A TRICK OF THE TAIL

After the complex and at times abrasive "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", all eyes were on Genesis in 1976 to see just how spectacularly they would mess up on their follow-up album - particularly because they had also parted ways with frontman Peter Gabriel, whose colourful vocals and stage persona had become such an identifiable part of the band.

Everyone knows the story: drummer Phil Collins takes over vocal duties and (fast forward 10 years) Genesis becomes the biggest band in America for a while. This is, of course, largely due to the fact that they changed their style an awful lot towards more housewife-friendly AOR. But on this, their first Collins-fronted album, things were, well, pretty much as they always were. This proved that Tony Banks's monumental synths, Phil Collins's powerhouse drumming, Steve Hackett's swooning guitar and Mike Rutherford's pulsating bass were as much a part of the Genesis sound as anything that Peter Gabriel had to offer. Here is my track-by track review of the album:

Dance On A Volcano (05:55) - Tony Banks says on "The Genesis Songbook" DVD that once they had written the intro to this song, all uncertainties about the future of Genesis were cast aside at once. Listening to the first 60 seconds, one knows exactly what he means. It is an absolutely colossal piece of music, richly melodic and ominous- sounding. This leads into the first vocal part, which has timing so complex and jerky it truly does sound like a record that is skipping. The song alternates between light and shade most effectively until about 04:20 when the tempo increases for a breathless instrumental section. A flawless start to a new chapter in the band's history. (10/10)

Entangled (06:27) - Gentler but by no means more light-hearted than the cataclysmic opener. Built on the warm and velvety sound of the 12-string guitar, this enchanting piece blissfully floats and soars until it is weighed down by the choir of mournful voices simulated by Tony Banks's trusty Mellotron. This sounds like something from a bygone century. (9/10)

Squonk (06:30) - This was, if I recall correctly, one of the songs used as an audition piece for prospective new vocalists. It tells the entertaining story of the pathetic Squonk, a mythical creature in a perpetual state of weeping. The music, with its plodding and straight-forward beat, is not too complex and very easy to sing along to. Phil Collins adds just the right amount of vocal nuances to compensate for the absence of instrumental variation. I must add that the live version done by Spock's Beard is far superior to this one. (9/10)

Mad Man Moon (07:36) - An evocative Tony Banks composition with a heavy emphasis on his beautiful piano melodies which continually alter in tempo and mood. Although Collins nails the vocal, I dare say that this could have worked equally well as an instrumental piece - such is the quality of the melodies. (10/10)

Robbery Assault and Battery (06:17) - Quaint British comedy songs are always a danger area for prog bands. Sometimes they work (Genesis - The Battle of Epping Forest), but mostly they die a horribly unfunny death (ELP - Benny The Bouncer). This one falls somewhere in between. Phil Collins does the required voices without too much resulting embarrassment, and the story itself isn't too toe-curlingly lame. But the sound of the first two and a half minutes is just a little too wispy and wafer-thin. Compare it to the more fleshed-out sound of "All In A Mouse's Night" from the Wind and Wuthering album released a year later, and you'll now what I mean. At 02:35 Tony Banks delivers his best solo on the album and the music takes a turn for the better, fortunately. A great example of a song that gets a lot better as it goes on. (8/10)

Ripples (08:06) - This is a gentle, 12-string guitar-based track much in the same vein as Entangled. Only that it is much better. In fact, it is probably the band greatest "ballad". I simply lack the words to effectively convey the atmosphere and mood created by the band on this pinnacle of their creativity. This ranks them alongside composers like Wagner and Mozart in the milieu of evoking emotion through music. No bullshit. (10/10)

A Trick of The Tail (04:35) - A lively and merry Banks composition with a great stomping beat and "doo-wop" backing vocals. Not the most intellectually stimulating of Genesis tracks (although compared to "Illegal Alien", this is like quantum physics), but it's certainly one of the most melodic and hummable. Hackett plays a great little solo very high up on his fretboard in the fade-out. (9/10)

Los Endos (05:46) - an impressive instrumental reprising many of the album's melodies and hooks. Some reviewers have likened this to Brand X (the jazz-fusion group Phil Collins was a part of around the same time as this album), but I can't validate this as I have never heard Brand X. But if they mean the drumming is manic and complex, and the whole things sounds like a really tight jam - I fully agree. Having said that, this is probably my least favourite track on the album (only by hair's breadth) That keyboard solo in Robbery really saves it you know! (8/10)

Okay, so that's it! What have we learned? Genesis sans Gabriel is still a world-class band. Is this a good place to start with Genesis? Yes. Who is the hero of this album? Collins.

If you like this, I strongly suggest you check out "Wind and Wuthering", which is marginally better.

Thank you for your time. FIVE STARS