A Trick of the Tail

 

A Trick of the Tail was released in 1976

Track Listing:

1. Dance on a Volcano

2. Entangled

3. Squonk

4. Mad Man Moon

5. Robbery, Assault and Battery

6. Ripples...

7. A Trick of the Tail

8. Los Endos

Genre: Progressive Rock

And now we have the first post-Gabriel album.  This one was critical to the bands continued success because Gabriel had really set himself up to look like the main force in the band.

It feels like they set out to prove they can still so everything the band is known for up to this point.  Prog songs like Los Endos, stupid voices like on Robbery, Assault, and Battery, snooze fests like Entangled (and the first half of Mad Moon Man), and wild story telling like on the title track.

Oddly Squonk has an almost 80s feel to it.  The guitar tone has an almost synthesizer sound and paired with the driving bass it wouldn't feel out of place alongside some 80s classics.

I do miss Gabriel's rougher edged vocals.  He has a raspy quality that he put on display occasionally.  Without that this album feels a bit more polished.  Collins is an excellent singer but just a bit of the earlier charm is now missing.

And this one is drastically less prog centered than the last few.  There's no The Knife or Fith of Firth.  Dance has its moments, as does Los Endos but its a much more straightforward affair.

Now, I have to address Ripples.  I've spent my faie share of time shitting on anything slow by Genesis.  I genuinely dislike the majority of the slow/contemplative songs they have done (see: Entangled, More Fool Me, For Absent Friends, Literally half of Tresspass), but they nailed it here.  Collins sounds great, Rutherford's 12 string is awesome and Hacketts solo is incredible.  It's about time.

With 2 green and 1 red, this is a huge album following Gabriels departure.  Its not as good as their best, but it's still a great album and a huge statement that theyre not going anywhere.

4/5