Genesis [Vinyl LP]

Ever since Genesis was reduced down to the trio of Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford, the former prog-rock giants had made a concerted effort to streamline their music into more bite-sized pop portions. GENESIS was an important bridge to this goal. Coupled with frontman/drummer Collins' burgeoning solo career and the emergence of MTV, the band soon gained a higher profile in the eyes of the record buying public. Genesis' prosperity, along with the solo success of individual members (particularly Collins) meant that GENESIS became part of a decade-long cycle in which band album releases alternated with those by Phil Collins.
Driven by Banks' simple keyboard lines, "That's All" became the album's first hit and first of three videos shot for MTV. The other two, the ominous "Mama" and the humorous "Illegal Alien" both helped bolster the band's pop visibility. Although the Jan Hammer-flavored "Just a Job to Do" wasn't made into a video, this hard-driving song was later incorporated into an episode of the television program Miami Vice. Despite the obvious stylistic changes, art-rock elements still popped up particularly in "Home By the Sea" and the sequel, "Second Home By the Sea."