At this point, Genesis and Phil Collins were essentially the same act and it shows. "Invisible Touch" would have sat happily on any of Collins' solo releases at the time, as would "In Too Deep" and "Throwing It All Away". The rest of the album is all very much generic 80's synth pop that, without Collins voice, would have been pretty much indistinguishable from everything else being released at the time. By now everyone from Cutting Crew to Mr. Mister to Rush ... read more

Let's be honest here: Side one here is right up there with the best work of Genesis, with or without Gabriel. "Mama" is downright frightening in its imagery of sexual predation, so much so you want to take a shower after it's done. "That's All" is a fantastic pop song and rightfully the big hit single off the album. "Home by the Sea" is another nightmare song, lyrically a cousin of the Eagles' "Hotel California", which when paired with the ... read more

Abacab is the album that will forever divide Genesis fans. Embracing technology and new wave in equal measures, armed with synths and sequencers and Phil Collins oh-so-80's flanged drums, almost all traces of the 70's Genesis were swept away save for Tony Banks' "Me and Sarah Jane" (although even that was clearly influenced by the Police).

Opener "Abacab" is a powerful enough opener, but really doesn't go anywhere--and what the hell is Phil singing about? "No Reply ... read more

Duke is the album that saw Phil Collins begin his rise to superstardom, carrying Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford with him. The prog roots are still there, as evidenced by the song cycle that would have been the "Duke Suite". Instead, "Behind the Lines", "Duchess", "Guide Vocal", "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels", and "Duke's End" were interspersed throughout the album. By breaking up the suite it actually helped create a ... read more