A TRICK OF THE TAIL

When Peter Gabriel left, I like many others believed Genesis were finished. Indeed, based on his rather lightweight contributions to previous albums ("More fool me", "For absent friends"), I feared the worst when it was announced that Phil Collins was to take over on vocals. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to find that not only had the band written some of their best material to date for "A trick of the tail", but that their performance was up well up to the standard of previous albums.

Gabriel's departure was arguably a benefit. His dominance which had been so apparent on "The lamb.." had instantly disappeared, and the band was once again working together as a team of equals. For the first time, the individual song writing details are given, with Tony Banks taking the lion's share of the credits.

"A trick of the tail" generally has a softer feel more along the lines of "Selling England.." than say "Foxtrot". The beautiful "Ripples", has a deceptively simple song/chorus structure, with a highly atmospheric instrumental middle section, which builds to the final chorus. "Entangled" too is a soft piece, with a delightful soft melody. The closing section of the track is a haunting solo by Tony Banks, with some great bass notes to test your woofers!

"Mad man moon" has some great prog moments, as it weaves through various themes and Gabrielesque lyrics. The closing instrumental track "Los Endos" is a remarkable piece which once again reflects the feel of "Selling England.." far more than "The lamb.." did. The band even have the confidence to refer back to "Foxtrot" with the "There's an angel standing in the sun" reference as the track concludes.

On the whole, Steve Hackett's guitar work does not feature as much as might be hoped, with Banks' keyboards tending to take precedence on most of the instrumental breaks. A terrific album though, which flows well from start to finish. Genesis had with one stroke shown that not only could they survive without Gabriel, but that they may well in fact flourish.

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