Abacab

by

Genesis

Edit

I came a little late to Genesis so I heard the new material before I started to collect and listen to the old. There has been much debate about how Phil Collins sold the band out or made them more "populist". I don't buy that, its the sign of any good band that they continually evolve and discover new sounds. After all if they all just did the same album over and over it would be a bit dull. So I understand why they modernised the sound and left behind all that whimsy and frivolity. So did it work?

Well, that back catalogue is the biggest problem with this album. If you judge this against other releases of its time its no more than average. Some tracks are quite catchy but really it doesn't stand out. Then you look at the previous material, it had character and was distinctive. Not all was accessible but that magikal stuff worked, it was rich and quirky and the musicianship was first rate. It was always interesting.

This is not a good record. The title track stands out and merits the two stars. The rest, like its successor, is ordinary and only deserves attention because of the band's history. It is tempting to search for nuggets but most people only looked at this because it was a Genesis record. Sadly that modernisation took Genesis into blandland. Save the money and dip into the pre 1978 material- it has more depth and is far more rewarding.