€™ best as they put out so much great music that itâ€™s almost impossible. I highly recommend buying this CD pronto. To those so-called Genesis fans who seemingly have nothing good to say about Phil Collins, I say â€œScrew them!â€ Buy It! ïŠ"

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	Genesis Abacab Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock Track Listings (9) - Disc #1 Abacab No Reply at All Me and Sarah Jane Keep It Dark Dodo/Lurker Who Dunnit? Man on the Corner - Genesis, Collins, Phil Like It or Not - Genesis, Rutherford, Mike Another Record Japanese Version featuring a LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing.
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