There are few groups in the classic-rock canon with a more divisive discography than Genesis.

On one hand, there’s no arguing that they helped create the template for prog-rock and made some of the genre’s most essential albums. But on the other, after Phil Collins came out from behind the drums to take over departing singer Peter Gabriel’s place, the Genesis sound gradually grew less and less progressive, until the band became a straight-up pop act. Good luck finding anybody out there who’s equally enamored of both sides of the band’s story. Still, that doesn’t mean they simply started out awesome and devolved with each album; it’s more complicated than that, which is exactly where the ranking of every Genesis album comes in handy.

There are plenty of other ways in which the Genesis discography occupies a distinct place in rock history as well. They’re one of the few bands that became more popular after replacing their first beloved frontman (and that’s not even getting into the fact that second singer Collins eventually achieved greater solo success than Gabriel to boot). And they’re surely the only band to emerge from the first-generation British prog-rock scene that had one of their biggest hits in the ‘90s (1991’s “I Can’t Dance”).

But beyond all the history-making, record-breaking and such, the Genesis canon — the records for which they’ll really be remembered — occupies an unusually long stretch of their career, arguably from the early-prog paradise of 1970’s Trespass to the minimalist reinvention of 1981’s Abacab. That’s a mighty accomplishment for any band, as you'll see in the following list of Genesis Albums Ranked Worst to Best.

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