"Abacab" is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 18 September 1981 by Charisma Records. Following their 1980 tour for the album Duke, the band took a break before reconvening in 1981 to write and record new material. Abacab is notable as the first Genesis album recorded at The Farm, a studio purchased by the band in Chiddingfold, Surrey. This album marked a shift from their progressive rock roots towards a more accessible, pop-oriented sound, reflecting their desire to explore new musical directions.
The album received a largely positive critical response and achieved significant commercial success. It became Genesis's second number-one LP on the UK Albums Chart and reached No. 7 on the US Billboard 200, making it their first album to break into the top ten in the US. The singles from Abacab included the title track "Abacab" and "No Reply at All," both of which were particularly successful.
Abacab was certified gold in the UK and double platinum in the US, having sold over two million copies there. The accompanying Abacab Tour covered North America and Europe in 1981, with recordings from this tour later featured on the 1982 live album and concert video Three Sides Live. Three tracks not included on the original album were released on the EP 3×3. In 2007, Abacab was reissued with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes.
In June 1980, the Genesis lineup, consisting of drummer and singer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford, along with touring drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer, concluded their 1980 tour in support of their tenth album, Duke. After a period of rest, the band purchased Fisher Lane Farm near Chiddingfold, Surrey, in November 1980. This farmhouse, with an adjoining cowshed, was transformed into their new private rehearsal and recording facility.
As they remodeled the building into a studio, Collins, Banks, and Rutherford began writing and rehearsing new material in the farmhouse’s living room. Recording for the album commenced in March 1981 once the studio was fully operational. Abacab represents the first Genesis album recorded in England since A Trick of the Tail (1976).
By the time of recording Abacab, the success of Phil Collins's solo debut album, Face Value (1981), was gaining momentum. Despite this, Banks noted that Collins's solo work did not significantly impact the sound or style of Abacab or affect the dynamics between him, Rutherford, and Collins, who had long-standing friendships.
