SACD Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail

The new singer was already the drummer

When Genesis entered London’s Trident Studios in October 1975, Peter Gabriel’s replacement had not yet been settled. The group had considered numerous applicants for the vocal position. Phil Collins eventually took over, already knowing the band’s music from behind the drums. Released in February 1976, A Trick of the Tail became the first Genesis album to feature him as lead singer.

David Hentschel produced with the band. Tony Banks, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford remained alongside Collins, so the change also involved redistributing responsibilities within an existing group. Collins supplied both vocals and drums on the record. For the subsequent tour, Bill Bruford joined as an additional drummer, allowing Collins to move between his two roles.

Twelve strings and a mythical creature

“Entangled” develops a guitar idea from Steve Hackett with contributions from Tony Banks, including the closing synthesizer solo. Twelve-string acoustic guitars form part of the album’s instrumentation. Listen to how guitars and keyboards divide the accompaniment, and to the point where attention moves from the vocal to the instrumental passage.

“Squonk” tells a very different story. Its title refers to a creature from North American lumberjack folklore that dissolves into tears when captured. Such subjects show that changing singers did not mean abandoning the group’s interest in narrative and fantasy. The new voice continues to inhabit a world in which storytelling and musical construction belong together.

A finale with a memory

Eight tracks take the listener from “Dance on a Volcano” to “Los Endos”. Banks’ “Mad Man Moon”, “Ripples…” and the title song lie between them. The largely instrumental finale returns to musical ideas heard earlier in the programme. Listening in sequence gives those connections their context, allowing the ending to refer back to the preceding pieces.

This construction offers more than a set of unrelated songs. After the voices and stories of the first seven tracks, instrumental interplay receives a final space of its own. Collins’ dual responsibility is particularly worth following here: the singer leads the listener through the record, while the drummer remains integral to the group’s instrumental identity.

Stereo on two disc layers

CAPA 073 SA, part of the Atlantic 75 Series, presents the album on hybrid stereo SACD. Its CD layer plays in a conventional CD player; the SACD layer requires compatible equipment. There is no multichannel programme on this edition. Specialist retailer Elusive Disc identifies the source as an equalised quarter-inch copy of the original master tape. The publisher supplies no separate source statement, so a transfer directly from the original tape is not claimed here.

Michael 45 holds the goods in Germany and ships from Hilden, enabling German and EU customers to avoid a personal US import and the accompanying customs wait.

Also in another edition: A Trick Of The Tail

More by Genesis: Abacab · Foxtrot

Artist page: All titles by Genesis and Phil Collins

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.