The debate over when Genesis “went pop” is a dubious one. The group’s transition from progressive rock band with a cult following to ubiquitous Top-40 powerhouse was a gradual one, and even their most commercially successful album Invisible Touch has elements of prog. If you’re searching for the moment when the balance between prog and pop shifted towards the latter, you’ll find it on Genesis’ 1983 self-titled album.
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Also known as the “Shapes” album due to the bright yellow plastic shapes that adorn the record’s cover, Genesis contains the band’s first Top-10 single on the Billboard Hot 100, “That’s All.” It does not include any track that lasts as long as seven minutes (unless you combine “Home by the Sea” and “Second Home by the Sea,” which segue into one another). It’s also the beginning of a run of three straight albums where at least half of the tracks received substantial radio airplay. For the first time, the trio of Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford wrote every song collaboratively, and of Genesis’ more pop-oriented albums, it features their most consistent songwriting.
Because Genesis is nearly devoid of clunkers—“Illegal Alien” being a notable exception—it’s not easy to boil the album’s songs down to a top five. However, if you only have time to listen to five of the album’s nine tracks, these are the ones to target.
5. “Home by the Sea”
“Home by the Sea” was one of only three tracks on the album for which keyboardist Tony Banks wrote lyrics. In the past, Banks’ compositions could get a little wordy, but he took a different approach on “Home by the Sea,” “Second Home by the Sea,” and “Silver Rainbow.” Just prior to making Genesis, Banks released his second solo album The Fugitive on which he sang all of the vocals. From that experience, he learned the importance of simpler, cleaner vocal melodies. As a result, “Home by the Sea” is one of the catchiest, most singable songs that Banks wrote lyrics for.
Both “Home by the Sea” and “Second Home by the Sea” benefit from being played in a single sitting. The former gives the song a hook and a storyline, while the mostly instrumental latter amplifies the story’s drama.
4. “Mama”
The biggest downside to the album’s opening track is its subject matter—a teenage boy’s obsession with a sex worker—is beyond creepy. That said, Genesis has created a suitably creepy soundtrack for the tale. “Mama” has several of the hallmarks of 1980s Genesis. There is a distinctive drum machine loop, gated drum fills, layers of synths, and a shout-singing vocal performance from Collins, which includes a guttural laugh meant to be a nod to “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The key to “Mama” is its perfectly paced dramatic buildup. We’ve heard Genesis and Phil Collins use this device before, but it is executed so well that it still packs a punch after repeated listens.
3. “Just a Job to Do”
Genesis never released “Just a Job to Do” as a single, but it’s as good a piece of pop songwriting as they ever made. (It did get to No. 10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.) It’s got a killer hook, a nonstop groove, and a convincing vocal performance from Collins. While the trio does a great job of setting the mood for this story about a hit man, their performance relies even more on their impressive chops than on atmosphere. Rutherford’s bass line in particular is jaw-dropping.
2. “It’s Gonna Get Better”
Genesis frequently closed out their albums with epic prog compositions, but with “It’s Gonna Get Better,” they went for a completely different vibe. The song begins with a woozy blend of four notes sampled from the cello part of an Aram Khachaturian suite. Banks layered ethereal keyboards over the cello sample, and from there, the song maintains a mesmerizing feel throughout. It would be an utterly satisfying song if it stuck to the verse-chorus structure for its entirety, but just before the outro, Genesis throws us a curve with possibly the most beautiful bridge section they ever wrote.
1. “That’s All”
Many longtime Genesis fans putting this album on for the first time were likely disappointed to hear this straightforward pop song come up as the second track. Probably to their chagrin, it sounded unlike anything they had done before—even including hit singles like “Follow You, Follow Me” and “Misunderstanding.” Those who never got over Genesis creating a new sound for “That’s All” have missed out on a piece of pop perfection. At every turn, Collins and Rutherford find ways to complement Banks’ gorgeous piano melody. Banks himself lays down a beautiful and understated organ solo over his own piano chords in the middle of song. The highlight, however, is the outro, where Banks and Rutherford play interlocking solos. It’s a different kind of magic than the type they created back in the band’s earlier days, but it’s magical all the same.
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