A TRICK OF THE TAIL

This was, of course, the first album the band released after Peter Gabriel's departure. I remember well the trepidation all of us fans felt when it came out...would it match the quality of their previous wonderful albums. Well, we had no need to fear. This is another superb effort. Apparently, the album was a pleasure to write and record, and it shows all the way through the songs. the music is deceptively simple, and the songs flow from beginning to end. 'Dance On A Volcano' opens proceedings in an uptempo way, with Banks and Hackett in fine form, weaving their instruments in and out of the song, whilst Collins proves he can take on the mantle of lead singer effortlessly. Ok, he isn't identical to Gabriel, but he has a similar style and tone to his voice, and his phrasing is just as good. 'Entangled' is possibly the best post-Gabriel track they ever recorded, at least to my ears. It certainly ranks, for me, alongside 'Blood On The Rooftops', off the next album, as one of my favourites, from any era in fact! A smooth, almost trance-like melody, it could be a lullaby, the lyrics are simple yet humorous, and the ending, well...again Hackett and Banks weave their indefinable magic to leave the listener spellbound. The song is almost a step back to the Nursery Cryme era, and the song would have fitted on their well methinks. 'Squonk' was used as a concert opener, and it is another catchy song, with strange, alien-like lyrics, about a little mythological furry creature. Nice song. 'Mad Man Moon' is another classic. It is a slow, very melodic piece, except for the faster, light relief part in the middle. Exquisite piano and keyboards here from Banks. 'Robbery, Assault & Battery' opens the old side two, and is probably my least fave track on the album, though it is still pretty decent. Collins gives a glimpse into his later persona on this humorous account of a robber 'getting away with it'. Uptempo, it is straightforward, yet fits the album well. 'Ripples' is another classic. Slow and moody, it has more beautiful piano from Banks, and a lovely guitar solo in the middle from Hackett, almost in the vein of 'Firth Of Fifth'. I love the bass line from Rutherford here too. The title track is mid-tempo, jolly, almost too simple, yet very nice, with, again, bizarre lyrics about a strange creature with a horn and a tail who lives in a 'city of gold'. Finally comes the brilliant instrumental, 'Los Endos' which brings together fragments of other songs on the album. A keyboard inspired piece, it really is wonderful, especially the change of tempo near the end, where it sounds almost like a train chugging away before exploding into a wonderful keyboard riff, with Hackett's guitar subtle yet precise in the background. A magnificent ending to a magnificent album. Even the cover is a work of art. My favourite Genesis cover in fact,with all the characters from the album displayed in an almost Victorian setting. The essence of England, and the essence of Genesis! I could give it five stars, but will restrain myself and give it four. Ahh! Those were the days!

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