UAWIL #271: Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
The loss of Peter Gabriel led some to believe Genesis was over. Thankfully their drummer, an entertaining chap named Phil Collins, came from behind the kit to start the band in a more accessible direction that would eventually yield extraordinary results.
During The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Tour, Peter Gabriel informed his Genesis bandmates that he would be leaving once his touring duties were fulfilled. While this was disappointing to the band, some members of the press heralded it as the end of Genesis. However, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett could all contribute to the songwriting as could their wily drummer, Phil Collins. So the band forged ahead and began and exhaustive search for lead singers.
To make a long story short, they figured out that Phil had the kind of voice they were looking for and decided it best if he came out from behind the drum kit to be the lead singer. While sometimes replacing the lead singer can cause a revolt of hardcare fans, it actually opened up the band for greater success in the US as they found his funny, entertaining style more fun than the serious, artsy Gabriel. Their first post-Gabriel effort was A Trick of the Tail, a gathering of 8 eclectic songs that hold them to their progressive roots but also branch out into more radio friendly material.
The opener Dance on a Volcano let's Hackett and Banks bounce off each other in bombastic proggy fashion while the follow up Entangled is a more lilting back and forth. And it adds a bit of humor as does Robbery, Assault and Battery which lets Collins adjust his accent for different characters. Ripples is a lovely song that would portend more like it in the coming years and Los Endos is a great way to end the album (and a concert).
Of course we talk about all the politics, go track x track and discuss how this album started them on a more pop path, one that would end up with them on top of the rock /pop world 10 years later.
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