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Iconic Albums Genesis The Abacab Era (1981): A Track-by-Track Journey Through Experimentation and Edge
Paperback
Series: Iconic Albums, Book 11
MusiciansPop/RockMusic Reference
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 4 2026
Pages: 394
Weight: 1.16
Height: 0.81 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Genesis had survived the impossible before.
They had survived the departure of Peter Gabriel. They had survived the loss of Steve Hackett. They had reinvented themselves as a trio, balanced progressive ambition with pop instinct on Duke, and proved that they could continue. But in 1981, Genesis did something even more daring.
They destroyed their own formula.
Iconic Albums: Genesis - Abacab Era (1981) tells the story of one of the most important turning points in Genesis history: the moment when Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford stripped away much of the band's old progressive-rock identity and rebuilt themselves for the modern decade.
Gone were the fantasy landscapes, ornate arrangements, and comforting links to the classic 1970s sound. In their place came sharp rhythms, clean production, abstract artwork, huge drums, shorter songs, icy atmospheres, and a restless sense of modern unease. Abacab was bold, divisive, strange, and fearless - an album that challenged old fans while opening the door to Genesis' enormous 1980s success.
This book explores the album track by track and theme by theme, examining how songs such as Abacab, No Reply at All, Me and Sarah Jane, Keep It Dark, Dodo/Lurker, Who Dunnit?, Man on the Corner, Like It or Not, and Another Record reveal a band in the middle of radical transformation.
It also looks beyond the album itself, exploring the fertile Abacab sessions, the 3×3 EP, the striking abstract artwork, the tour, the album's commercial breakthrough, its divided critical reception, and its relationship to both Duke and the 1983 self-titled Genesis album.
This is not simply the story of Genesis becoming more commercial.
It is the story of Genesis learning how to survive by changing shape.
For fans of progressive rock, classic Genesis, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and the band's dramatic journey from the 1970s into the 1980s, this book offers a deep, detailed, and passionate examination of the album that broke the old rules and made the future possible.
Abacab was not the end of Genesis.
It was the moment they became something new.
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