Track 1 - “Abacab” by Genesis (1981)
From the album Abacab
Music & lyrics by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford
Performed by:
Phil Collins – lead vocals, drums
Tony Banks – keyboards
Mike Rutherford – guitar, bass pedals
Highest chart position - US Billboard Hot 100 - #26
Look up on the wall
There are on the floor
Under the pillow
Behind the door
There’s a crack in the mirror
Somewhere there’s a hole in a windowpane
Now do you think I’m to blame
Tell me do you think I’m to blame
We’ll begin this musical trip with the band that, as I was growing up, just kept making appearances; the same could be said for their singer and drummer, Phil Collins, whose solo career was probably more successful than that of his band Genesis. No matter what other music I was into at whatever time in my life, from the first time I saw the video for “Abacab”, Genesis and Phil Collins were always just sort of…around. In fact, there was a time when you could almost count on a new Genesis or Phil Collins album every year back in the 80s. There was always a Genesis or Phil Collins song on the radio, or a video on MTV, and somehow it seemed to grab me enough to make me buy the album or CD, or at least sing along when I heard it. I was probably 11 or 12 when I first saw the video for “Abacab”; it’s unremarkable, just the three bandmembers playing the song, wearing rugby shirts (well at least two of them). But there was something about that song, that video, that made me pay attention. Maybe it was the fact that it was a 3-piece band making all this great music or that it was the drummer singing, instead of someone out front…and to top it off, he was playing left-handed (most drummers are right-handed). Either way, each time the “Abacab” video was played on MTV, I got more and more hooked on this trio from the UK and as I got older, I would learn more about their history, or what writer and podcaster Chris Molanphy has called the “knotty family tree of Genesis.”
Genesis formed in 1967, originally as a 5-piece, at Charterhouse School in the UK. The original line-up included steady members Tony Banks (keyboards), and Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass), plus a young, talented singer/songwriter named Peter Gabriel (yes, THAT Peter Gabriel). They recorded two albums, before recruiting a young drummer from London named Phil Collins. Collins recalls in his 2016 autobiography, Not Dead Yet, that he arrived early and swam in Peter Gabriel’s parents’ pool until it was his turn to audition. He ultimately landed the gig, not only because he could get the job done on drums, but because he sang in roughly the same vocal range as Gabriel (remember that folks) and could provide ample backup vocals and the occasional lead vocal as well. When they landed upstart guitarist Steve Hackett in early 1971, they had their lineup complete, and would quickly become pioneers in what was known as progressive rock (think 20-minute songs, odd time signatures and verbose lyrics). All five bandmembers took part in songwriting, but it was clear the star of the band was singer Gabriel. Often donning makeup and elaborate costumes onstage, he commanded all the attention from the other players, and reviews of their performances would center on Gabriel alone, and hardly mention the music.
This lineup would record three albums by 1974…Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, and Selling England by the Pound, all accompanied by well-received tours, which added to their popularity among prog-rock fans and critics, and to the mystique of their over-the-top lead singer. Finally, in 1975, they released what should have been their breakout album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, a double concept album about a NYC youth and his random encounters with random characters. Towards the end of the tour, Gabriel announced he was leaving Genesis, and critics said the band was over. Since Gabriel was clearly the star, and the driving force, would they be able to continue? Would Genesis look for a new lead singer? Or was the solution sitting right there behind the drumkit? Collins, a devoted drummer, was happy with his spot in the background and wanted nothing to do with being a lead singer. So, the band recorded new material for their next album, Trick of the Tail, without a lead singer. But with all the music recorded, and still no singer, Collins went behind the mic and recorded the vocal tracks and thus secured the job sort of by default. The four-piece would record one more album before Steve Hackett announced he was leaving as well, and the new lineup released the aptly titled …And Then There Were Three, before having their biggest commercial success to date with 1980’s Duke, which contained the hits “Misunderstanding” and “Turn It On Again”.
OK, history lesson over; which brings us back to 1981, and “Abacab”, the 2nd single off the album of the same name. You might be asking yourself exactly what “Abacab” means, and I thought I might have had figured it out in 7th grade, when I learned about diagramming songs in music class. “A” refers to verse, “B” refers to chorus, and “C” is the bridge. So, if you listen to “Abacab” that’s what you get:
1st verse = A
Chorus = B
2nd verse = A
Bridge = C
3rd verse = A
Chorus/fade out = B
See it?? ABACAB!
However, in a 2006 interview on In the Studio guitarist Mike Rutherford had this to say:
[There are] three bits of music in "Abacab" and we refer to them as 'bit A', [correcting self] 'Section A', 'Section B', and 'Section C'. And at different times they were in a different order. We'd start with section A and then have section C and then have section [pauses] and at one point in time, it spelt "ABACAB". And you've got the final version where it's not that at all, it's like "ACACACUCUBUBUGA" - Genesis In the Studio – YouTube 2006
Yeah, so that gibberish at the end there would not have made a catchy title. However, “Abacab” looked a bit non-sensical and abstract, so they kept that title for the song and the album. I think the simplicity of the song and video is what ultimately made me a fan and why I love this song the way I do. In the beginning when MTV had almost no videos, and because Genesis were one of the few bands making videos, they were on MTV a lot, so I saw “Abacab” all the time. I loved how it looked like three regular guys, just jamming out the song. I imagined the band in a garage on a Saturday, dusting off their instruments and just cranking the song out, maybe in between weekend chores. When I heard it on the radio, I appreciated the simplicity of it, and to this day I prefer music that gets to the point, without the 15- minute solos or dissertations. And confession time…it was around this time that I developed the habit of “air-drumming”, and this is the first song I ever air-drummed to. I am totally serious; I imitated Phil Collins banging his drums to this song constantly. It’s a habit I haven’t been able to break; I still air-drum randomly all the time when I hear certain songs. So, “Abacab” was very influential back then, and it paved the way for me to be a lifelong fan of Genesis, and Phil Collins. Like I said before, they just always seemed to be on the radio or MTV and part of my life somehow. Journalists have often criticized their music, how commercial it ended up becoming, and I have read that fans of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis often dislike fans of Phil Collins-era Genesis. I will admit, I’ve tried listening to early Genesis with Peter Gabriel, and maybe my musical ear is not evolved enough, or I have bad taste, but I just don’t get it. I understand the music is very influential and complex, but as I’ve said…when it comes to music, let’s just get to the point. I’m happy with the way things turned out…Phil, Mike and Tony in Genesis giving us all those hits, and Peter Gabriel giving us brilliant tracks like “Sledgehammer”, “Red Rain”, and “Solsbury Hill”. If Peter Gabriel didn’t leave Genesis, we wouldn’t have had any of his amazing solo music. It all worked out, believe me.
And as for the 11-year-old watching the guys in rugby shirts jamming in the garage…he’s still known to air drum, even when it’s completely inappropriate. 😊
Thanks for stopping by; only 49 to go! And here are the lads from Genesis for your viewing pleasure:
Next time…a hard rock band from Sheffield, England who has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and overcome their fair share of adversity.
P.S.
It would be very easy for me to go on and on about Genesis, but we have other places to go and more music to listen to; here are some final random thoughts and stuff you can explore:
I mentioned writer/podcaster Chris Molanphy (www.chris.molanphy.com) earlier, and I expect to mention him and his excellent Slate podcast, “Hit Parade”, several more times. I pulled that quote from his episode on Genesis (my favorite), and I highly recommend you listen to it, and subscribe to the podcast. You can find the episode here.
In terms of more Genesis, aside from Abacab, and 1980’s Duke, I recommend 1985’s Genesis and Invisible Touch released in 1986. “Mama”, “That’s All”, and “Land of Confusion” are standouts from these albums. After that, listen at your own risk; the next few albums are just OK.
I could write a whole blog about Phil Collins and his solo career, but to keep things simple I would check out Face Value (“In the Air Tonight”, “Missed Again”) and No Jacket Required (“Sussudio”, “Inside Out”), which was one of the biggest selling albums of the 80s. Or you could download his The Singles compilation released in 2016. I also highly recommend listening to him narrate his own autobiography Not Dead Yet; he tells an honest, sometimes funny and often self-deprecating story of his life, including addressing his own over-exposure in the 1980s, his battle with alcohol and the physical ailments he developed from years of drumming; you can grab it on Audible here. And one last thing; Phil Collins is responsible for inventing, by accident, a drum sound that defined a lot of 80s music, called the gated drum sound. I won’t go into it here, but if you want to geek out, go for it. Here is a great link from Mental Floss, with a video and audio samples:
Mike Rutherford formed Mike + The Mechanics as a side project and had some big hits in the mid 80’s with “Silent Running”, “All I Need Is a Miracle” and “The Living Years”
And whatever did happen to Peter Gabriel?
Peter Gabriel went on to an amazingly successful career, both as a solo musician and human rights activist. Beginning in 1977, he released a string of successful solo albums, containing several singles you’ve probably heard on the radio: “Solsbury Hill”, “Shock the Monkey” and “Games Without Frontiers”. It was during this time, in 1980, that he released the anti-apartheid song “Biko”, inspiring many artists at the time to take up the anti-apartheid cause. In 1986, Gabriel released one of the best albums of the 80s, So, which I think is one of the greatest albums ever. He also created what has been called the greatest video of all time, for his hit “Sledgehammer.” Gabriel is also a huge supporter and proponent of world music, founding WOMAD in 1980. He is still active in these and several other humanitarian causes, and continues to tour as well.
Finally here’s a playlist to get you started; or click the Spotify icon on the home page!
See you next time…
JS