A TRICK OF THE TAIL

As many well know, this is the first Genesis album with Phil Collins as the lead singer. I think he has a very different voice than Peter Gabriel's, and even through he would start to sing with more power on later albums, he's very expressive here, and very good at singing the kind of music Genesis was making at this time, and his drumming is still in top form. They kept a lot of the sounds used on the previous two albums, and the mood as a whole is a lot lighter than the one before it, but there are still some dark soundscapes, like the end of "Entangled", the end of "Los Endos", and the opening "Dance On a Volcano", which is one of their most impressive progressive pieces, with odd time signature, off- beat drumming, and virtuoso guitar and keyboard duets similar to those on "it.", but faster and more modal. "Squonk" is another thick-atmosphered song that has a strange way of lazily rocking very heavily. I like when they write about unusual subjects, like the Squonk. There's a very notable keyboard solo in I think 13/8 in "Robbery, Assault and Battery", and great bass work (not to mention great band interplay) in "Los Endos." Elsewhere, the album is often quiet and sophisticated, with emotional, moving choruses, like in "Ripples..." and the masterfully composed "Mad Man Moon." Both of these songs bear a close resemblance to romantic classical music, and the climax of the instrumental middle part of "Ripples..." that leads back to the last chorus is something to behold. Much overlooked on this album is Steve Hackett's very characteristic guitar work on the album's one pop song, "A Trick of the Tail." You can tell that they spent a lot of time making sure all of these songs were written, performed, and recorded exactly the way they should be, the sound is impeccable, and if it wasn't for Foxtrot, this would be my favorite.