I've been a big fan of Genesis ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Although I found all of their previous albums to be too artsy, too intellectual, I was able to embrace Duke, mainly because the music became more modern, the drum machine became more prevalent and the lyrics started getting less mystical, more specific. Complex, ambiguous studies of loss became, instead, first-rate pop songs.
A classic example of this is "Misunderstanding", which not only was the group's first big hit of the Eighties, but also seemed to set the tone for the rest of the decade.
Duke was followed almost immediately by ABACAB, yet another weapon in an increasingly impressive musical arsenal. Once again the songs reflect dark emotions, focusing on people who feel lost or are in conflict.
Sound depressing? Hardly. The production and sound, courtesy of producer Hugh Padgham, are gleaming and upbeat. One of my favorite songs, "Who Dunnit?" profoundly expresses the theme of confusion over a funky groove and what makes this song so exciting is that it ends with its narrator never finding anything out at all--
