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Genesis Abacab Release Date: 1981 09 14 Running Time: 47:04 Label: Charisma Duke showcased a new Genesis -- a sleek, hard, stylish trio that truly sounded like a different band from its first incarnation -- but Abacab was where this new incarnation of the band came into its own. Working once again with producer Hugh Padgham, the group escalated the innovations of Duke, increasing the pop hooks, working them seamlessly into the artiest rock here. And even if the brash, glorious pop of "No Reply at All" -- powered by the percolating horns of Earth, Wind & Fire, yet polished into a precise piece of nearly new wave pop by Padgham -- suggests otherwise, this is still art rock at its core, or at least album-oriented rock, as the band works serious syncopations and instrumental forays into a sound that's as bright, bold, and jagged as the modernist artwork on the cover. They dabble in other genres, lacing "Me and Sarah Jane" with a reggae beat, for instance, which often adds dimension to their sound, as when "Dodo" rides a hard funk beat and greasy organ synths yet doesn't become obvious; it turns inward, requiring active listening. Truly, only "No Reply at All," the rampaging title track (possibly their hardest-rocking song to date), and the sleek and spooky "Man on the Corner" (which hides a real melancholy heart underneath its glistening surface) are immediate and accessible -- although the Mockney jokes of "Who Dunnit?" could count, it's too much of a geeky novelty to be pop. The rest of Abacab is truly modern art rock, their last album that could bear that tag comfortably. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Tracks: Title Composer Time 1 Abacab Collins, Banks, Rutherford 7:02 2 No Reply at All Collins, Banks, Rutherford 4:41 3 Me and Sarah Jane Banks 6:00 4 Keep It Dark Collins, Banks, Rutherford 4:34 5 Dodo/Lurker Collins, Banks, Rutherford 7:30 6 Who Dunnit? Collins, Banks, Rutherford 3:22 7 Man on the Corner Collins 4:27 8 Like It or Not Rutherford 4:58 9 Another Record Collins, Banks, Rutherford 4:30 Releases: Year Type Label Charisma CD Atlantic CD Atlantic 1981 CD Atlantic 1994 CD Atlantic 1994 CD Atlantic 1994 CD Charisma 1999 CD Charisma 2001 CD EMI Europe Generic 1999 CD Import 1995 CD Virgin 2008 CD Virgin 2008 CD Virgin UK 1981 CS Atlantic 1990 CS Atlantic 1994 CS Atlantic 2004 LP Divine Recordings

Group Members: John Silver John Mayhew Ray Wilson Chris Stewart Anthony Phillips More >> Similar Artists: Giles, Giles & Fripp Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Powell Yes Marillion More >>

Influenced By: Pink Floyd The Beatles More >> Followers: It Bites Marillion Pendragon Kansas Isildur's Bane More >>

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