Genesis: A Trick Of The Tail - 1976

 

After abundantly creative singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel had left, one may have imagined that this prog rock behemoth had been removed of its head. 

Not so, up stepped little Phil Collins to show that, despite the auditioning of some 400 potential singers, he was the man for the job after all. Genesis phase two had taken its first steps - towards becoming almost a completely different band. 

The next two albums, though, still retained much of the group’s previous progginess, so these three albums should be seen as bridging points as opposed to new phase ones. The first thing that hits you is the improved sound quality on this - clear, warm, bass and with Collins' cymbal work to the fore. 

Secondly, although this is still an album with a distinct prog foundation, there is an accessibility to it that would be built upon over subsequent years. Gabriel's quirkiness was giving way to something less intense, while still retaining a credibility. 

They had not lost their prog fans just yet, and this album should probably be categorised with the other prog work, if only for the title. It was, notably, the last album to feature a proggy cover. 

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