A Trick of the Tail

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A Trick of the Tail
A Trick of the Tail cover
Studio album by Genesis
Released 20 February 1976
Recorded October-November 1975
Genre Progressive rock
Length 51:11
Label Charisma/Virgin (UK)
Atco (US)
Producer(s) David Hentschel and Genesis
Professional reviews
Genesis chronology
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
(1974)		 A Trick of the Tail
(1976)		 Wind & Wuthering
(1977)


A Trick of the Tail was the first studio album by progressive rock band Genesis following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel. It was released in February 1976.

Contents

[edit] Post-Gabriel Genesis

After Peter Gabriel left Genesis, the remaining members held auditions for a permanent lead singer. Initially Phil Collins did not wish to take over from Gabriel, instead teaching the potential lead singers the songs. When the auditions failed to produce a suitable vocalist, Collins reluctantly went in the studio to sing "Squonk" and the band decided that Collins should be the new vocalist.

[edit] Recording

The album was recorded and mixed at Trident Studios in October / November 1975. It also marked the first album that the band would co-produce with David Hentschel. They would work with David for the next four years.

[edit] Videos

Three videos were shot for the album. The first was for the album's title cut which depicted the band playing to the track and a very miniature Phil Collins hopping around on a piano and a guitar (Collins later revealed this clip was the most embarrassing video of his career). The second was for Ripples which was a performance clip. The last was "Robbery, Assault and Battery" which depicted Phil as a bank robber who kills an elderly man (played by Mike Rutherford) after holding him up and then pursued by cops (played by Banks, Hackett and Rutherford).

[edit] Chart performance

A Trick of the Tail reached #3 in the UK and #31 in the US. Additionally, the album was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA in March of 1990. Also according to Tony Banks in the essay that comes with The Genesis Platinum Collection, the album doubled the band's previous albums sales. This success proved crucial for Genesis whom were $400,000 in debt by the time Peter Gabriel left so it was good news financially as well as artistically.

[edit] Track listing

A Trick of the Tail was the first Genesis album to credit specific band members to each track - previous albums had been credited entirely to "Genesis".

  1. "Dance On A Volcano" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 5:54
  2. "Entangled" (Steve Hackett/Tony Banks) – 6:27
  3. "Squonk" (Mike Rutherford/Tony Banks) – 6:27
  4. "Mad Man Moon" (Tony Banks) – 7:34
  5. "Robbery, Assault And Battery" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins) – 6:16
  6. "Ripples" (Mike Rutherford/Tony Banks) – 8:04
  7. "A Trick Of The Tail" (Tony Banks) – 4:35
  8. "Los Endos" (Phil Collins/Tony Banks/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 5:47
    • Intro is taken from "It's Yourself", an A Trick of the Tail-era recording released as a B-Side to "Your Own Special Way" in 1977.
    • A reprise of "Dance on a Volcano" is next, followed by a reprise of "Squonk"
    • During the fade-out, Collins sings "There's an angel standing in the sun/Free to get back home". These are references to the final segment of "Supper's Ready" from Foxtrot.

[edit] 2007 Remaster

A newly remastered version of 'A Trick of the Tail' is planned for release on April 2, 2007. This will be released in the US and Canada as part of the Genesis : 1976-1981 box set on April 24, 2007.

  • Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer. In the US and Canada this will be a normal CD without SACD capabilities. The track listing will be the same as the original - see below for details.
  • Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "A Trick Of The Tail" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material:
  1. Promotional videos: Robbery, Assault and Battery; Ripples; A Trick Of The Tail.
  2. Reissues Interview 2007
  3. Genesis In Concert 1976: I Know What I Like, Fly On A Windshield, Carpet Crawlers, Cinema Show, Entangled, Supper's Ready, Los Endos.
  4. 'White Rocks' Premiere Programme 1977 (8 page gallery)

[edit] Personnel

Genesis
Tony Banks | Phil Collins | Mike Rutherford
Peter Gabriel | Steve Hackett | Anthony Phillips | John Mayhew | John Silver | Chris Stewart | Bill Bruford | Daryl Stuermer | Chester Thompson | Ray Wilson
Discography
Studio albums: From Genesis to Revelation | Trespass | Nursery Cryme | Foxtrot | Selling England by the Pound | The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway | A Trick of the Tail | Wind & Wuthering | ...And Then There Were Three... | Duke | Abacab | Genesis | Invisible Touch | We Can't Dance | Calling All Stations
Live Albums: Genesis Live | Seconds Out | Three Sides Live | Live/The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts | Live/The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs
Compilations: Turn It On Again: The Hits | Platinum Collection
Box sets: Genesis Archive 1967-75 | Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992 | Genesis 1976 -1982
EPs: Spot the Pigeon | 3 X 3
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