ABACAB

I have to say that, personally, this was one of the most disappointing albums I have ever heard in my life. Coming into this album, I had been pleasantly surprised at how strong the previous two albums (after the departure of Steve Hackett) had been. But this album is a disaster. I understand that times were changing and they felt they needed to try something new, but this is terrible. I consider this Genesis' attempt at New Wave, but it just doesn't work and is easily the worst Genesis album. The sound and style on this album pretty much negates everything they had done up to this point. Gone are the lush soundscapes, intricate instrumentals, and beautiful melodies, only to be replaced by songs that are simplistic, repetitive, tuneless, and frankly annoying. They use a lot of programmed (machine) drum tracks (which is crazy because they have one of the greatest rock drummers in the band), and many of the songs sound like they were making them up as they went along (which apparently they were). Some might say they should be given credit for trying something new, as they apparently were specifically trying to record songs that did not sound like anything they had done before, but this is just a complete wrong direction for the band. One of the few bright spots here is 'Man on the Corner', which is a cool Collins ballad, but little else here is worth much. The only Genesis album I never listen to. Best songs: 'Man on the Corner', 'Another Record'. Worst songs: 'Who Dunnit?', 'Abacab', 'Keep It Dark', 'Dodo/Lurker', 'No Reply at All'.