Abacab (Remastered)

Beginning with "Abacab", Genesis fully took the task of producing themselves, with the aid of an engineer. After several successful albums with David Hentschel, Phil Collins brought in Hugh Padgham, who had produced Collins' "Face Value", Peter Gabriel's third solo effort, and The Police's "Ghost in The Machine". Padgham was also partially credited with creating the gated-reverb drum sound, which would become a trademark of Collins' solo albums, and would be featured on Genesis records throughout the '80s. The title-track kicks off with a loud, offensive POW! "No Reply At All" features Genesis' brief alliance with the horn section of Earth, Wind, & Fire. "Me and Sarah Jane" features several chord changes throughout, while "Keep It Dark" has a catchy garage rock guitar lick. "Dodo/Lurker" shows off Phil's talent of manipulating his voice. "Who Dunnit?" sounds just plain ridiculous when you first hear it, but it does tend to grow on you. "Man On The Corner" sounds very simple, but it proved to be a big hit for the band. Closing "Abacab" are two forgotten tracks, "Like It or Not" and "Another Record", both of which are worth a listen. While the new wave genre was now in full effect, Genesis proved with "Abacab" they would not go quietly into the night!

The hidden gem on this record is "Like it Or Not"

Abacab was a weird album for Genesis. They broke from their past and reinvented themselves for the 80’s. The overall sound is heavier. Phil Collins completely changed his singing voice and IMO not for the better. The results are inconsistent . The title track is quite good, though completely different than anything they had done before. No Reply At All is also quite enjoyable with a terrific bass line from Rutherford. The best of the rest is Keep It Dark and Phil’s Man On The Corner. On the downside, I have never liked Me and Sarah Jane. I think Who Dunnit? is the worst and most annoying song that Genesis ever did. And the last two songs are rather forgettable, even though I like the beginning of Another Record because it sounds a bit like Peter Gabriel. Overall, a brave and different album for Genesis but hardly one of their best and my least favorite Genesis album since their first one.

Genesis really puts it all together on this album. The “hits” weren’t true hits like later Genesis and solo Phil Collins material, but I’d put the way ahead of its time “Abacab”, solid “Misunderstanding”, and the haunting “Lonely Man on the Corner” up with anything else this great band and front man produced. I was alive and listening to music in 1981, but I was even surprised at this release date. I would’ve thought much later.

A real solid and confident album. Keep it Dark is a hidden gem. One of the best live fade and transitions they used to do was Keep it Dark melting into Its Gonna get Better from the Genesis album Mama tour. Abacab is a fun album to listen to.

This album, the follow-up to "Duke," takes Genesis in a much more poppy direction and expands the use of the gated drum effect that first appeared there That said, this is probably Genesis' most uneven album, with some very good songs mixed in with some head-scratching additions. The title track demonstrates early that this is not the same band as even five years previously. With the exception of "Dodo/Lurker," there is little lyrical complexity. Also, gone are the acoustic guitars, in favor of a much harder, electric sound. Keeping the album above water, along with the title track are "Keep it Dark," "Dodo/Lurker" (the prelude to "Submarine") and "Like it or Not." "Who Dunnit" is a complete throwaway that begins to grate after the first minute and "Another Record" might be the most boring song they ever recorded. The inclusion of the EWF horns on "No Reply at All," after showing up on "Face Value," also shows the hold Collins was beginning to have on the group at that point. After having been a Genesis fan for over five years, since the mid-seventies, this album was a huge let-down. The album that followed this, "Genesis" is much more even and sounds more integrated.

Looking back at all the music in the 1980s, Genesis always put out excellent albums that didn’t disappoint. If you are a Phil Collins or Genesis fan, this is a must buy