Moments of Genesis are as spooky and
arty as those on Abacab
-- in particular, there's the tortured howl of "Mama," uncannily reminiscent of
Phil Collins' Face Value, and the
two-part "Second Home by the Sea" -- but this eponymous 1983 album is indeed a
rebirth, as so many self-titled albums delivered in the thick of a band's career
often are. Here the art rock functions as coloring to the pop songs, unlike on
Abacab and Duke, where the reverse is
true. Some of this may be covering their bets -- to ensure that the longtime
fans didn't jump ship, they gave them a bit of art -- some of it may be that the
band just couldn't leave prog behind, but the end result is the same: as of this
record, Genesis was
now primarily a pop band. Anybody who paid attention to "Misunderstanding" and
"No Reply at All" could tell that this was a good pop band, primarily thanks to
the rapidly escalating confidence of Phil Collins, but
Genesis illustrates
just how good they could be, by balancing such sleek, pulsating pop tunes as
"That's All" with a newfound touch for aching ballads, as on "Taking It All Too
Hard." They still rocked -- "Just a Job to Do" has an almost nasty edge to its
propulsion -- and they could still get too silly as on "Illegal Alien," where Phil's Speedy Gonzalez
accident is an outright embarrassment (although in some ways it's not all that
far removed from his Artful Dodger accent on the previous album's "Who
Dunnit?"), and that's why the album doesn't quite gel. It has a little bit too
much of everything -- too much pop, too much art, too much silliness -- so it
doesn't pull together, but if taken individually, most of these moments are very
strong, testaments to the increasing confidence and pop power of the trio, even
if it's not quite what longtime fans might care to hear.
Released
3 October 1983
Recorded
February – August 1983 at The Farm, Surrey
Length
45:59
Label:
Charisma (original UK
release)Virgin (UK re-release)Atlantic
(USA)Vertigo (South
America)
Producer:
Genesis,
Hugh Padgham
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By H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia)
Genesis don't so much continue the trend of 'Abacab' for the Shapes album....it's more that they expand it in different directions. In my opinion, this album is more varied and interesting than 'Abacab', both because it tries more things, and because the results are more mixed. The band moves deeper into pop, deeper into their prog-rock roots, and (unfortunately) deeper into bland adult contemporary territory. They also are beginning to develop the slightly self-conscious sense of humour that would characterise songs such as 'We Can't Dance'.
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By H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia)
Genesis don't so much continue the trend of 'Abacab' for the Shapes album....it's more that they expand it in different directions. In my opinion, this album is more varied and interesting than 'Abacab', both because it tries more things, and because the results are more mixed. The band moves deeper into pop, deeper into their prog-rock roots, and (unfortunately) deeper into bland adult contemporary territory. They also are beginning to develop the slightly self-conscious sense of humour that would characterise songs such as 'We Can't Dance'.
The album is quite front-loaded, with its first four songs among its best. 'Mama' is a personal favourite, and one of their best songs. Driven by a heavily processed drum beat and eerie keyboard lines, this unsettling song features an outstanding vocal performance from Phil, particularly on the final verses. 'That's All' was the poppiest song Genesis had recorded to date, yet still contained some faint traces of prog such as tempo shifts. 'Home By The Sea' and 'Second Home By The Sea' are the clearest examples of old-school Genesis, combining extended story telling with complex instrumentation.
After that, things are a bit mixed. The closer 'It's Gonna Get Better' is an intelligent prog-influenced ballad, with strong bass presence, dreamy keyboard washes, and shifts from minor to major keys. 'Just A Job To Do' is one of my favourites, a strong pop/rock song with a powerful chorus. 'Illegal Alien' is a guilty pleasure, a silly but fun song with a catchy melody. 'Silver Rainbow' and 'Taking It All Too Hard', though, are pretty uninteresting; the latter seems to look forward to similar uninspiring ballads such as 'In Too Deep' and 'Hold On My Heart'.
Despite these few mis-steps, Shapes is pretty good. It's one of those albums that isn't quite as consistent as it could be, but whose best moments easily make up for the less successful songs. And the sheer variety of different ideas and styles on the album (even if they don't all come off) prove the band are far from out of ideas, and are continuing to search for new ways to push their music forward.
After that, things are a bit mixed. The closer 'It's Gonna Get Better' is an intelligent prog-influenced ballad, with strong bass presence, dreamy keyboard washes, and shifts from minor to major keys. 'Just A Job To Do' is one of my favourites, a strong pop/rock song with a powerful chorus. 'Illegal Alien' is a guilty pleasure, a silly but fun song with a catchy melody. 'Silver Rainbow' and 'Taking It All Too Hard', though, are pretty uninteresting; the latter seems to look forward to similar uninspiring ballads such as 'In Too Deep' and 'Hold On My Heart'.
Despite these few mis-steps, Shapes is pretty good. It's one of those albums that isn't quite as consistent as it could be, but whose best moments easily make up for the less successful songs. And the sheer variety of different ideas and styles on the album (even if they don't all come off) prove the band are far from out of ideas, and are continuing to search for new ways to push their music forward.
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