Genesis follow lead of Phil Collins
THE STAR, Saturday, November 28 , 1981
Genesis follow lead of Phil Collins
Genesis : “ Abacab” ( vertigo). Tony banks and Mike Rutherford are not stupid – or proud. If Phil Collins can be much more success ful than they are quick enough to capitalise on his success for Genesis.
If Genesis’s latest epic is not the son of “In The Air Tonight” it’s at least the illegitimate offspring. Those huge drum beats which crashed out of Collins’s album echo in “Abacab,” although the irony is that it was the influence of ex-Genesis leader Peter Gabriel that got them on to Collins’s record in the first place.
Instrumentation by the other two is kept to the minimum so as not to overshadow the vocals of Collins, while they even repeat his use of the Earth, Wind and Fire horns for “ No Replay At All” and his composition “Man On The Corner” could have been an “In The Air Tonight” track.
But the most important feature is that “ Abacab “ is much simpler than the normal overblown Genesis effort – again a Collins influence. They’ve actually tired to sound as if they are improvising too ( sample “Who Dunnit?”), something which will shock their fans who are used to the strict disipline of the old days.
They still write little Scenarios, which either iritate or spellbind depending on whether you are a dedicated enough fan (try “Me And Sarah Jane,” which goes on ad nauseum).
Genesis have managed to play safe. By repeating bits of Collins’s solo effort and at the same time put on abrave face of at at least attempting to break the old ground rules.
That virtually equal amounts of “Abacab” fail and succed is due to what seems to be at least an attempt to progress, throwing out various curves in the hope that a few are caught. I can’t see it stopping the rot that set in a few albums back, but I at least salute their attempt in trying. Meanwhile when is the next Phil Colins solo coming out?
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