Genesis - A trick of the tail

[Art Rock]

Genesis - A trick of the tail (Studio Album, 1976)
Category: Progressive rock

1. Dance On A Volcano (5:53)
2. Entangled (6:28)
3. Squonk (6:27)
4. Mad Man Moon (7:35)
5. Robbery, Assault & Battery (6:15)
6. Ripples (8:03)
7. A Trick Of The Tail (4:34)
8. Los Endos (5:46)

Total Time: 51:06

1984 CD Virgin/Charisma CDSCD 4001

The album that proved everyone wrong. There WAS life in Genesis after Peter Gabriel left. Who'd have thought that the same Phil Collins whose More fool me on Selling England by the pound was such a disgrace on a perfect album, would turn out to be the ideal replacement for Gabriel on vocals?

1. Dance On A Volcano (5:53) "We are back with a vengeance". Very good album opener, full of life and dyamics, excellently sung by Phil. 8,5/10

2. Entangled (6:28) Awesome. One of the all-time great songs, a tender ballad writen by Banks and Hacket. Beautiful, the way the songs ends in instrumental majesty. 10/10

3. Squonk (6:27) One of the weirdest songs in the Genesis prog catalogue, this story of a legendary animal that once caught dissolves in tears. Some people list this as thweir favourite Genesis track, and I can see why (although I do not fully agree). 9/10

4. Mad Man Moon (7:35) Pure class. Progressive rock, yes any pop/rock, does not come better than this to my taste. The instrumental parts of this Banks gem are gorgeous, right from the intimate flute play at the start. And Phil Collins shows what a fine voice he has for symphonic rock, delivering catching lines like "forever caught in desert lands one has to learn to disbelieve the sea" with great panache. 10/10

5. Robbery, Assault & Battery (6:15) The track that for me is the least interesting. it is not bad, but I can find nothing outstanding about it. 7/10

6. Ripples (8:03) Once more, Genesis manage to get a third absolute classic song on one album, an amaing performance. More than any other track on this album, this song pushes their sound in a more direct, less fanciful direction. Ripples is an epic ballad about the perceived threat of growing old. The lyrics alternate verses that mourn the passing of beauty which comes with getting older ("The face that launched a thousand ships is sinking fast - that happens, you know") with a chorus that uses the image of ripples disappearing across a pond for the aging process ("Sail away, away - ripples never come back"). The music maintains the low-key mood of the lyrics: its gentle melody with verses that drift high and low with a yearning chorus that floats off into the ether. 10/10

7. A Trick Of The Tail (4:34) Often quoted as the weakest track, but I disagree. It is a bit more simple than most, but with its catchy melodies and interesting lyrics, this is always a joy to listen to. For me, at least. 9/10

8. Los Endos (5:46) A fine instrumental ending to an absolute masterpiece. 8/10

After Selling England by the pound, the best Genesis album for me, and clearly in my top 10 of all time, even in pop/rock in general. Six out of six stars, for sure.

Review first published under my other web name Dragon Phoenix at Progarchives.

[Progger58]

Hey, congratulations for the great review!!!

This is, by the way, one of my personal favorite Genesis recordings.

Keep on proggin'

Demetrio.

[ses]

Thanks from me too. A friend try to learn me prog and special Genesis. I try to give him classical pleasure.

Tomorrow they play in Denmark, my friend is there!

[JohnM]

It's a great album, isn't it? The follow-up, Wind And Wuthering is a great album too, maybe not quite as good but ends with one of my favourite songs ever - Afterglow.

I'm off to see them in Manchester next weekend!

[rojo]

I agree!

Gabriel and Collins sound quite alike. I`m not in either 'camp', I like both. But my fav is The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Love that song. (and Carpet Crawlers too)

[Deeru Piotr]

I love this record, but what I miss in it are the wonderful lyrics Peter Gabriel wrote
While Squonk is a bit of a child tale what Gabriel wrote are surrealistic movies full of powerful images (you can note I'm a big Peter Gabriel fan), he made the songs much more meaningful and beautiful with what he sung, the songs in this record are nothing more than a handful of witty little tales

I love Ripples, Mad man moon and some others though