b o b

Do I lose my progsnob credentials for admitting that I like most of this album? As other G&S reviewers have pointed out, this is where Genesis really crossed over the line from prog into pop. "No Reply at All" and "Man on the Corner" are both straight pop songs, but in my opinion they're a couple of the band's better pop efforts. "Me and Sarah Jane", "Dodo/Lurker" and "Abacab" at least make a nod to the band's prog past (am I the only one who doesn't hate the throbbing jam at the end of the title track?) and are all good songs. On the other hand, the last two tracks on the album are completely forgettable and the mind-numbingly repetitive and abrasive "Who Dunnit" is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. And not in a good way. If it were only a minute long, it might be considered a slightly funny joke, but at over three minutes it definitely overstays its welcome. If they had dropped tracks six, eight and nine, they'd have had a pretty good pop-prog EP on their hands. As it is, this disc is probably a worthwhile investment for rabid Genesis fans who don't mind the band's poppier side, but prog purists will probably hate it. review by Bob Eichler — 10-19-00 —

s e a n

Genesis fans in the prog community seem to have a tendency to hyperbolize. Their prog albums are the greatest recordings ever committed to CD, vinyl, or wax cylinder. Their pop recordings are the worst of offences against decency. Truthfully, neither extreme is believable. Abacab is definitely a pop album, if an interesting one. The title track takes a typical song structure and then appends a lengthy jam that never resolves back to the main theme (although it does in a live setting). "Keep It Dark" is rather surreal and abstract, while "Who Dunnit?" is an odd, and probably retrospectively embarrassing, experiment with new wave. Much of the remainder is pop, varying between the straightforward "No Reply At All" punched with Earth, Wind and Fire horns, Tony Banks' "Me And Sarah Jane", which recalls Duke in its sophisticated and off-kilter take on pop structure, and the single-friendly and catchy "Man on the Corner" and "Like It Or Not". Other than "Who Dunnit?", the only other weak track in my view is the rather lame closer, "Another Record", seeknig empathy for the aging rock star (sorry, but who cares?). It's wry, but still pointless. Finally, there is "Dodo / Lurker", the only thing even vaguely resembling "prog" here, with its ominous and obnoxious digital fanfare propelling inexorably forward (er, not that this is Present or anything), imagistic lyrics, and general self-aware ugliness. I suspect most readers of Ground and Sky already own Abacab and are checking these reviews to see how they agree. Hopefully nobody's too put out that this album doesn't bother me. I think their pop writing got worse as the decade went on, but at this point they were doing fine with the short song format. review by Sean McFee — 2-21-05 —

j o e

Though Genesis' previous album Duke had struck an admirable balance between the band's emerging-pop and historically-prog influences, Abacab shows the pop side slowly but surely gaining the upper-hand. Time was indeed marching on, like the merciless tick-tock of the drum machine that was being increasingly included in the tracks. At this point classics recorded less than five years previously like "...In That Quiet Earth" already seemed like light-years away. Still, the band still manages to keep things somewhat interesting with "Me and Sarah Jane" (Genesis' very last hurrah, ever, in my book) and the delightfully strange "Dodo/Lurker." Some of the more successful pop numbers like "Keep It Dark" also provide some enjoyment. However, there is also much (putting it mildly) that could have been improved. The title track drags on curiously for way too long, and the dreadfully unfunny "Who Dunnit?" provides a good index of how overbearing Phil Collins would unfortunately grow in years to come, and how much the band would go on auto-pilot with their songwriting. review by Joe McGlinchey — 10-3-00 —

e r i c

I dusted this one off and took it to work with me to spend the day listening and reviewing. Conclusion: this was where they really turned on us with no looking back. Yes, there are some good tunes, and the pop tunes are enjoyable too, but this is where Genesis (for better or worse) took on a new identity. "Abacab" is a good song with some fun keyboard things going on, but the boring jam at the end kills me — is this the same band that played the instrumental section of "Cinema Show" with such intensity? "Dodo / Lurker" may be as close to old Genesis as you get here, with the synth solo and longer arrangement; probably my favorite track on the album. "Who Dunnit?" gets my vote as one of the worst songs Genesis ever recorded. "Man on the Corner" sounds like it belongs on Phil's solo album, but is still a decent tune. In conclusion, this is where Phil takes over, I think. There are a lot of things that carry over from his solo work; for instance, drum machines, much simpler arrangements. What is difficult is to listen to this and go back and listen to Wind and Wuthering and Foxtrot as an example. Although both of those records sound much different from each other, there is a quality and originality to the recordings. Abacab to me just lacks that fire and originality. Obviously, many would disagree, as this is the beginning of the band's major popularity. This is not an objectionable listen, just not a progressive one either. review by Eric Porter — undated —