Friday, July 21, 2017

ABACAB.....Vinyl to Live Shows Makes All The Difference.

I love ABACAB as a stellar example of the 3 piece era. It is a transitional piece from that represents for me a significant shift in the band. The entire album is a great album. (I know some hate whodunnit) 
Overall, I think some people struggle with the shorter songs. The simplicity of songs like Lonely Man on the Corner. Genesis would start songs differently sometimes only choosing to have intros with vocals and synthesizers. Yet there is magic in the air. Sometimes simple is better. Lonely Man on the Corner is just as powerful in my opinion as many Genesis live songs from the 70s. It gave me chills the first time I heard it. 

Critics have charged that some songs are pop. They also say the complexity of the group is gone. However I beg to differ. For those who attended the live shows in the 80s, they played their songs with passion and the complexity was still there. In fact, songs like ABACAB were extended in live versions and the 5 piece band would enhance the songs from vinyl. The records were a tapestry for new imaginative music. You can't reinvent Supper's Ready over and over again. So many bands like Yes would make that mistake. Instead, Phil, Mike and Tony would challenge themselves to reinvent the music, and enhance it live. This gave us so many new songs and for me, they are just as good as the prog era. T

Live versions of the vinyl counterparts would take a life of their own. The songs  were extended versions masterfully played by the group. Each member would perform the song with their own fresh take. For example, Phil and Chester greatly increased the persussions of their vinyl counterparts, Mike and Daryl extended the solos for bass and guitar and added fun snappy riffs. Tony provide the foundation. It all came together. This was the magic of the 3 piece era.
The prog critics fail to enjoy the enhanced versions of the songs from the 80s. To dismiss Home by the Sea, Domino, Behind the Lines, Dodo and Mama just to name a few is to make a huge mistake in my opinion. The changes in the band provide us with such a wonderful discography. And the live versions are treasures for many to discover that is the magic of Genesis. 

(1984 version of ABACAB....my favorite) 

2 comments:

  1. Abacab was my introduction to Genesis and my gateway to progressive rock. I still love the album all these years later. I rate it as my fourth favorite Genesis album.

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  2. While the live versions tended to be indeed more elaborate than the studio versions the album is judged by the original studio recordings; I`m not a fan of this album and, in my opinion, they switched form progm to a more "accessible" and poppy sound. even the long songs are no match for the older songs form either the PG era or the subsequent before SH left.

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