Genesis did not "stab their fans in the back" with Abacab. The "fans" who felt this way (like trickoftail and all the rude boo-ers from the Abacab tour) were never really Genesis fans in the first place. They were just progressive rock fans who liked Yes/ELP/Rush etc. and some of the longer epic pieces and concept albums that Genesis did.

Yes, Abacab doesn't sound like early Genesis or other early prog bands...so what? It's still a great album full of fresh, creative ideas. Progressive rock isn't the only good style of music on the planet. To say that this is on the same level as Backstreet Boys or N'Sync is just plain ignorant, just as it is to say that it sounds just like Phil Collins' solo material. The only songs that sound anything like Phil solo on this album are No Reply At All and Man On The Corner, the rest are definitely Genesis songs.

Bottom line: if you only like the prototypical "progressive" side of Genesis, like the 10-minute epics and the long keyboard/guitar solos and the classical-sounding arrangements and the concept albums, then you might not like this album. But if you like bands that aren't afraid to change their sound and experiment with new ideas (which is the REAL meaning of "progressive"), then give this one a chance.

I find it interesting to see other reviewers pointing out that "Abacab", originally released in September of 1981, was a huge departure for Genesis--it's an excellent point, because, indeed, this is the album that truly marks the beginning of the "pop"-era Genesis, as it's generally referred to. There's a certain timeless gloss & punchiness here that sets this album apart from all of the Genesis albums that came before it, and it 'sets the stage', so to speak, for their next couple of albums that followed. It's not exactly a coincidence either--David Hentschel who co-produced the previous two albums was gone, & this album was engineered by Hugh Padgham who had also engineered and assisted on Phil Collins' debut solo album from earlier the same year. "Abacab" was also the first album the group recorded at their own studio. Now, don't get the wrong idea--contrary to what certain people will try to make you believe, this is not an album of light & frothy 'sell-out' pop songs. The level of musical intelligence & sophistication is still astonishing, & track after track is intoxicatingly catchy. The 7+ minute title track starts the album off with a bang--it's got an arresting moody atmosphere, & it's simply loaded with savvy keyboard & guitar licks from Tony Banks & Mike Rutherford respectively, laid over Phil Collins' crisp drumming. Tony Banks' solo composition "Me And Sarah Jane" is a definitive example of his compositional brilliance--it flows seamlessly from section to section, working its way through different moods; it truly takes you on a journey. "Dodo" starts off with an exciting, dramatic blast before the irresitible synth riff kicks in, and it's followed by an arrestingly contemplative minor-keyed section before eventually working its way back to the opening section in thrilling fashion. All that said, this ain't a run of the mill "pop" album by any means! Yes, there are some strongly pop-rock-flavored tracks, but they're great in their own right like the highly melodic "No Reply At All" with its strangely hyperactive keyboards; Phil's haunting ballad "Man On the Corner"; & Mike's plodding, yet soulful & soaring ballad "Like It Or Not" with wonderfully passionate Phil vocals. "Keep It Dark" is ultra-crafty, both musically and lyrically, with an intoxicating chorus. And the album's most notorious track--the jokey, quasi-atonal & repetitive "Who Dunnit?"--is exhilirating silly. Quite simply, "Abacab" is one in a long string of masterpiece albums that Genesis put out. Like so many of their other albums, "Abacab" is a supremely rich listening experience from an astonishingly creative & consistent band.

(P.S. During the "Abacab" sessions, Genesis recorded one of their best songs ever--the beautiful, epic pop-rocker "You Might Recall"--but they left it off the album. Check it out on either the original US version of "Three Sides Live", or on the "Archive #2" box set.)

Good album. Some fairly pure Phil Collins material (not a bad thing); plenty of good solid Tony Banks. And the sound of this remaster is notably superior to the original CD release: better dynamics, better stereo separation. Better overall.

But wow, look at the vitriol that prog-rock fans will sling at any iconic band that changes its sound. Well, Abacab is where Genesis *started* for me -- that's right, with MTV -- and yes, I have sensed a quality decline in subsequent albums. (If you think Abacab is a pop sell-out, you haven't listened to Invisible Touch or, worse, We Can't Dance.) But! There's always been at least a little good stuff to keep me coming back. (In truth, I still love Invisible Touch, despite my best efforts to go with the anti-corporate flow and hate it.) I haven't yet gotten into Gabriel-era Genesis, but I'm looking forward to exploring it someday. Plenty to choose from! If you don't like their later music, don't buy the darned stuff. Peter Gabriel did move on with a solo career, in case you didn't notice.

"Who Dunnit" is one of my favorite tracks on Abacab. It's weird, but intentionally so. It's a playful riff: "Who Dunnit" always sounded to me like "Abacab" played sideways, if you can picture that.

How do you expect to be taken seriously when you can't even get your facts right?

Number one, The Lamb was not "all written by Pete." It was mostly a group-written effort. Even one of the lyrics (The Light Dies Down On Broadway) wasn't written by Pete, and Phil did contribute a lot to the album and even wrote the melody line to Lilywhite Lilith (which was originally used in a song called "The Light.") If you're such a "genuine" fan I'd think you would know this.

Also, Steve did not leave because he "saw the writing on the wall," he left because he wanted to have a solo career and write songs on his own. The band wasn't willing to perform his solo pieces because they wanted to write songs by committee. It had nothing to do with artistic differences. The fact that they changed their style afterward had nothing to do with Steve's departure, they just wanted to do that.

It is pure ignorance to say that something can't be both pop and progressive. If pop music has new ideas and pulls together various influences to come up with something original, then it's also progressive. Genesis was one of the best examples of a progressive pop band, the only one that might be a better example is the Beatles.

You keep saying that because this is a pop album, there's nothing new or fresh about it. If that's so, then name ONE song from before the time of this album that has similar ideas or structures as Whodunnit or Keep It Dark. Granted songs like No Reply At All and and Another Record draw from previous styles of music, but what they do with them is totally unique. And besides, early Genesis draws from a lot of styles that were around long before the time of "progressive rock" so you can't blame this album alone for doing that. This album has a lot more fresh ideas than albums by Asia or GTR, which were bands that mainly recycled and watered down a bunch of prog cliches from the 70s and added nothing new. I'm grateful that Genesis didn't go in THAT direction, as most people consider GTR to be far worse than anything Genesis put out in the 80s.

The reason I was comparing The Lamb to this album is because it has a lot of 60s R&B/Motown influence, especially in the melodies and bass playing. Most of their other 70s albums have a stricter, more "classical" sound, but The Lamb has a rockier, more soulful edge, like Duke and Abacab. Both Peter and Phil have stated that 60s soul/pop was one of their biggest influences, so its no surprise that it comes through on albums like these as well as their own solo projects.

Just because Abacab sold well doesn't mean they "sold out." "Selling out" means to compromise your principles solely for the purpose of making money. Genesis was still in the process of making Abacab when Face Value sales started increasing, so that couldn't have affected the direction they took. Granted, by the time of IT and WCD Genesis had turned into mainly a hit machine that got caught up in chart success but it hadn't happened yet on Abacab. I'm sorry that you felt stabbed in the back by this album but there are plenty of fans that had been following Genesis from the early days that still loved Abacab. Besides, you even gave ATTW3 and CAS good ratings so you must have some liking for post-Hackett Genesis. How would you like it if someone called YOU a poser for giving those albums good ratings? It wouldn't be any less reasonable than the accusations you've been making.

Ignore the Prog-Rock fans that hate this album. They are not true Genesis fans, but only like Genesis for their progressive rock albums. Nothing else. I don't see them commenting Peter Gabriel or Steve Hackett's solo work if that's any tipoff. Abacab is a fantastic album that deserved to go gold. The title track, No Reply At All, Dodo/Lurker, and yes even the infamous Whodunnit? are my favorite tracks on this album. This album proves that Genesis, still evolving, could change direction yet still show flashes of their old past I loved Selling England By The Pound, but I feel this album is worth 100 of SEBTP or any Peter Gabriel-Steve Hackett Genesis album. Oh yeah, to the prog-rockers, this album WILL NOT get banned because it sounds completely different because it sounds completely different from an album the band put out a few years before. It will get band for suggestive material, and to my knowledge that has never happened. You're just wasting your time. There's more productive things I can do besides listen to you moan and weep that this isn't a progressive rock album. I recommend this album to anybody who doesen't treat a certain music genre like a sacred religion and who treats fellow fans like they've lived in a garbage can all of their lives.