Over a career spanning more than five decades, Phil Collins has developed a complex relationship with his own catalogue, particularly songs he perceives as departures from his genuine artistic identity. His landmark solo album No Jacket Required, whilst commercially successful, became a point of reflection where he acknowledged feeling creatively compromised, having worked with musicians to accomplish sounds he felt incapable of producing himself at that time.

This disconnection proved especially acute with the 1981 Genesis composition 'Abacab', a track that marked the band's pivot toward pop accessibility and was rooted in themes of romantic turmoil and mistrust. When preparing the Genesis reunion tour in 2007, Collins made the deliberate choice to exclude the song from performance, later explaining that he had abandoned it mid-rehearsal, stating he no longer understood its emotional core or felt driven to sing it.