40 years ago, Genesis decided to take the band radically in a new direction. They came out with the album Abacab. The band that supposedly "sold out" back then actually did something radically different. They created what some today would consider a concept album that experimented with multiple themes. In a sense, they departed radically from their prog past and introduced new songs that would keep the band relevant for 3 more decades. It would also bring about changes that cemented their legacy and changed their fanbase.
This album was the last straw for loyal Gabriel/Hackett Fans: For the past 6 years, Proggers from the early 70s were still clinging on to hope that Phil would be coming out on stage wearing bat wings and singing like Pete. This album put any chance of that happening to bed. And, so did the upcoming concerts. When Genesis went on the road to support Abacab, the band would play new versions of their Prog Classics. The new life brought to 70's songs like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway were a welcome change for most fans.
New Prog? Loyal Gabriel/Hackett fans will argue that 80's Genesis lacked any innovative songs or progressive music. They felt abandoned. It is really too bad. The fanbase that stayed for 50 years saw it differently. They enjoyed a band that was loyal to their roots while allowing themselves to experiment and take the band in very creative and new directions. It really is too bad as the song Abacab and Dodo were prog classics when played live. Both songs are fan favorites over the years. Similar to predecessors like Squonk, the songs pack a punch to open a live show. Every Genesis album had that opening song that was driven to pack a punch. Nothing really changed when it came to a strong lead in to new albums.
Let's Talk About No Reply at All - No Reply at All was a great song that earned scorn because the band used the Earth Wind and Fire horns. Unfortunately for those fans, they missed out on discovering a very clever song. It included Tony's hand-over-hand work similar to the Lamb. Mike's bass work was clever. And, a clever crescendo that was a hook for this listener and many like me, was a hook to explore the entire catalog.
Elephant in the room - Whodunnit - The one song that closed the door for Gabriel/Hackett fans was Whodunnit. In fact, most fans from all eras struggled with the song. It was an attempt at creating a song that reflected the punk movement. It was a song however that demonstrated how the band was willing to continue to experiment with their future music.
Me and Sarah Jane - Me and Sarah Jane was a great example of how much creativity was to be discovered. This song seems like a love song however, this is a clever dark song. A song about a man's struggle with his own thoughts that lead to insane metaphors and imagery in his mind. Genesis would continue to write songs that utilized allegories similar to their past. They just took the writing in a new direction.
Another Record - I love that this song closes out the record. A tale of what happens when an artist becomes stale. I think the band chose this song as a reflection that the band was going in a new direction for many reasons. They wanted to write new material and music that interested not only their fans but kept them wanting to satisfy their own desires to take the band in areas yet explored.
40 years late, Abacab is a fan favorite. Rumors of the final setlist suggest Abacab is going to be played live once again. If so, fans of all eras will be excited to hear the song 40 years later. This is a testament to the new music and what it means for fans of all eras. Timeless classics that are part of the Genesis story.
Awesome! I love Genesis, I love Abacab and I am one of the few fans that loves Whodunnit
ReplyDeleteWhodunnit has grown on me over the years. A great example of going outside of the formula
DeleteThe video for the title track on the then-new MTV in 1981 was my introduction to our band. Seeing Tony surrounded by keyboards like that so impressed me that it's no stretch to say it changed my life. E.g.: I learned to play piano/keys from their sheet music books, formed a couple of my own bands over the decades, eventually got into teaching music, and nowadays I'm fortunate enough to have this problem of needing to sell off some of the 37 synths I've acquired over the years due to lack of living space, lol !!
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of us all-eras fans, that first exposure led to acquiring all their prior albums while eagerly awaiting each new release, constantly in awe of how so much incredible music was all made by just the one band. It's ALL good to this listener: I like Whodunnit?, Me & Virgil, AND Illegal Alien too.
Anyways, I just wanted to post something here regarding "Whodunnit?". I'm sure y'all will find this interesting if you'd come across it before. It's a quote of Tony's from that great Chapter & Verse book the band released in 2007:
"I've always loved this track and virtually everyone else, it seems to me, hates it. There's something about it that appeals to me, the fact that it managed to provoke such strong emotion in people. [...] When we played the album to Atlantic in the States, we had a couple of extra tracks to chose between, one of which was a more straightforward, pretty Genesis song called 'You Might Recall', and there was some debate about whether we should include that track or 'Whodunnit?'. I remember that [legendary founder and president of Atlantic Records] Ahmet Ertegün said, 'No, I'm afraid you've got to put that track on'. He called 'Whodunnit?' 'that track' and everyone knew exactly which track he meant."