Your favorite tracks on ... "Abacab"

1st Official Post

    Your favorite tracks on "Abacab" - pick THREE 83

    1. Abacab (53) 64%
    2. No Reply at All (18) 22%
    3. Me and Sarah Jane (59) 71%
    4. Keep it Dark (32) 39%
    5. Dodo / Lurker (50) 60%
    6. Who Dunnit? (3) 4%
    7. Man on the Corner (16) 19%
    8. Like it or Not (10) 12%
    9. Another Record (4) 5%

    Helloeverybody!


    I'd like to carry on with the album song polls. So this time it's Abacab. Select three tracks as usual.


    Previous Polls (still running!)


    Your favorite tracks on "Genesis"


    Your favorite tracks on ... "Invisible Touch"


    Your favorite tracks on ... "We Can't Dance"


    Your favorite tracks on ... "Calling All Stations"

    Very strange this album has totally grown on me over the years. When it first came out it was Me and Sarah Jane and Like it or not. But now it's Keep it Dark because of the drum rhythm on the live version and Dodo Lurker from the Savoy NY Bootleg sung with power. What an audience Bootleg that is.

    Also love Abacab obviously especially the live version and No reply at all too.

    This was the hardest vote for any genesis album.

    I've warmed up to this album over the years. On the old forum a few years ago I remember making a divisive post about how I was struggling to get into this album. But I've found that, while the album is messy in places and contains very little of their strongest material, it's still an OK album. Nothing special, but enjoyable. :)


    I chose Abacab, Me and Sarah Jane, and Dodo/Lurker.

    I love this album with a passion. The first two choices picked themselves i.e. Abacab & Dodo/Lurker. Then it was either No Reply At All or Me & Sarah Jane - I chose the latter.

    Tough choices! That could very well change for me in a couple days...


    Dodo/Lurker at the top pretty easily. Then it gets murky...Went with Abacab and Keep it Dark. Me and Sarah Jane could have easily been in there. Great live versions for all these songs!

    Dodo/Lurker is my top pick. I also picked Abacab, but far prefer live versions with the full jam. For my third, I went with No Reply At All - great bassline, clever use of double-hand technique in a pop song.

    Strangely enough, it's not been a favourite if mine and sounds very dated and far removed from even Duke never mind earlier classic stuff. However, listening to it in 5.1 brings an improvement to my ears. Still not a classic though but still worth having for several worthy tracks.

    • Official Post

    Me & Sarah Jane

    Like It Or Not

    Who Dunnit?


    For me, Abacab is the most important album of the band. Not their best, but very important indeed (check my review here)


    I also love Another Record, it's a stand alone track, very unique in their history.

    Quote from Progatron

    Me And Sarah Jane
    Dodo/Lurker

    Keep It Dark

    Too lazy to write the same ones out so just quoted this. Seems consistent with others. Overall though I love this album, it's my 2nd favourite after The Lamb. At the time I, alone among genesis fans at school (who acted like I was a heretic), really liked the change of direction, the punchier rhythms and the greater sense of space. In recent years, my respect for it and them increased when I learned they discarded a load of new material as it was sounding too Genesisy and went on to make this album instead. What a great, bold move. I agree with Christian about the importance of this album.


    I also agree that Another Record is a very singular track, I have quite a soft spot for it.


    I disagree with you DavetotheB that the live versions of the tracks you listed were great. Dodo was OK, but I didn't like the looser swing Thompson brought to it. The tighter, stiffer album version wins it for me. The KID from the Mama tour didn't work in my view, it couldn't really as it lost the percussive complexity that makes the album version sound so rich. M&SJ on 3SL is bordering on a mess and lacks all the atmosphere of the original especially the oomph of that exultant penultimate segment.


    But with each successive tour they turned the title track into a great surging piece of rock music with some of my favourite dual drumming. It was the one track that really properly took off live. Odd, considering the nature of the album.


    It was a great shame it went unrepresented on the 07 tour, being such a pivotal album.

    Abandon all reason

    #respect


    To each his own which goes without saying, I suppose. Will agree that Abacab was the best of the live versions.

    I truly never liked this album, although I was intrigued by the new couse and the energy it exudes.

    I gave it a listen as a whole, the other day after a long time and I must say, my dislike has grown considerably and what little patience I had for it has vanished.

    After all, they say time puts things in perspective. Apart from 3 perhaps 4 songs which anyway, I don't believe are what Genesis, no matter what era, are going to be remembered by, it would have never been on my radar without the name ''Genesis'' on it. IMO, probably their weakest album material-wise.

    Edited once, last by Fabrizio ().

    Me and Sarah Jane and Abacab, but for me, the best track is missing: Submarine! a superb atmospheric track with excellent minimalist drumming.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Like 1
    Quote from foxfeeder

    Me and Sarah Jane and Abacab, but for me, the best track is missing: Submarine! a superb atmospheric track with excellent minimalist drumming.

    100% agree, it's one of my favourite Genesis tracks. It's such a pity they had such an a aversion to playing their non-album tracks live, with the odd exception. Submarine and You Might Recall would've been very interesting to see on stage. Indeed, the Dodo suite would have been a treat. I loved seeing them but my god they could be so unadventurous in their setlist choices.


    Bass pedals rarely sounded better than on Submarine. Someone here suggested that if Banks or Collins played them, the track could be a Genesis duo!

    Abandon all reason