ABACAB

Just when I thought they had made permanent amends for the tepid "And then there were Three" album with the incredible "Duke" they trotted out this spotted pony. In all fairness it is still light years better than the crud that was to follow but it was still a case of one step forward and three steps back. It starts out optimistically with the infectious jam of "Abacab" and the adventurous horn experimentation of "No Reply at All" but then slips into mediocrity with the ponderous "Me and Sarah Jane" that spends six minutes going nowhere.

A pulse returns with the progressive spirit of "Keep it Dark" and the colossal "Dodo/Lurker" that represent the best moments of the album. With the exception of the mildly interesting "Man on the Corner" the rest of this collection of tunes is wholly forgettable and is an ominous omen of the pseudo-commercial morass that was to come on future releases. This, along with the enthusiastic "Three Sides Live" marked the final semblances of progressive rock for these talented musician/songwriters. From here they turned their attention to the glittering carnival ride that was MTV and, sadly, they were seduced by its false and hollow promises. Phil, Tony and Mike became the pitiful carpet crawlers they had written about years before and we all suffered for it.

"Abacab" is better than most of their 80s output but not by much. Let's just say things got worse. 2.5 stars.