February 2, 1976 - A Trick Of The Tail

A month after my last release and a little over a year since "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" Genesis released their seventh album "A Trick Of The Tail" on February 2, 1976. During the tour for their previous album, lead singer Peter Gabriel decided to quit Genesis and start a solo career. This was quite the devastating move as Gabriel's singing and lyrics were such a huge part of the band and many critics at the time thought that Genesis would not survive without him. The rest of the members were determined to prove that they could still make great progressive music and started to write new songs. They auditioned several people as a possible replacement for Gabriel but were not satisfied with anyone. Drummer Phil Collins had sung a couple songs on previous albums but did not want to stop being the drummer. He reluctantly sang lead vocals for one of the songs and the rest of the band really liked it and suggested that he become their new lead singer. Collins does all lead vocals and drums on this album but they thought it would be difficult to replicate live properly. For the ensuing tour they got the amazing Bill Bruford to play drums while Collins acted as frontman. Those must have been some great shows! Would Genesis prove the media wrong and show they still have what it takes? Let's find out! 

The album begins with "Dance On A Volcano" and Steve Hackett starts it off with a light guitar riff as Tony Banks adds some trippy keyboards. Collins comes in with a nice drum fill as they complete this light rock riff. Collins' vocals are good as his voice is a bit similar to Gabriel's. He seems like the ideal replacement for sure and he was there the whole time! His drumming is pretty solid as always and Banks and Hackett sync up for an epic riff. After a couple verses they move to a new part led by some more cool keyboards by Banks. Collins really does sound like Gabriel as this certainly still feels like a Genesis song even if it does lack a bit of punch to it. They must have heard me because at the end of this part they start a much faster, much cooler instrumental bit. All four members are playing some quick stuff in this part and it sounds pretty sweet! Bass, guitar, keyboards and drums all sound great together as they end this song with one final slow riff. The next song is "Entangled" and Hackett kicks it off with another light guitar riff as Collins sings nicely along to this slow riff. Mike Rutherford plays 12-string guitar on this song and the two guitars sound really nice together. This also sounds like a classic Genesis slow song as they are successfully showing they can exist without Gabriel. The acoustics sound pretty good and so does Collins' voice as he hits some high notes. The two guitars stop syncing and go off on their own parts in this new section as Banks plays some interesting keyboards that sound kind of eerie. It's a cool part that sounds very epic with Hackett and Rutherford continuing their nice acoustics. This goes on until the end of this pretty cool light rock song. Track 3 is called "Squonk" and this was the song that Collins sung first that impressed his bandmates so much. Hackett plays a catchy guitar riff and Rutherford plays a heavy bass riff to carry this song. Collins sings pretty quickly in this one, just as Gabriel used to, and I agree that he sounds pretty great. His drumming is pretty great as well and Banks joins in on some synths that complete this cool rock riff. Banks switches to piano for a brief softer part, then it's back to the epic synths. They jam out to this riff for a while and briefly go back to the softer part, but it's more of the same. It's a pretty good riff, but Genesis seem content to just lightly rock along instead of what we know they're capable of so far. The first side ends with "Mad Man Moon" as Banks starts this one off with some slow piano that sounds pretty good as Collins sings lightly overtop. Banks plays Mellotron as well to add the orchestral sounds to this beautiful riff. Like the rest of side one, Genesis are playing some nice soft rock, but it all seems very light and fluffy. Banks' great piano playing segues into a new part where he changes to some much faster keyboard playing. It sounds pretty awesome as he plays speedy piano with one hand while adding some different keyboards with his other hand. This part reaches out and grabs you and it's this more complex, progressive Genesis that I like and that they seem to be moving away from a bit. Banks plays lots of great stuff in this section and they move nicely into a new fast rock riff that's still led by Banks' piano. They bring it back to the main riff for another soft verse and chorus. It ends as it began as Banks plays out this cool tune.

Side two begins with "Robbery, Assault And Battery..." and Banks leads the way with some trippy, cool synths as Collins attempts to tell a story in this song just as Gabriel used to do. He doesn't do different voices for different characters, but his voice still sounds pretty good and his drumming does as well. He adds some nice fills to this beat and it gets a bit heavier in the chorus with Hackett playing some cool guitar. The verse has a pretty catchy beat and this song sounds the most like their old stuff so far I think, which is a good thing for sure. Banks goes off for a keyboard solo that is reminiscent of his stuff on "The Lamb" and it sounds amazing! Collins plays some speedy drums and Rutherford's quick bass playing sounds sweet as well. Banks wicked solo segues brilliantly into this piano-led rock riff before switching back to some more epic synths! This is the Genesis I'm talkin' about! The final verse sounds a bit different with some cool drums and piano as we hear a lot of layered Phil voices! They end it with a cool little guitar and keyboard bit as this was definitely my favourite song on the album so far. The next song is "Ripples...", the longest song on the album at just over 8 minutes. Collins sings softly along with some light acoustic guitar and piano and Rutherford plays 12-string guitar again on this song as he and Hackett both play some cool stuff. This riff is pretty well done despite it lacking some bite as Banks plays some repetitive but decent piano. A little after the 4 minute mark Banks speeds up on piano playing a cool riff that carries this new part. We hear some cool synths and guitar overtop in this solid instrumental part. Collins keeps a quick beat as well in this extended part, then they bring it back to the chorus for some more slow jamming to finish out the song. Track 7 is the title track, "A Trick Of The Tail" and Banks plays a catchy piano riff to lead this song and Hackett and Rutherford add some decent guitar and bass respectively. Collins vocals sound more focused in this song and he sounds similar to Gabriel once again. This is another cool rock riff, but throughout this whole album Genesis seem content to be average and they never really turn it up for a cool solo or something else that makes you take notice. The riff isn't bad, but repeated a dozen times it does start to get stale. The final song is called "Los Endos" and it opens with some trippy guitar, keyboards and percussion as Collins takes it away with a really fast drum beat. It sounds pretty great as the rest of the band plays some slow, heavy notes on top. Hackett speeds it up a bit with some cool guitar and Collins drumming is spectacular! It moves to a new riff with Collins hitting all the cymbals as Banks leads the way with some cool keyboards. Rutherford's bass is great as well as everyone is really showing their stuff in this one! We hear some wicked keyboards by Banks and Collins drumming continues to really impress. They are making me take notice of every second of this song as this is where Genesis sound their best I think. It's a very epic, mostly instrumental song as they connect all these great parts together beautifully. It slowly fades out to end the album as I thought this was surely one of the better songs.

That is the end of "A Trick Of The Tail" and I thought it was a good album, albeit a much more relaxed and lighter rock than previously. There were a couple songs that were above average but most of this album was a little too soft for me and I thought the other songs really lacked the wow factor that was all over their previous albums. Speaking of, how does this compare to their work with Peter Gabriel as lead singer? Excluding their first album that I don't have, I don't think this new album is even as good as "Trespass" which I previously thought was their least best album. This new Genesis still has a lot of talent and I bet their next record will improve as they adapt to their new frontman. This day is not over yet though as we have another double feature!