Genesis are no doubt one of prog rock's greats, but in 1975, their future looked uncertain. Peter Gabriel, the face of the band, has left estranged from Genesis, leaving drummer Phil Collins to take his first turn in the spotlight at vocals. This left the quartet of Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Steve Hackett to keep things going and make a statement. A Trick of The Tail is the result of this effort. Where would the band evolve?
A Trick of the Tail still absolutely has the Genesis signatures all over it. The Gabriel era was clearly very prone to exploring fantasy and imagination and had a feel to match. A Trick of the Tail does maintain much of that quintessential English storytelling. Stories about powerful, intimidating mountains, mythical creatures, and court intrigues are here to be found. However, there is clear musical evolution on A Trick of the Tail. The Gabriel era had been epic, and Gabriel was the narrator of all these fantasies. Here, the music seems more restrained, focusing on a smaller number of characters and on more simple, non-epic situations. Collins is a protagonist, not a narrator. This new type of song is prominently displayed on "Ripples" which strips down the arrangements much below what had been found on prior albums, down to just Collins singing and a harpsichord at some points. Even on the faster tempoed songs like "Dance on a Volcano" and the title track, there is more focus on individual sounds rather than a grand epic wall. A Trick of the Tail will provide you with what you want out of Genesis in ample supply: tight symphonic arrangments, classically inspired melodies, and just the right amount of progressive risk taking to make good tracks great.
Every time I listen to A Trick of the Tail, I like it more and more. All of the great things about Genesis are here. Their old sound and new sound are fused effectively to create a seriously well executed album. Listen up for some fantastically emotional keyboard work from Banks.
Grade: A
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