A TRICK OF THE TAIL

'A Trick of the Tail' is the first album without Peter Gabriel and marks the beginning of a new Genesis era. Despite Gabriel's departure, the remaining members still made some incredible music. I will admit Collin's vocals aren't as strong as Gabriel's but they're pretty close. Furthermore, the music here is on par with some of their earlier albums, and is far tighter and more cohesive than the Lamb.

'Dance On a Volcano' (10/10) kicks of the start of the album in classic Genesis fashion. The song has everything that made earlier Genesis great, including the main melody in 7/8, and an instrumental section similar to 'Dancing In the Moonlit Knight.'

'Entangled' (9/10) is an acoustically driven song with some very celestial keyboard at the end. This is Hackett and Banks' at their best.

'Squonk' (8/10) is the rocker of the album, and almost has a Zeppelin feel; Collins really pounds on those drums. The main melody is amazing, and easily one of my favorites from Genesis.

'Mad Man Moon' (8/10) is Banks's piece of the album. It's complete with fantastic piano melodies and beautiful waves of Mellotron.

'Robbery, Assault and Battery' (6/10) is Genesis returning to the 'I Know What I Like/Harold the Barrel quirks of their past albums. The middle does have some amazing driving bass with keyboards and Mellotron.

'Ripples' (7/10) takes the sound of Entangled and mixes in the melody from Squonk to create another beautiful song.

'A Trick of the Tail' (4/10) is the weaker, pop-sounding track of the album. Perhaps this song was a hint of what was to come, but it shouldn't have been what the album was named after.

The album does conclude in a strong manner with the song aptly named 'Los Endos,' (8/10) which is just a fantastic instrumental which reprises some of the parts earlier in the album.

Overall, Trick of the Tail is a welcome departure from the Gabriel era. While the album still contains a few weaker moments, this is a much stronger and united effort than The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

7/10

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to Mr. Mustard
• Report this review (#809652)
• Buy GENESIS music online with PA partners
• Show all GENESIS MP3/Stream
• Go to GENESIS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to A Trick of the Tail page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for GENESIS related discussions