[A-B-A-C-A-B] -- Genesis has been in the news lately, primarily because they have a reunion tour in the works. But drummer/frontman Phil Collins' recent comments have also drawn attention: This tour is likely his swan song due to his ongoing health problems.
So, this might be a good time to revisit a record from when he was in his prime. And, in September 1981, 40 years ago this week, Genesis released their 11th studio album, Abacab. The title track took its name from how an early version of the song was structured (i.e., the order of sections assigned a letter of the alphabet). According to guitarist Mike Ruthorford, however, the final version was more like ACACACUCUBUBUGA than ABACAB (see Genesis In the Studio, YouTube, 2006).
Abacab marked a shift from Genesis' progressive roots into a more pop-oriented sound, but those roots are still somewhat evident. And it was a big success; it was the band's second #1 album on the UK Albums Chart as well as their first to peak in the top ten of the US Billboard 200. Of the four singles, "Abacab" and "No Reply At All" were the most successful. "Abacab" peaked at #26 while "No Reply At All" peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. "No Reply At All" also reached the #2 position on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart. Back in the day, my favorite track was probably the fourth single, "Man on the Corner," but these days I gravitate more to an unreleased track, "Dodo/Lurker." Though I still have quite a bit of love for "No Reply At All." Feel free to share your favorite Genesis track in the comments!
Flashback: Abacab (September 18, 1981)
That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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