Ah… the 80s. I think it was inevitable that all those great bands from the 70s looked around at each other in the 80s and said “Well, we’ve got all this great new recording technology. Recordings can sound better than they ever have. New advances in even stereo equipment and vinyl pressing can make everything sound so much more clear and vivid than before. Let’s make horribly bland music that sucks more ass than an automatic ass sucking machine!”
I imagine Phil Collins saying this. As a matter of fact, I imagine him and hundreds of other influential 80s “rock stars” gathered together and all dressed as druids in a cavernous auditorium. The cloaked, balding head of Phil Collins catches the flickering torchlight for a moment as he raises his unique voice in a loud cry…
“Pepsi! It’s the choice of a new generation!”
And as in a church service, the gathered “musicians” stand tall and shout back “Coke! It’s the real thing!”
Phil leans his head back and shows his fang-like teeth as he cackles a truly evil sounding laugh… later sampled in the Genesis song “Mama”.
I KNOW this happened. I fucking know it. If you’ve ever heard music from the 70s, and then listened to music from the 80s, you fucking know it too. DON’T DENY IT!!!
Phil Collins still has his black woolen Druid cloak in his closet. He has donned it on many an occasion, oddly enough right before a new solo Phil Collins album came out.
“And with this new record… the bar is set even LOWER!!! MWUA-HA-HA-HAAA-HAAAA-HAAAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAA!!!!”
That’s about as much insulting Phil Collins as I’ll do.
Today.
Truth be known, I fucking LOVE his voice, and due to the work he did in the 70s, he is my favorite drummer of all time. In fact, he sang on my favorite Genesis album of all time, which is my very favoritist album of all time, “A Trick of the Tail.”
So I am a HUGE Phil Collins fan……
Except for what he did solo… and with Genesis in the 80s… and 90s… I actually haven’t heard the reunion tour recordings from 2007.
Sooner or later, you’d think I’d get around to talking about the actual song. Sorry.
“Dodo” is, IHMO (In High Mumble Opinion) the best song on the album. Notice how I’m far to lazy to make text bold, and instead I break the rules of proper grammar and discourse and CAPITALIZE THE STUFF THAT SHOULD BE BOLDED?
SEE HOW FUCKING ANNOYING THIS IS?
Lazy, that’s me. Anyway… This song has 2 parts: Dodo / Lurker. Both on their own would be the best on the dreary Abacab album, but together (and with Me and Sarah Jane) they made it worth me actually buying again on CD.
I have all the Genesis albums after Abacab copied from cassettes I bought. I can completely remove the tape hiss and make them (IHMO) as good as the CD versions… especially because I didn’t go and pay for them again.
As you are no doubt listening to the tune right now and just skimming this blog post to get past the huge amount of unrelated bullshit I’m piling on, you will probably be up to the part where Phil says:
MEANWHILE, LURKING BY A STONE IN THE MUD… TWO EYES LOOKED TO SEE… WHAT I WAS. AND THEN, SOMETHING SPOKE… AND THIS IS WHAT IT SAID TO ME…
And then that jaunty, bouncy, and phalkley (I made up that last word) synth part takes over. I don’t really have much to say about this song, except that it’s adventurous. Sadly, the only adventures Genesis would take from this point in their career onward was the adventure of trying to write simple, catchy pop with which to sell albums.
And Michelob beer. No soft drinks for these boys… Just Michelob beer.
One more thing before I stop typing, as you have (no doubt) quit reading several paragraphs above….. “Sarah Jane” is the name of one of Dr. Who’s companions from the 70s. I haven’t watched much Dr. Who, but I do know that in an episode called “Android Invasion”, Sarah Jane was replaced by an android. That android not only got her facemask knocked off (ladies who do that win my heart!) but she had a nice plump butt.
Ah, love.