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After Peter Gabriel's departure from the band, the remaining Genesis had to decide to whom they would entrust the role of singer and band leader. The choice fell on Phil Collins, the band's drummer, who had already demonstrated great vocal quality during Peter Gabriel's tenure (as evidenced by songs like "For Absent Friends" and "More Fool Me"). The group was ready to record new material for an album. The album finally came out in February 1976 and was named "A Trick of the Tail." Although it is not a true concept album, various stories of different characters unfold in the songs, which are also represented in the original yellow background cover.
Side A of the album opens with a piece imbued with a very mystical atmosphere and an epic mood, a powerful rock track in which Phil showcases all his vocal skills. The song is titled "Dance on a Volcano" and is lengthy, like the other songs on the album except for the title track "A Trick of the Tail," which lasts four minutes. The second song of the album is sweeter than the first, and Phil displays a very sweet and clear vocal tone in it. The lyrics ironically talk about a patient recounting his dreams to his psychologist. The third song on Side A is a very rock piece that opens with a commanding drum beat, setting the rhythm over which Mike kicks off with his electric guitar riff. The Genesis members admitted to being inspired by Led Zeppelin, especially their songs "Kashmir" and "When the Levee Breaks." The lyrics talk about a woodland creature, the Squonk, which exists in American folklore and, according to legend, cries continuously because of its ugliness and dissolves into tears when caught by hunters. Side A closes with a piece with a very poignant atmosphere. It begins with a piano solo that leads into Phil's calm singing. Midway through the song, the pace quickens to introduce a faster part where the instruments and Phil's voice accelerate. The song ends with the melody from the beginning. Side B opens with a very ironic song with a festive rhythm. It talks about a robber who always manages to escape from the police, shooting them on the spot. This piece features a very unusual and complicated keyboard solo "Made by Tony Banks" in 13/8.
The second track on Side B is a magnificent piece where Phil displays all his vocal quality, and it will become a highlight in concerts. "Ripples," around which a strange story revolves that Mike can tell us (the bassist mentioned that the song originated from a very racy text about English schoolgirls written by him), is a piece with a very calm atmosphere. The title track is significantly inferior to the other strong pieces on the album, very trivial, one might say, compared to the other songs. The album closes superbly with an exquisite instrumental, "Los Endos," which develops the themes of "Dance on a Volcano" and "Squonk." A wonderful album that rightfully enters among the gems of progressive rock. For now, Phil proves to be a worthy successor to Peter Gabriel. At the time, the album surprised both critics and fans of the band, who were convinced that without Gabriel, the group was destined for instant failure. There was good commercial success, with the third position on the British charts and the thirty-first position on the U.S. charts (a position never before reached by Genesis).
The only thing one can say in conclusion is that Genesis did not get discouraged by Peter's departure back then but demonstrated themselves to be a very valid group. What are you waiting for? The album awaits your listening.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Entangled (06:26)
When you're asleep they may show you
Aerial views of the ground,
Freudian slumber empty of sound.
Over the rooftops and houses,
Lost as it tries to be seen,
Fields of incentive covered with green.
Mesmerised children are playing,
Meant to be seen but not heard,
"Stop me from dreaming!"
"Don't be absurd!"
"Well if we can help you we will,
You're looking tired and ill.
As I count backwards
Your eyes become heavier still.
Sleep, won't you allow yourself fall?
Nothing can hurt you at all.
With your consent
I can experiment further still."
Madrigal music is playing,
Voices can faintly be heard,
"Please leave this patient undisturbed."
Sentenced to drift far away now,
Nothing is quite what it seems,
Sometimes entangled in your own dreams.
"Well, if we can help you we will,
Soon as you're tired and ill.
With your consent
We can experiment further still.
Well, thanks to our kindness and skill
You'll have no trouble until
You catch your breath
And the nurse will present you the bill!"
03 Squonk (06:29)
Like father like son
Not flesh nor fish nor bone
A red rag hangs from an open mouth.
Alive at both ends but a little dead in the middle,
A-tumbling and a-bumbling he will go.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Could never put a smile on that face.
He's a sly one, he's a shy one
Wouldn't you be too.
Scared to be left all on his own.
Hasn't a, hasn't a friend to play with, the Ugly Duckling
The pressure on, the bubble will burst before our eyes.
All the while in perfect time
His tears are falling on the ground
BUT IF YOU DON'T STAND UP YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE.
Go a little faster now, you might get there in time.
Mirror mirror on the wall,
His heart was broken long before he ever came to you.
Stop your tears from falling,
The trail they leave is very clear for all to see at night
all to see at night.
In season, out of season
What's the difference when you don't know the reason.
In one hand bread, the other a stone.
The Hunter enters the forest.
All are not huntsmen who can blow the huntsman's horn
By the look of this one you've not got much to fear.
Here I am, I'm very fierce and frightening
Come to match my skill to yours.
Now listen here, listen to me, don't you run away now
I am a friend, I'd really like to play with you.
Making noises my little furry friend would make
I'll trick him, then I'll kick him into my sack.
You better watch out... You better watch out.
I've got you, I've got you, you'll never get away.
Walking home that night
The sack across my back, the sound of sobbing on my shoulder.
When suddenly it stopped,
I opened up the sack, all that I had
A pool of bubbles and tears - JUST A POOL OF TEARS.
All in all you are a very dying race
Placing trust upon a cruel world.
You never had the things you thought you should have had
And you'll not get them now,
And all the while in perfect time
Your tears are falling on the ground.
The Squonk is of a very retiring disposition and due to its ugliness, weeps constantly. It is easy prey for hunters who simply follow a tear-stained trail. When cornered it will dissolve itself into tears.
True or False?
05 Robbery, Assault and Battery (06:16)
The streets were deserted though the police were alerted,
They considered the phone call a hoax.
Furtively glancing then jauntily prancing
The youth caught the guards unaware.
Slipping between them he ought to have seen then
The eyes and their owner so near.
With torch shining bright he strode on in the night
Till he came to the room with the safe.
"Hello son, I hope you're having fun."
"You've got it wrong Sir, I'm only the cleaner."
With that he fired, the other saying as he died,
"You've done me wrong," it's the same old song forever.
Robbery, assault and battery,
The felon and his felony.
Robbery, assault and battery,
The felon and his felony.
Picked up the diamonds and bundles of fivers
He pushed them well down in his sack.
But the alarm had been sounded, he was completely surrounded
But he had some more tricks up his sleeve.
"Come outside with your hands held high."
"You'll not get me alive Sir, I promise you that Sir."
With that he fired, the other saying as he died
"You've done me wrong," it's the same old song forever.
Robbery, assault and battery,
The felon and his felony.
Robbery, assault and battery,
The felon and his felony.
"He's leaving via the roof, the bastard's got away.
God always fights on the side of the bad man."
"I've got clean away but I'll be back some day,
Just the combination will have changed.
Some day they'll catch me, to a chain they'll attach me,
Until that day I'll ride the old crime wave.
If they try to hold me for trial
I'll stay out of gaol by paying my bail
And after I'll go to the court of appeal saying
"You've done me wrong," it's the same old song forever."
Done me wrong - same old song - done me wrong.
07 A Trick of the Tail (04:35)
Bored of the life in the city of gold
He'd left and let nobody know.
Gone were the towers he had known from a child,
Alone with the dream of a life
He travelled the wide open road,
The blinkered arcade,
In search of another to share in his life.
Nowhere.
Everyone looked so strange to him.
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept as they led him away to a cage
Beast that can talk, read the sign.
The creatures they pushed and they prodded his frame
And questioned his story again.
But soon they grew bored of their prey
The beast that can talk?
More like a freak or publicity stunt.
Oh
No.
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And broke down the door of the cage and marched on out.
He grabbed a creature by the scruff of his neck, pointing out:
There, beyond the bounds of your weak imagination
Lie the noble towers of my city, bright and gold.
Let me take you there, show you a living story
Let me show you others such as me
Why did I ever leave?
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept.
And so we set out with the beast and his horns
And his crazy description of home.
After many days journey we came to a peak
Where the beast gazed abroad and cried out.
We followed his gaze and we thought that maybe we saw
A spire of gold - no, a trick of the eye that's all,
But the beast was gone and a voice was heard:
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance
Hello friend, welcome home.
08 Los Endos (05:46)
There's an angel standing in the sun.
There's an angel standing in the sun,
Free to get back home.
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Other reviews
By Grasshopper
Phil Collins, still far from imposing his 'easy listening' style, deserves great credit for having provided the solution to what seemed the most insoluble problem: and now who sings?
It’s difficult if not impossible to find a weak spot: the Genesis funeral is postponed indefinitely.
By London
"You have to hurry and convince yourself that the best way to start the journey is to close your eyes."
"Don’t fall in love! Not now, you’re almost at the end... lift the needle and gently place the record back in the sleeve, until next time."
By Savickas
You are really annoying with Peter Gabriel.
By VinnySparrow
"The album flows beautifully, listening to it with eyes closed is pure ecstasy!"
"Even the most die-hard Gabriel supporters... cannot deny that the band pulled off a great record even without their leader."
