Robbery, Assault and Battery
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| “Robbery, Assault and Battery” | |||||
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| Song by Genesis | |||||
| Album | A Trick of the Tail | ||||
| Released | 20 February 1976 | ||||
| Recorded | October-November 1975 | ||||
| Genre | Progressive Rock | ||||
| Length | 6:16 | ||||
| Label | Charisma/Virgin (UK) Atco (US) |
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| Writer | Tony Banks/Phil Collins | ||||
| Producer | David Hentschel and Genesis | ||||
| A Trick of the Tail track listing | |||||
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"Robbery, Assault and Battery" is a song by the band Genesis, appearing on their 1976 album A Trick of the Tail.
Written by Tony Banks and Phil Collins, the lyrics are an echo to the stories Peter Gabriel told through songwriting, as this tells the tale of a criminal who, thanks to a flawed law enforcement system, is able to continue committing crimes with no fear of paying for them. Collins, in his first album as lead vocalist, also mimicked Gabriel's occasional practise of using various accents to portray different characters.
The dark lyrics of a criminal on the run are set against a backdrop of a bright progressive rock melody, something Genesis would do in later songs.
While it wasn't included in the re-united group's 2007 Turn It On Again tour,[1] Robbery, Assault and Battery became a live favourite, and would play on Genesis tours for years after its initial release.[2]
A promotional video was made for the song, depicting Collins as a bank robber who shoots an elderly guard (Mike Rutherford) as told in the first verses, and from then on is chased by policemen (Banks and Steve Hackett), with shots of the band playing the song showing up in the introduction and keyboard solo.
