Genesis-Abacab (1981)

Genesis's commercial orientation didn't begin, as many claim, with their 1980s albums. In reality, this trend started rather subtly with Peter Gabriel's departure years earlier, first with the catchy "Ripples" from the 1976 album "A Trick of the Tail", followed by "Your Own Special Way" ("Wind and Wuthering" 1976), a track clearly aimed at radio success, and finally with the pop-rock "Follow You, Follow Me" from the album "...And Then There Were Three..." (1978). Thus, with their next album, "Duke" (1980), the band, composed of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks, delved almost entirely into less complex and ambitious sounds, producing a work that wisely blended a series of semi-progressive songs with others of a distinctly pop-rock nature. A year later, the trio capitalized on the media buzz surrounding Phil Collins and his successful "Face Value" to follow a considerably similar path, with a few exceptions, releasing their eleventh album, "Abacab". From the opening title track, the band completely sheds its past, showcasing an energetic and rhythmic piece where Banks' synthesizers, Rutherford's galloping bass, and Collins' sharp vocals combine to create an epic song with a certain progressive feel. This track, along with the brilliant "Me and Sarah Jane", represents the album's most elaborate moments, though they don't detract from other songs like the infectious "No Reply at All", the eccentric "Keep It Dark", and the dark and dynamic "Dodo/Lurker". The rest of the album consists of a series of songs that sound more like outtakes from Collins' solo work than anything else, such as "Like It Or Not", "Another Record", and "Man on The Corner". Ultimately, this was the group's riskiest proposal up to that point, creating a work full of highs and lows that would commercially achieve several platinum records and more than two million copies sold worldwide.