Genesis in the 80's

suitkees wrote: Nice introduction/presentation, Mike! For me too, these were the albums that got me acquainted with Genesis. I've always found Duke a bit dull, but Abacab is still one of the Genesis albums I play most often (with The Lamb...) - I like it very much, including the more humorous tracks. The self titled album is a nice listen too, with a couple of splendid tracks (with Second Home by the Sea the volume always goes up...). I never found any interest in Invisible Touch, though; maybe a bit too poppy for me.

They lost me after Steve Hackett left. Just found their music much less interesting and involving.

Cristi wrote: Blacksword wrote: Invisible Touch was really the end artistically. I can still enjoy Domino, but overall this is an out and out pop album, with some of the ballads really being more suitable for a Collins solo album, and having no place on a Genesis release IMO. . The two ballads on IT were not written by Collins. Throwing It All away is a Mike Rutherford song and In Too Deep is a Tony Banks song.  If anyone wants to bash Phil, as far as I remember (I could check again if you prove me wrong), he wrote Please Don't Ask Me and Misunderstanding on Duke and Man on a Corner on Abacab.

Yes that's true, but they just sound better suited to a Collins effort.

I picked up on Genesis around late 1984. I was 15 at the time.

After hearing Dance on a Volcano and the 1978 Knebworth set on a late night rock show in the UK, I set about investigating this band, in the way we all went about acquainting ourselves with an interesting band in the pre internet era. Although tracks like Mama caught me my ear at the time, it soon became obvious that my favourite era of the band was 1970 - 1980.

My feelings about 80's Genesis are mixed.
Duke is a great album; their last truly 'great' album IMO. Despite a few lows (Misunderstanding and Please Don't Ask) the album has some fantastic prog sections, and has the feel of a confident band, finding it's signature sound for the time.

Abacab is weak in comparison, and to me, despite some relative high points (Sarah Jane & Dodo/Lurker) sounds like a collection of 'ideas' and studio out takes. Experiments with drum machines, and a cold stripped down sound, and that of a band that had long passed their creative peak.

Genesis despite being an overall pop album, and arguably less experimental than Abacab, is a much superior album, yielding only one turkey of a song in Illegal Alien. Mama is dark and atmospheric and really not very commercial, although ironically it hit the number 2 spot in the UK singles charts. The Home by the Sea tracks became exciting and tense live staples in subsequent tours and overall the songwriting on this album was ticking many boxes for me.

Invisible Touch was really the end artistically. I can still enjoy Domino, but overall this is an out and out pop album, with some of the ballads really being more suitable for a Collins solo album, and having no place on a Genesis release IMO.

I persevered, and bought We Can't Dance when it was released (although this was 1991, I still regard this album as being part of the 80's Genesis story). I liked No son of Mine, but again the album was a deep dive into banality. By the time of IT & WCD, the band were selling out stadiums night after night, and shifting albums in their millions. Good luck to them. They'd more than earned their stripes, it's just a shame what they had to let go of to achieve that commercial recognition and success.

Fading Lights closed this era. Ironically my favourite song of the whole Duke to WCD era, but it was clear that 'The Day the Lights went out' had long passed.

I was going to point out the lamentable "We Can't Dance" album, but that was 1991. 

I think some of the records aren't terrible, Duke being the best of them all by far. But Abacrap does suck.