Abacab
by Genesis

Abacab by Genesis
Year: 1981
Overall rank: 2,143rd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
70/100 (from 319 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1981 (33rd)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (325th)
Award Best albums of all time (2,143rd)

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Product Details
Availability

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Abacab- Genesis New and Factory Sealed -Remastered-CD
Condition: Brand New


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Vintage Genesis Abacab 12" Black Vinyl LP 1981 Anti SD 19313 Rock Pop Album
Condition: Used


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Genesis 1976 - 1982 CD + DVD Box Set Missing One Disc From Abacab Plus 9 Others
Condition: Good

$185.00


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Genesis bestography

Abacab is ranked 11th best out of 34 albums by Genesis on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Genesis is Selling England By The Pound which is ranked number 125 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 10,457.

Genesis album bestography « Higher ranked (1,428th)
Genesis
This album (2,143rd)
Abacab
Lower ranked (2,196th) »
...And Then There Were Three

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Abacab rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 2,143rd | 1980s rank: 325th | 1981 rank: 33rd

Abacab collection

Abacab ratings

Average Rating: 
70/100 (from 319 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 319 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
02/10/2026 16:31 Joost1223  Ratings distribution  2882/100
 
100/100
 
01/26/2026 23:21 UofTBlues  Ratings distribution  3,62271/100
 
50/100
 
01/24/2026 17:51 Bluedog  Ratings distribution  16573/100
 
65/100
 
12/25/2025 16:06 Juneof44  Ratings distribution  2,57569/100
 
70/100
 
12/05/2025 16:09 Araldo  Ratings distribution  1,47180/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 70.3/100, a mean average of 69.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 70.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.6.

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Abacab comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 15 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 05/08/2023 19:39 | #296758
I am one of those rare individuals who can enjoy Foxtrot and Abacab in equal measure, probably because a huge part of my vinyl collection is prog and an equally sizeable measure is eighties electro pop. This is a good album and it is progressive in that it is not hanging on to the seventies but embracing the new decade.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/17/2022 16:32 | #279567
A new sound and it pays off. The music is stripped back and kind of raw but the album has a great energy. I think it's a very underrated album and incredibly progressive by not resting on their laurels. They are applauded by me for trying new things.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 05/16/2021 18:40 | #269843
Pretty damn good. It slogs at the end, but from a music theory standpoint, there'a still plenty to enjoy. Much better than more popular albums of 1981.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 07/31/2020 15:03 | #256523
This is the album where you can tell that Genesis had fully embraced pop. It came in varying levels of success (No Reply at All, Man on the Corner: pretty good! Like It or Not, Another Record: not so much), but the fact that Genesis was able to fit right in with the sound while also adopting elements of new wave in the process is pretty impressive, and the enhanced production value only makes it better. Some Genesis fans might tell you that they completely abandoned prog by this point, but that's not true. The title track, the second half of Me and Sarah Jane, and Dodo/Lurker all have some fine prog or prog-inspired moments. Overall, Abacab is uneven with the highs being somewhat high and the lows being pretty low (*ahem* Who Dunnit?), but it's not bad record at all, and it's not one that you should skip if you're considering getting into Genesis.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 10/28/2018 15:04 | #223431
Worst than any earlier Genesis album. Much worse indeed. 5/10.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 01/18/2017 15:17 | #183220
Beyond the poppiness and hits, Me & Sarah Jane and Like it Or Not are two of my favorite Genesis songs. A super solid album ridiculously well produced.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/30/2016 05:35 | #170175
The title track has one of the best call & response guitar/synth conversations ever recorded. Explosive song and probably Genesis' last interesting album. Holds up well.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 06/21/2016 13:03 | #169343
Not bad Genesis album, but as with each release from this record on they sound more and more like a Phil Collins solo combo. Although, keep it dark, is one of the better eighties sings from the band. As far as the album was concerned, the past is the past.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/31/2015 12:55 | #133321
Genesis période pop : pas au top mais comme je suis fan.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 10/17/2014 21:54 | #124684
very similar to the 'Duke' album play them back to back you got a Double album best tracks here 'Keep It Dark' and title track 'Abacab'
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1981
1. Moving Pictures by Rush
2. Computerwelt by Kraftwerk
3. Discipline by King Crimson
4. Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
5. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno & David Byrne
6. Time by Electric Light Orchestra
7. Dare by The Human League
8. Faith by The Cure
9. Damaged by Black Flag
10. Deceit by This Heat
11. Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones
12. Youth Of America by Wipers
13. Ghost In The Machine by The Police
14. Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
15. The Ascension by Glenn Branca
16. Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen
17. Face Value by Phil Collins
18. Killers by Iron Maiden
19. Nightclubbing by Grace Jones
20. Movement by New Order
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