GENESIS - A Trick Of The Tail (Part 3)
JUNE 2. This piece is done, but come over to my Geocities page to see my work-in-progress - an analysis of In The Court Of The Crimson King
LOS ENDOS - The album closes with this brilliant instrumental. Genesis has done several instrumental pieces throughout their career, but this is arguably their finest.
The main body of the song was written by Collins. He has stated that it was influenced by the Santana album Caravanserai, and a listen to that excellent album will show the obvious influences. Phil's drumming is at a peak here, as he provides a brilliant interpretaion of Santans's Latin-influenced grooves and percussion work.
Also, Phil was involved in the fusion outfit Brand X at this time, and one can hear some parallels. Brand X recorded several excellent albums and one need look no further to hear Phil Collins playing at his finest than on 1976's Unorthodox Behavior album. The band's quirky mix of jazz, funk, and rock influences makes for highly enjoyable listening, and that influence can be heard coming from Phil on a few moments of Genesis' mid-70s work. (The track Wot Gorilla? from 77's Wind & Wuthering being another example.)
Note to the completist: Phil and Brand X bassist Percy Jones bring some very fine work to some of Brian Eno's albums at this same time. Jones also is on a track from Hackett's Voyage Of The Acolyte album.
Starting with an excellent atmospheric texture (also found in the B-side It's Yourself), Los Endos then shifts into Collins's section, with Rutherford providing a strong, driving bass-line. The line is primarily just two notes, though Mike adds in excellent faster runs as well. This is also evident in the melody, played by Hackett and Banks. The melody is quite simple, yet highly effective, and the two lead instruments offset this with faster licks that add much excitement.
(Note: Hackett has recently covered this song on his Watcher Of The Skies: Genesis Revisited album. A definite highlight of that release, Steve also adds a section from an earlier Genesis classic - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight - into the middle. While this throws off the compositional balance of Los Endos, it also provides an interesting link to another very good example of Genesis' instrumental interplay. the section in question has some of Hackett's most interesting lead guitar work.)
After all this, the song transforms itself into a stunning display of Genesis' atmopheric writing style with Banks providing huge chords on a new section that is also melodically simple, but again very powerful. Rutherford's bass work here is once again simply excellent, and the interplay with Collins' is remarkable.
Then, we move back into a restatement of the main section. This slows down dramatically, and we are now brought into a riff that restates the opening notes of the album. Rutherford's 12-string line from DOAV finish out this part of the song, and in fact, it appears as if the song is over. However, in an excellent compositional move, those last notes receeding into the quiet are met by a new theme.
Well, not entirely new, since this is in fact another line from Dance On A Volcano. The 7/8 melody is re-cast in a menacing buildup. This kind of restatemnt of themes is fairly uncommon in rock music, and displays some of Genesis' "classical" influences (my guess is that this comes primarily from Banks) but the melody itself is defintely of the prog-rock variety.
And this leads into the final section of the song, this time a restatement of the verse from Squonk. In Squonk, however, this melody (from Banks' keyboard part) was accompianment to Collins' vocals and the guitar riff. Here, it is dramatically brought forward to close the album. Rutherford again provides one of his fine driving bass-lines, and as the song fades out, we here in the background Collins singing lines originally written by Peter Gabriel for the 1972 Genesis classic Supper's Ready.
This excellent ending not only provides the close of the album, but ties it back to the band's past. Supper's Ready is often regarded as the apex of Genesis' work, and placing these lyrics on what is arguably the strongest album the band made after Gabriel's departure can be seen as a statement of confidence in the band's new work without the person who recieved so much attention from fans and press alike. It also serves as something of a farewell to Gabriel, and emphasizes the band's stand that the break was amicable.
A beautiful ending to a marvellous album.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Also recorded during the Trick session was a song that ended up as a B-side...
IT'S YOURSELF - This outtake is an interesting part of the ATOTT picture for a number of reasons, not the least of which is it's middle section - another version of the atmospheric opening of Los Endos.
As stated before, Los Endos itself restates a few themes from the album, and it would be interesting to hear a version of the album that had this song so that one could hear the Los Endos intro as a restatement instead of new material.
However, part of the beauty of A Trick Of The Tail is that the song sequencing works so well as is, and placing It's Yourself on the album would change the effect. It's a lovely piece, with chiming guitars and Tony's keyboards fluttering about - and it contains a very pleasant vocal from Phil. In the canon of Genesis B-sides, this one definitely sticks out, and will hopefully see a release on CD in the future. But because of it's nature - not only substantially different than the rest of the album, but quite different than nearly anything else the band has done - one can understand the decision to leave it off.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the more interesting aspects of rock music is the "bootleg" world - thousands of unofficial albums of varying quality that chronicle another side of the music. Genesis has been bootlegged as much as any other 70s band, and there are multitudes of live recordings from all eras for the hardcore fan to enjoy.
One of the more interesting Genesis bootlegs is called "Trick Of The Tail Outtakes", and it's a bit different in that it is studio recordings. (There also exists a multi-volume set called In The Beginning that features studio tapes, mostly from the Selling England and The Lamb periods.)
A TRICK OF THE TAIL OUTTAKES
A rather hissy recording, my copy starts with a version of It's Yourself (subtitled Beloved Summer, apparantly a working title.) Whereas most of this bootleg doesn't feature vocals, this track does.
An instrumental of Ripples follows, and Mike counts it in. This is especially nice to hear without vocals, since one can better give listen to the 12-string work which dominates the piece. This track ends before the guitar solo section, with the 12-strings droning on a bit longer. Then, the next section starts up. It seems to be a raw mix of the album - no appreciable differences except that there are no vocals. Which is the case with most of the tracks here (one could call it the Trick Of The Tail Karaoke Mix.) :)
Steve's voice can be heard before Phil counts in Robbery Assault and Battery. Again, the absence of vocals allows the listener to cue into other parts of the arrangement, and here Tony's keyboard riffing sticks out the most. In the middle, the section with the bass and drums accenting is them alone - with no keyboards or guitar.
Phil counts in Los Endos - the band going directly to the main body of the song and skipping the intro. It fades out right before the restatement of the Volcano theme.
Next is perhaps the highlight of the recording - a version of Mad Man Moon featuring only piano, bass, and drums. The bass is a bit more upfront here than on the album, and there are subtle differences in Mike's phrasing. (When learning the song for the Strictly Banks tribute, I used this source to help learn a few lines.)
A version of the title track follows, with vocals. Other than the excessive tape hiss, this is much the same as the album version - though some differences in phrasing show that it is a different vocal take.
Instrumentals of Dance On A Volcano and Squonk (some copies apparantly have the title Indians for Squonk) close out the "Outtakes". A pleasant addition to a Genesis fan's collection.
LIVE BOOTLEGS
As with all Genesis tours, there are several shows from the Trick tour in circulation, and it makes for instructive listening, especially since only two tracks from this tour are available officially (Cinema Show, and the encore medley of It and Watcher Of The Skies.)
It would be very nice to hear more official material with Bruford - especially versions of the Trick material. As stated in the Squonk section, Bill was quite impressive on that song, and he handled much of the other material brilliantly as well. Many have stated (it is even alluded to in Armando Gallo's book "I Know What I Like") that Bill wasn't quite right for the band, and it can be said that Chester Thompson's work thereafter was perhaps more appropriate in that he "blended in" better, but hearing Bruford's distinct personality on the kit is certainly something to behold.
I've heard four live recordings of the tour, and all four have much to recommend them to the Genesis live tape collector. (The Internet is a virtual nirvana for a hardcore music fan searching out these items.)
The recording from Pittsburg on April 13 has an excessive amount of hiss, but it is an enjoyable document of the tour - though the It/Watcher encore is deleted.
The afore-mentioned Berkeley, CA show (found on a bootleg called "Dance On A Berkeley") is a reasonably good audience recording of a whole show (though the beginning of Los Endos is cut. I've heard a cassette of the show that reveals why - tape speed problems. The first few seconds of Supper's Ready are also missing.) The two definite highlights are Squonk and White Mountain - a song from their second album, Trespass. White Mountain was revisited on this tour (having not been played live previously), and must have been recieved as quite a treat among the fans then. This version is stunning - one of my personal favorite moments in Genesis' bootlegged history.
The last show of the US leg of the tour was in Ft. Worth, Texas. The audience recording in ciculation is quite listenable, though one hears an almost constant wash of percussive noise - sounds like Bill was playing around with his cymbals a lot that night. :)
The last show of the tour was in Glasgow, Scotland, and an enjoyable audience recording exists - though a bit less in sonic quality than the others. Still, a nice document of the end of this tour.
Also, there is a video of part of the show available as a Japanese laser disc (or among the Genesis tape trading pool.) It isn't a complete show, and has excessive use of film footage that detract from the effect, but is an enjoyable addition to a Genesis collection nonetheless. Watching Phil and Bill pound through the bits of double drumming is a special treat.
The Trick Of The Tail show started with Dance On the Volcano, and this was the only tour that it was played in full with the instrumental section on the end. Following that, the band presented "Lamb Stew" (sometimes called "Lamb Casserole") which was simply three cuts from The Lamb - the title song, Fly On The Windshield (and the Broadway Melody Of 1974 section without vocals), and The Carpet Crawlers. Much is made among Genesis fans of Phil Collins singing material from the Gabriel era, my own feeling being that he did quite an admirable job on most of those songs. Collins simply is a different individual, and it would be unfair to expect him to capture the "mystique" that Gabriel fans had come to expect. Collins grew as a singer after taking over the responsibility, but I personally find much enjoyment hearing him sing the older material on this tour, and in fact I prefer the 76 bootleg versions of Supper's Ready over the one released on the Seconds Out album. Phil brings a lot of personality and passion to his performances, and it is a good antidote to his current, much more "professional" (in my view, extremely weak) work.
Following the Lamb tracks was a good mix of Trick material and older songs. Two of the finest songs Genesis ever wrote - The Cinema Show and Firth Of Fifth (both from Selling England By The Pound) - were performed, and the 76 versions are excellent. The version of Cinema Show on the official Seconds Out album is from 76, and is a highlight of that double set.
Along with the afore-mentioned White Mountain, another excellent early track was performed in 76 - Supper's Ready. Since the band did not perform this on the Lamb tour, it must have been a welcome comeback for fans who held this epic in high regard. The band shows their continuing growth as musicians on the 76 versions of Supper - some of the strongest performances of this classic number.
Four other Trick tracks made the tour - Robbery, Assault & Battery, Entangled, and Squonk. All recieved strong performances. Hearing live versions of Entangled is especially nice - it wouldn't be long before the acoustic guitar would be gone from the Genesis sound for several years.
The shows ended with another track from Selling England - I Know What I Like, which provided a high point of Genesis shows for several years to come - and the It/Watcher Of The Skies medley. And odd choice, perhaps, but also a chance for Collins and Bruford to have a blow at the end of the show - the version released on the 1981 Three Sides Live release has some excellent and frenzied drumming.
A Trick Of The Tail was a special moment in Genesis history, one of their finest albums and tours, and when considering the history of "progressive rock", this (and it's excellent successor, Wind And Wuthering) should not be ignored. The rise of Phil Collins as a singer, the increased emphasis on the Rutherord/Banks songwriting team, some of Steve Hackett's finest work with the band before leaving for a solo career, and the overall strength and passion of a band with something to prove after losing their charasmatic frontman - all adds up to one of the most memorable albums in 70's rock music. The band would hold on to this momentum for Wind And Wuthering, then Steve Hackett would leave during the mixing of the Seconds Out live album. After that, much of the emphasis began to shift, and for many fans, Genesis lost a lot of their magic.
But one is better off enjoying the excellence of the band's best work than in lamenting a "loss", so let us all take some time now to listen again to A Trick Of The Tail. It feels good, and it's good for you. :)
Thanks for reading - and check out my page at Geocities where I'm currently tackling a King Crimson album.
Doug
Send E-Mail to: eraserhead667@yahoo.com
This page created using the webpage creation facilities of Webspawner.
Copyright © 2000 . All Rights Reserved
WebSpawner Page Machine