A TRICK OF THE TAIL

So one of the most impressive turn of events in rock history takes place when the face and -seemingly- heart & soul of the band, Peter Gabriel, leaves the band. "Like Jagger leaving the Stones", said a music critic. So the drummer steps out to sing and... the rest is history.

Not that I want to get into the historical side too much. Music is what matters here, and the guys do a good job. I'm not particularly fond of "Dance on a Volcano", though it's interesting to see how there's a jazzy vibe running here, sort of the work Phil did with Brand X back then. But then two of the most solid Genesis songs I can remember come in: "Entangled", a gentle and emotional waltz with funny lyrics that when you think it's over, hammers you in the head with an epic mellotron extended ending. "Squonk" with it's heavy and steady beat (Almost a slow headbanging thing) and the story about this mythical animal who dissolves to tears when cornered. Unfortunately, though the song is long in its own terms, I never thought it found the right way to go out... it could have gone on and instead dissolves, just like the Squonk itself. Could that have been the point?

"Mad Man Moon" is what from this point on one could recognise as Banks' work. I'm really fond of Tony's work, but his kind of emotional songs I tend to skip from time to time. "Robbery, Assault and Battery" is a song I never liked, I hate the lyrics and the melody never felt special, except for the jazzy parts, that is... great addition to the Genesis pool of resources. "Ripples" is Genesis in full emotional mode again. Nice song, but again, not one I relate to very much. The title track follows, and it's a happy beatle-esque thing, really enjoyable. Finally, "Los Endos" creates a medley out of instrumental parts of the album. Not mind-blowing but interesting, and certainly better crafted than what Queen tried to do with its "Jazz" album closer some years later.

In short, a very good album with some uneven points, but really recommended.