Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail

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.
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.

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.

Three videos were shot for the album. The first was for the album's title cut which depicted the band playing to the track together around a piano. A very miniature Phil Collins can be seen 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 third 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).

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 was also financially crucial for Genesis who were $400,000 in debt by the time Peter Gabriel left.


"Dance On A Volcano" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 5:54
"Entangled" (Tony Banks/Steve Hackett) – 6:27
"Squonk" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford) – 6:27
"Mad Man Moon" (Tony Banks) – 7:34
"Robbery, Assault And Battery" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins) – 6:16
"Ripples" (Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford) – 8:04
"A Trick Of The Tail" (Tony Banks) – 4:35
"Los Endos" (Tony Banks/Phil Collins/Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford) – 5:47


Phil Collins – vocals, background vocals, percussion, drums,
Steve Hackett – electric guitar, 12-string guitars
Tony Banks – organ, synthesizers, pianos, vocals, background vocals, 12-string guitar, mellotron
Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, 12-string guitar, bass pedals, vocals, background vocals

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