A TRICK OF THE TAIL

For me, this was and remains the ultimate prog album. Four talented musicians with something to prove after Gabriel's departure, and boy did they prove it! Every single track on this album is a gem to me, starting with the outrageous "Dance on a Volcano"; whenever I change a component on my sound system, this is the track I play because it has great sounds and a wonderful "duel" between Steve Hackett and Tony Banks in the instrumental section, brilliant drum rolls and a driving baseline. It tests every part of the sound spectrum, and for me it is prog. Then there's "Entangled" - perfect in every way with beautiful vocals, delicate guitar, and a definitive mellotron sound. "Squonk" follows this with a heavier sound and some fabulous drumming over fanciful lyrics! "Mad Man Moon" features some outstanding piano work and one of Collins' best vocal performances. "Robbery, Assault and Battery" jumps straight back into a lively jaunt with another brilliant instrumental section and a delightfully cheeky performance by Collins on vocals. "Ripples" is a masterful performance with Banks and Hackett complementing each other perfectly in a dreamy but wonderful instrumental break over Collins' wistful vocals; a song that continues to grow in meaning for me as the years pass (not worried about my own "facial ripples" you understand, but as time goes by I can really appreciate the lyrics written by Mike Rutherford). We then drop into a nonsensical piece of fantasy with "trick of the Tail" - how else could you describe a bouncy, chirpy song about a mythical creature visiting from the City of Gold to speak with disbelieving humans. Sheer brilliant nonsense, and I love it! Finally, "Los Endos" closes the album with an amazing instrumental tipping nods to several of the earlier tracks, and probably the best interaction between drums and bass on the album. It is the only 5-star album I have (although both Wind and Wuthering and Close to the Edge are both in the same ballpark), and it is undoubtedly a masterpiece.

One word of caution - if you can find the Definitive Edition Remaster, buy that rather than the newer mix (which sounds amazing in 5.1 but notably less impressive in its SACD format). The search is well worth the effort, believe me.