A TRICK OF THE TAIL

If ever there was a five-star album, this is it! After 25 years, I am still absolutely spellbound by this disc every time I listen to it. Despite being described by Tony Banks as "a much simpler album" compared to the Lamb, Trick of the Tail is deceptively complex and filled with beautiful details and far more mature performances than anything from the Gabriel era. The textures on this album are quite varied, but generally softer than their preceding work, with a more tranquil acoustic vibe reminiscent of Trespass. This era of Genesis saw Tony Banks rise to become the dominant songwriter in the absence of Peter Gabriel, and even his lyric writing really blossomed. In my opinion, Tony always either wrote or cowrote the best Genesis songs, and that is why the albums of the "Tony" period (1975 to 1980) are my favorites. A Trick of the Tail is the best of the bunch.