A TRICK OF THE TAIL

Very solid effort from the 4 man incantation of Genesis. With the absence of Gabriel, Collins now became the lead vocalist, but the drumming he does is nothing short of brilliant. More guitar oriented than The Lamb and still as progressive as ever, A Trick of the Tail along with Wind and Wuthering is somewhat of a bridge between old Genesis and new Genesis. The songs are more complete and are very well-rounded with memorable riffs and interludes. Hackett is as strong as ever, with great riffing and chord work. Rutherford plays fluently and creatively on the bass, and Banks is a genious on his synths.

Beginning with the stunning Dance on a Volcano and ending with the sublime instrumental Los Endos, this album feels like Gabriel in craft, but in truth it is quite different. Without a doubt the best songs on this album are Squonk and Los Endos. Squonk has a memorable intro and chorus and has some of the best lyrics on the album. And Los Endos is what it was meant to be, the instrumental to end all instrumentals. The song contains nods and key phrases from each song on the album and features stellar interplay between Banks and Collins.

Overall, I must say that this album is a terrific piece of progressive rock. Every song is incredibly strong, technical, and wonderfully composed. I can't give it any less than 5/5.