A Trick of the Tail
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| A Trick of the Tail | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Album by Genesis | ||
| Released | February 2, 1976 | |
| Recorded | October-November, 1975 | |
| Genre | Progressive rock | |
| Length | 51 min 01 sec | |
| Label | Atco | |
| Producers | Genesis, David Hentschel | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| AMG | 4.5/5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:oqotk6jx9kr0~T1) |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992) | 3.5 out of 5 stars | |
| Genesis Chronology | ||
| The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) | A Trick of the Tail (1976) | Wind & Wuthering (1976) |
A Trick of the Tail was the first studio album by progressive rock band Genesis following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music). The album surprised both critics and the public, who were convinced the band was doomed without Gabriel, by performing strongly. Most surprising was drummer Phil Collins' graduation to the position of lead vocalist. Genesis in fact had held lengthy auditions for a new singer, but reportedly had to deal with a lot of dubious Peter Gabriel-wannabes turning up in outlandish costumes. Finally the band settled on Collins, who had sung backup for Gabriel on most of their earlier albums.
This was also the first Genesis album in which individual band members received songwriting credits, bringing to light the strong contribution keyboardist Tony Banks made to Genesis' overall sound.
| Contents |
Track listing
all songs written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford
- "Dance on a Volcano" - 5:53
- "Entangled" - 6:28
- "Squonk" - 6:27
- "Mad Man Moon" - 7:35
- "Robbery, Assault and Battery" - 6:15
- "Ripples" - 8:03
- "A Trick of the Tail" - 4:34
- "Los Endos" - 5:46
This album epitomised the vinyl record form of a Genesis album -
- it starts with an overture
- it ends with a bombasitic crescendo of a reprise
- side 1 ends with the slightly dull track
- Side 2 starts with an epic story
- the middle tracks on a side are arguably the strongest.
It also has an over-extended playing time of around 25 minutes a side, meaning that on vinyl there was very little dynamic range.
Personnel
- Tony Banks - organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboard, vocals, background vocals, 12 string guitar, mellotron
- Phil Collins - percussion, drums, vocals, background vocals
- Steve Hackett - bass, guitar, electric guitar, 12 string guitar
- Mike Rutherford - bass, guitar, 12 string guitar, bass pedals
Production
- Producers: Genesis, David Hentschel
- Engineers: Nick Bradford, David Hentschel
- Remastering: Chris Blair, Geoff Callingham, Nick Davis
- Arranger: Genesis
- Design: Colin Elgie
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 31 |
