Am I the only person on this forum that doesn't mind 80s Genesis?

[klothos]

not to bring up old wounds, but its a serious question considering the amount of hate i keep reading on a weekly basis that I usually just dont respond to but has continually made me curious....I had to break down and ask

I realize that I am a fan of pop music, unlike some folks, and I think Genesis 80s stuff was good well-written and arranged pop....they did it well....No, its not as epic as their Gabriel-era prog stuff, but for pop music "epic-ness" is an unnecessary quality, and its got all kinds of interesting musical elements with Prog touches: theres a huge difference between the writing and arranging of 80s Genesis compared to a band like Survivor or a typical Dianne Warren song................... Im sorry to tell you guys but "Invisible Touch" and "Abacab" gets about as much play with me as "Nursery Chryme" or "Lamb", just depends what Im in the mood for.

[Progatron]

I love it. Not as much as the 70s stuff, but then I don't only listen to 70s prog rock. When I'm in the mood for their later trio-era material, it hits the spot beautifully, and I think they did some absolutely fantastic tracks - on every album they made. Doesn't matter to me what anyone else thinks of them, I *know* I get a ton of enjoyment out of their whole career, and have done for more than three decades now!

My personal favourite period is from A Trick Of The Tail through Duke. Those four albums (and their respective "b-side" tracks) probably get the most airplay around here. But I'll never tire of any period of their career.

[SteveSly]

Nope. I find things to like on all Genesis albums.

[klothos]

ok, glad Im in good company: I think its odd that its easier to chat about bands like Kajagoogoo and ABC in the "Off Topic" Forum than 80s Genesis because the latter has become such a taboo subject here......

[dpt3]

I got into "prog" by ending up with a random copy of Invisible Touch and then working my way back through the Genesis catalogue, so I'm definitely not a hater!

[JKL2000]

I think it's just because Genesis spans the realms of "Godfathers of High Prog" to "In Too Deep." From the sublime to the concise pop song. There's just something inherently joke worthy about it, but there's stuff I like on pretty much all Genesis albums too. Also, I think most of us are actually glad for them that they were so successful. It's not like they could have kept making albums like Nursery Cryme.

[Yodelgoat]

I listened to Invisible Touch a month or so ago, and I was stunned at how much strong Proggy stuff is on it. Compared to anything else coming out in the pop world at the time is was far more prog than anything else coming out at the time. Domino and Driving the last spike are stunningly good prog songs. So yeah, They were still prog in my book, while making millions by adding the pop tripe. For me, I like everything Duke and after. I do not like Nursery Crymes in the least. It may be prog, but its also not good songwriting.

The Gabriel era stuff is just so-so to me. I'll listen, but I am not gaga over it.

Phil Collins did not ruin Genesis. He just rid the band of alot of fans who cant stand pop under any circumstance. I was a cover band musician during that era, and I recall our drummer commenting on how challenging and interesting the drum part was on Land of Confusion. Anything else we played was like Kindergarden stuff for him. so yeah Phil was still coming up with interesting drum parts, even on songs that make non-musician prog fans throw up and grab their toys and march off cursing him. He was a hellofa drummer.

[Gruno]

I'm mostly an 80s-era Genesis fan. I don't own any of the Peter Gabriel era stuff. I did get the 2nd boxed set the released a few years ago and own 3 or so Phil Collins solo albums. Invisible Touch is a good album. Throw in the 1st Mike+The Mechanics album (and some of the 2nd) and that completes the bunch. Makes for a hefty and sweet playlist.

[frinspar]

When I was a short person of little age I stole my sister's copy of Abacab, that she only got for "Man on the Corner" from the radio play, and eventually worked my way backward. So, I love it all.

[Adm.Kirk]

I like all eras of Genesis. Now I admit my least favorite album is Invisible Touch. It's not bad, but it just got played to death in 1986-1987. I'm also a fan of Calling All Stations. Favorite album is Wind and Wuthering. I don't have a problem with 80's Genesis. They always had proggy stuff mixed in with the pop material, which I also think top shelf pop music too.

Bill

[ThomasKDye]

I'm totally on board with 80s Genesis. That said, I do find most of We Can't Dance a bore, "In Too Deep" is awful and I've finally had to admit that I shouldn't enjoy "Illegal Alien" because of the dreadful lyrics. But "You Might Recall," "Abacab," "Silver Rainbow", "Tonight Tonight Tonight," "Land of Confusion," "The Brazilian" and "Fading Lights" ... give it all to me.

[soundsweird]

I have most of their later output, and have always liked a lot of it. However, like most of the more commercial 80's music I have, I seldom feel like listening to it nowadays. I'm sure at some point I'll "rediscover" that era. Exceptions are XTC, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Jane Siberry....

[Koreabruce]

I love all eras of Genesis. Different eras scratch different itches. I've never understood the haters...

[JJ88]

My favourite Genesis albums are undoubtedly the 70s ones (specifically 1971-6 or so are the 5 star classics to me)...but I have all the albums and find a lot to like on every one. The non-album tracks are often gems too.

I love when they get raked over the coals by some like Rufus on here, as if it were so easy to appeal to as many people as they did for as long as they did. Many of the other prog bands who tried to do the same thing (and sorry, they did) failed to do it as consistently- things like 90125 and Asia were outliers for those guys, not really followed up, unlike Genesis who kept on growing in popularity. And that's not including the solo success!

They also did what most bands would love to do- in concerts they were able to focus mostly on their newer material, rather than their 70s work, so that's a total reinvention. That 70s work was basically confined to one medley by 1983 or so.

[Trane]

Am I the only person on this forum that doesn't mind 80s Genesis?


probably... But you're forgiven , because there is no accountancy for bad taste...


After all, you probably didn't like your mom's apple pie, too.

OK, I'm outa here...

[Score2112]

Love the early 80's Genesis, especially the "Shapes" album and Three Sides Live. Its this Genesis that started it for me, then I worked my way back. They didn't start to fall off until Invisible Touch, in my view. Like Pete and Phil eras equally.

[Progatron]

Tony Banks still had a hugely dominant role in the writing process throughout these albums as well, and his unusual style and flair for the dramatic when it came to unique chord progressions, etc. made even a lot of the more concise material stand apart from their contemporaries. Sure, there were some clunkers along the way, but there aren't many bands I can't say that about. If "The Brazilian", "Domino", "Fading Lights" etc. are 'pop', then give me more pop! Even the middle section of "Tonight x3" is decidedly more removed from any other pop music of the day. Of course, radio-only listeners were never given the chance to hear that, as they were spoon-fed edited atrocities of tracks like that. I honestly think it was massive radio play and MTV that gave the public at large such a biased view of Genesis in the 80s.... not the fact that each album had a few ballads or concise pop tracks among the more heavyweight material. People who bought/listened to the albums and went to the live shows got the the full spectrum.

[battema]

I love 80's Genesis. *And* 90's Genesis (WCD, CAS).

[arturs]

When Invisible Touch came out I loathed it. Not that I ever heard the LP itself, but just from the overplay on the radio, beer commercials, etc. Then, about 2-3 years ago I saw IT at the library and borrowed it. Like Mr. Y. Goat above, I was really surprised how proggy it was and how strong some of the songs were. I really like the long version of Tonight... whereas the single edit we used to hear on the radio in the 80s was one of the things I hated most about the album.

I also borrowed We Can't Dance and that one isn't so hot but Driving the Last Spike is very good.

[JJ88]

There's a good single album on We Can't Dance. Unfortunately, on record at least, it was a double album. I can't stand 'Never A Time', 'Way Of The World', 'Tell Me Why' and 'Since I Lost You'- bland beyond belief. They are now among the relatively few Genesis songs I always skip past.

I do like the other songs although I think Tony Banks' taste in sound choices went off the boil a bit here and on the follow-up.

[Progatron]

There's a good single album on We Can't Dance. Unfortunately, on record at least, it was a double album. I can't stand 'Never A Time', 'Way Of The World', 'Tell Me Why' and 'Since I Lost You'- bland beyond belief. They are now among the relatively few Genesis songs I always skip past.

Yep, completely agree. I think those tracks should have been left off the album, and it should have included "On The Shoreline" instead (furthermore, that should have been the album opener). The album is so much stronger that way.

[JJ88]

I would agree on the full album version of 'Tonight Tonight Tonight' being the only way to go with that track. Once you've heard that album version, the single edit seems dreadfully clumsy.

I like Invisible Touch as an album (please don't anyone drag out that Patrick Bateman quote again, like you were the first person ever to do so). The one thing I can't be doing with on it is 'Anything She Does', another one I skip past. The B-side 'Feeding The Fire' is stronger.

[Trane]

If "The Brazilian", "Domino", "Fading Lights" etc. are 'pop', then give me more pop!
Even the middle section of "Tonight x3" is decidedly more removed from any other pop music of the day. Of course, radio-only listeners were never given the chance to hear that, as they were spoon-fed edited atrocities of tracks like that. I honestly think it was massive radio play and MTV that gave the public at large such a biased view of Genesis in the 80s...

You cite the three long tracks from IT and WCD, but to be honest, I don't buy it that there "better" than the rest of the shorter tracks. They're just drawn-out to needlessly-extended lengths... (especially those WCD 10-mins thingies) They (Genesis) might've gained in being more concise on these 10-minutes affairs, compacting all of their ideas together. IMHO, the best 80's Genesis length during the 80's was around six to seven minutes, like Abacab, Lurker, Mama, (Second) Home By The Sea ... Anything above that seems like they were out to "fill" the albums.

IMHO, of course

[interbellum]

I'm mostly an 80s-era Genesis fan. I don't own any of the Peter Gabriel era stuff. I did get the 2nd boxed set the released a few years ago and own 3 or so Phil Collins solo albums. Invisible Touch is a good album. Throw in the 1st Mike+The Mechanics album (and some of the 2nd) and that completes the bunch. Makes for a hefty and sweet playlist.

Not even The Lamb? (Seems strange for a Kevin Gilbert-fan )

I like some of the 80's stuff very much, although I love the earlier albums.
Although I must admit I hardly know the last two Genesis-albums, which I didn't own until I bought the box-set 83-98.

[Facelift]

I realize that I am a fan of pop music, unlike some folks, and I think Genesis 80s stuff was good well-written and arranged pop....they did it well....No, its not as epic as their Gabriel-era prog stuff, but for pop music "epic-ness" is an unnecessary quality, and its got all kinds of interesting musical elements with Prog touches...

IMO, '80s Genesis isn't as far removed from '70s Genesis as many would like to think. They were *always* a pop band, and Banks/Collins/Rutherford/Gabriel has said so over and over throughout the years. It's why, even at their proggiest, they were very accessible.

I think Abacab is the best of their '80s/'90s albums and I rate it higher than about half of the albums they made before it.

I doubt I'll ever change my opinion that Calling All Stations sucks, though.