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 Some tracks on this album are awesome, like "Taking It All Too Hard", "Silver Rainbow", and "Just A Job To Do". The song "It's Gonna Get Better" is pretty weak, but still all in all I think this is a good CD. You could probably find this in the used section of a record store because many people get bored of Genesis and sell the CDs back.
The first track called Mama begins this CD with a very haunting theme with rumbling drums and then creepy wobbly keyboard playing comes in with Phil's sonic biting vocals. The song ultimately becomes an awesome hard rocking number with those signature Collins drum style. I just love Phils somewhat sinister "HA! HA!" laugh although I'm not surprised if some fans were turned off a bit. That's All could as well be the catchiest song that Genesis has ever recorded. It's a semi-ballad with an incredibly catchy beat and electrifying keyboard production. There's no way anyone can listen to this song and not feel the urge to tap one's foot when listening to it. After the vocals stop the beat speeds up a bit with absolutely fun organ playing and clapping beats. That's All I believe was the main hit off this CD. Home By The Sea is an ominous rocker about that of a burglar who breaks into a house only to find that it's actually haunted with ghosts. The bridge in the middle and the ending are gorgeous with the ambient and the waving guitar riffs. The bridge between this and track 4 is haunting and gorgeous. Second Home By The Sea is basically the second part of the song but is mostly instrumental with a more drum machine beat and a more electronic atmosphere. The echoing cymbals at the ending are electrifying. These two songs harken back to Genesis prog-rock roots so they never abandoned it. Illegal Alien gets some bad rap from a lot of reviewers which is unfortunate because it's actually a great song about the psychological effects of being an alien in a strange place with strange culture. I can relate all to well to this song at times as many listen to awful rap starts of the time, I listen to Genesis. Taking It All Too Hard is a very nice slow song that is not too much different than that of In Too Deep. Just A Job To Do is a scorching rock number with Phil singing fierce vocals. This song is the virtual twin of Land Of Confusion. Judging form the lyrics, it's the tale of gangster life during the Prohibition Era and the dangers between rival gangs. Silver Rainbow is another that unfortunately gets bad rap from reviewers as it's actually one of the strongest tracks on here. It starts with clinging beats and industrial steam machines and blasts into a catchy dance track with production that's well ahead of it's time. The last track, It's Gonna Get Better, is an amazing closer to the "shapes" record. It's a song about hope and the possibility of improvement. The bizarre synth crescendos at the beginning merge into strange phase shifting organs are like those off the Wind & Wuthering LP. This 1983 eponymous is one of the best albums that Genesis made during the PC era and is in fact well ahead of it's time, even more so than Invisible Touch. I know that many are gonna look at me strange but if you have this CD, get Selling England By The Pound next if you want to take a big dive into some totally different Genesis territory. There's so much this band has offered than just this one album. You can't go wrong with any of their albums.
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Message to so-called Genesis fans, Message to so-called Genesis fans: This album is not an average 80s throwaway album . In fact, it's one of the most enduring albums that Genesis have ever made. I have no idea of why this CD is getting so many negative reviews because it it absolutely an amazing album and is in fact one of the bands strongest albums(during the Phil Collins era) that they've ever released. It's one of their most polished and poppiest albums they've ever released but that does not diminish they're unforgettable talent. Probably their least prog-rock oriented album to date(I still have a long way before buying all of their albums) but even still they haven't abandoned their prog-rock roots on here. In fact, they never deserted their style in the first place. Home By The Sea and Second Home By The Sea prove that. Let's face it, it was like 1983, electronic instruments were everywhere and it was nearly impossible for Genesis to not be influenced by them. True, as I listen to very early works like Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound, I do wonder what it would've been like if the band maintained their classic line-up but when it came to bowing the pressures of the New Wave movement, Genesis did like no other band did at that point. The only flaw to this album is that the bass is quite weak and it's difficult to hear the pounding bass like that of Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance and Calling All Stations. Phil Collins vocals are incredible on every song especially on That's All, Just A Job To Do and Silver Rainbow. Underneath all the polished production lies lots of intelligent Genesis music with crisp vocals, and sonic bite instead of the plastic voice amplifications of post-1998 pop of now. Many complain that side two is weak but I have to strongly object to that is the truth is the entire LP is strong from the rumbling beats of Mama to the whispering synths of the closing track It's Gonna Get Better. In fact this CD was well ahead of it's time and I actually find myself enjoying this even more than Invisible Touch and that album is another favorite of mine. The album cover art is a photograph of a game where the shapes have to be put into the right shaped hole before the time runs out and the shape holding lever pops back out.(I don't remember what the game is called) . I might sound odd but the album cover in fact, set's the mood of this LP. 
this is better than abacab and invisible touch, although not as good as the W&W and seconds out days. there are good tracks on this album and some long 'epic' feel tracks, but the end of the album ( silver rainbow, just a job to do, taking it all to hard ) are just pure boring, they all sound like the bad stuff from abacab.
