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An article from the book enclosed in Abacab Gold package. Reprinted 
without permission. The aim is not to take credit or make profit - I 
simply wish to have a different hard copy of the article. All typos 
are mine.
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In the beginning they were five English teens who distracted 
themselves from strict boarding school life by writing songs. Among 
them were keyboardist Tony Banks, vocalist Peter Gabriel, and 
bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford. Later, drummer/ex-child actor Phil 
Collins became one of the five; so did guitarist Steve Hackett. 
Following Gabriel's departure in 1975 and Hackett's 1977 exit, 
Genesis became a trio, with Collins keeping the drum chair and 
becoming the lead vocalist and Rutherford playing bass and all 
guitars.

And three they were in 1981, when Banks, Collins, and Rutherford 
began work on the thirteenth Genesis album, their third as a 
threesome. To be entitled "ABACAB", it would turn out to be an album 
which, as Phil states, "signaled a new era."

Since the preceding Genesis album (1980's "DUKE"), Collins has 
released his first solo album, "FACE VALUE". With Banks and 
Rutherford having previous solo projects to their credit. (Tony's "A 
CURIOUS FEELING" and Mike's "SMALLCREEP'S DAY" - both released in 
1979), this meant that all three members of the band had now explored 
writing and recording a collection of songs outside of the Genesis 
collective. While such a situation could have threatened the 
integrity and the future of the group, in fact, just the opposite was 
the case. As Tony Banks recently commented: "When you come back 
together again, you're not quite the same people as when you left, 
and you keep introducing new elements into the group."

So it was that the three reconvened with a fresh outlook, new ideas, 
and, most importantly, a renewed sense of what Genesis should be - a 
vehicle for the music that the three of them could only create 
together, the result of a unique musical bond. As Mike Rutherford 
notes: "Genesis is about the chemistry of the three of us playing 
together. There's something we see in Genesis that is special, and 
that we can't produce on our own." Phil concurs: "We all feel that 
we've got other areas covered in our solo work, so let's keep Genesis 
true to what it is."

Since the departure of Peter Gabriel six years before, Genesis songs 
had been most often credited either to individuals or to a couple of 
members writing together. This time around, all three members of the 
band shared the writing credit for nearly all songs. The only 
exceptions were three tracks, each penned by a different bandmember - 
songs which together offered unique insight into each player's 
contribution to the mix. (By the recording of the next studio album, 
1983's "GENESIS", all the songs would be credited simply to 
"Genesis", as they had been in the band's early days.)

One event figured most significantly in the creation of "ABACAB" - 
the completion of the group's own recording studio, a converted 
cowshed located in the Surrey countryside west of London. 
Appropriately dubbed The Farm, it was located not far from the 
bandmembers' homes. For the first time, Genesis had complete 
recording freedom - freedom to create new music unhindered by studio 
schedules and externally imposed costs and pressures. The result was 
the most relaxed and creative sessions up to that time, allowing for 
unprecedented interaction among the trio - from the initial writing 
through to the final recording. Built to the band's own 
specifications, the new studio produced by far the best-sounding 
Genesis album to date.

Coinciding with the building of their own studio, Genesis took 
another step in gaining full creative control - they decided to 
produce the new album completely by themselves. Rather than enlisting 
a co-producer, as they had done in the past, the recruited ace 
engineer Hugh Padgham to man the controls and make sure their ideas 
were properly preserved on tape.

"ABACAB" opens with its title track, and from the outset it is clear 
that a revitalized Genesis was at work. Leaner, sparser, more angular 
than any Genesis tune had ever been, the song was a direct outgrowth 
of the experimentation which the existence of the new studio 
encouraged. Whereas the Genesis of the past had been often denied by 
lush textures and layers of sound, this "new" Genesis gave much more 
weight to individual notes and the space between them. Taking its 
title from the letters which represent the song's classic structure 
(Section "A," followed by "Section B,"" back to "A," then to "C," 
etc.), it introduced a modern Genesis reinventing itself for a new 
era.

If there had been any lingering doubt that Genesis was determined to 
break the mold on "ABACAB," it was effectively erased by the second 
track, the positively funky "No Reply At All." For the first time 
since their very first album (1968's primordial "FROM GENESIS TO 
REVELATION"), outside musicians were utilized to supplement the 
band's sound. However, where a string section had been recruited a 
dozen years earlier, this time it was a horn section - and not just 
any horn section, but the players from one of America's premier R&B 
outfits, Earth Wind & Fire.

On the previous album, "DUKE," Genesis had simulated a horn section 
via synthesized brass sounds. This time, they went for the real 
thing. While the thought (let alone the sound) of soul-driven horns 
undoubtedly shocked the band's long-time fans, it was but another 
example of the trio's refusal to be trapped by their own past. 
Another track recorded during the same sessions, "Paperlate," also 
featured the EWF Horns and was later included on the studio side of 
1982's "THREE SIDES LIVE" collection.

Genesis' desire to move forward was expressed throughout "ABACAB," 
which features seven group compositions and the aforementioned trio 
of individual contributions (Banks' expansive tale of "Me And Sarah 
Jane," Collins' moving ballad, "Man On The Corner," and Rutherford's 
entrancing "Like It Or Not"). On songs like "Keep It Dark" and "Who 
Dunnit?," Genesis freely experimented with new song structures and 
sounds, while "Dodo/Lurker" effectively bridged past and present.

"ABACAB" went on to become the band's biggest album up to that date; 
their first U.S. top ten record; and their first to be certified 
platinum by the RIAA. But that is somewhat beside the point. Most 
importantly, it was an album which marked a new beginning for a band 
that could have found itself retreading the same old ground. Instead, 
the recognized what Genesis had been, what it was, and what it could 
be. And they never looked back. As Tony comments: "We've taken a few 
changes in our career, and that's meant that whole new areas of music 
have opened up to us. That's what keeps it fresh."


Bob Kaus