Genesis were an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, in 1967. The band's longest-existing and most commercially successful line-up consisted of keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. In the 1970s, during which the band also included singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis were among the pioneers of progressive rock.
The group were formed by five Charterhouse pupils, including Banks, Rutherford, Gabriel and guitarist Anthony Phillips, and named by former Charterhouse pupil and pop impresario Jonathan King, who arranged for them to record several singles and their debut album From Genesis to Revelation in 1969. After splitting from King, the band began touring, signed with Charisma Records and became a progressive rock band on Trespass (1970). Phillips departed after the album's recording, with Banks, Rutherford and Gabriel recruiting Collins and Hackett before recording Nursery Cryme (1971). Their live shows began to feature Gabriel's theatrical costumes and performances. Foxtrot (1972) was their first charting album in the UK and Selling England by the Pound (1973) reached number three there, featuring their first UK hit "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)". The concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) was promoted with a transatlantic tour and an elaborate stage show, before Gabriel left the group.
Collins took over as lead singer, and as a four-piece the group released A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering (both 1976) with continued success. Hackett left Genesis in 1977, reducing the band to a three-piece of Banks, Rutherford and Collins. Their ninth studio album, ...And Then There Were Three... (1978), contained the band's first major hit "Follow You Follow Me". Their next five studio albums – Duke (1980), Abacab (1981), Genesis (1983), Invisible Touch (1986) and We Can't Dance (1991) – were also successful. Collins left Genesis in 1996, and Banks and Rutherford replaced him with singer Ray Wilson, who appeared on their final studio album Calling All Stations (1997). The critical and commercial failure of the album led the group to disband. Banks, Rutherford and Collins reunited for the Turn It On Again Tour in 2007 and again in 2021 for The Last Domino? Tour.
With between 100 million and 150 million albums sold worldwide, Genesis are one of the world's best-selling music artists. Their discography includes 15 studio and 6 live albums. They have won numerous awards (including a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video with "Land of Confusion") and have inspired a number of tribute bands recreating Genesis shows from various stages of the band's career. In 2010, Genesis were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
albums by Genesis
A = Verse
B = Chorus
C = Bridge
So the song went verse, chorus, verse, bridge, verse, chorus, but it ended up having a different structure - "ABACAB" was just a way for them to remember how it was formed when they started working on it.
When it came time to title the song and the album, they wanted something a bit abstract, and "Abacab" worked because it had no meaning. The album art was created to look like an abstract painting to go with this theme, which indicated that this would not be typical of Genesis' previous work. "It wasn't going to be goblins and fairies," Mike Rutherford said.
For me, it's not about the fact that PG left Genesis, but more the fact that they descended into a pop-y miasma of bland, obvious and boring music after he left. There is nothing special about this song - it is just simple straightforward 80s pop, and not even a particularly inspired version of that. There were one or two pleasant enough tracks on their post-PG albums, but for me it's mainly "move on, nothing to see here".
And I would say you're dead wrong about, "...they descended into a pop-y miasma of bland, obvious and boring music after he left..." because as I said below, A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, ...And Then There Were Three..., and Duke were not pop-y, bland, boring. They were decent prog albums, whether the myopic Gabriel sycophants like to admit it or not.
You or no one else gets to revise history here to their own liking - because those four albums sans-PG cannot be ignored in the prog catalogue. I think some people make the mistake of forgetting that Genesis didn't go pop until well after Peter and Steve left the band, which may have happened anyway had one or both stayed in Genesis, given Peter's similar prodigious solo pop output in the 70s, 80s, and beyond.
In other words, the trend was leading away from prog and more towards pop. Peter saw that writing on the wall as much as Genesis did, and he exploited it as much as Genesis did. He just didn't need to be in Genesis to do it.
And I would say you're dead wrong about, "...they descended into a pop-y miasma of bland, obvious and boring music after he left..." because as I said below, A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, ...And Then There Were Three..., and Duke were not pop-y, bland, boring. They were decent prog albums, whether the myopic Gabriel sycophants like to admit it or not.
You or no one else gets to revise history here to their own liking - because those four albums sans-PG cannot be ignored in the prog catalogue. I think some people make the mistake of forgetting that Genesis didn't go pop until well after Peter and Steve left the band, which may have happened anyway had one or both stayed in Genesis, given Peter's similar prodigious solo pop output in the 70s, 80s, and beyond.
In other words, the trend was leading away from prog and more towards pop. Peter saw that writing on the wall as much as Genesis did, and he exploited it as much as Genesis did. He just didn't need to be in Genesis to do it.
You're dead on. Gabriel went pop alright and it probably would've happened if he had not left Genesis. In an alternate universe, "Sledgehammer" is the first single off of a mid 80s Genesis album.
All I knew was that I loved this album and played the hell out of it.
STILL love it, though don't hear it much anymore.
Moral: All musicians have their innovative moments and should be honored for such.
But, mortgages and private school tuition must be paid.
PG and Genesis are legendary. Firth of Fifth, Carpet Crawlers and Home By the Sea are just skimming the surface. ABACAB was a a playful experiment that managed to become part of the genius of Genesis.
But that is the way of most musicians that don't die by drug deaths or airplanes.
I was teethed on great jazz, r&b and rock. This song derivative is still a good rock. As iz Shock da Monkey and Big Time from Peter Gabriel. They managed to make their mortgage while inspiring me to dance.
Nowhere near the sin of 'Maggie May' moving into "d'ya think I'm Sexy."
Saw Phil last week at genesis concert in Glasgow. A pale shadow of his fformer self in both voice and physically...being wheeleed on staage and performing form a chair...sad!
I saw them last month, yes it was hard to see at first , but then i told myself he had the courage to do it and he enjoys it, so i forgot about it and just enjoyed the show !
agreed! this cd and 3 sides live were constants for me for a long, long time.
Phil collins should have just stayed as a drummer
What could they do? Pete had bailed..
agreed! this cd and 3 sides live were constants for me for a long, long time.
OMG... 3 Sides Live! Love that album but haven't thought about it in a while. I'm pulling that one out tonight.
Int The Cage we go... Turn It On again!