Vinyl Record
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail on LP vinyl. A 1976 record available from Kilmorna Collection in Listowel, Ireland.
LP ยท 1976
Available from Kilmorna Collection in Listowel.
Buyer notes: 1976 LP, currently available from the Kilmorna Collection vinyl shelf. Pay for pickup in Listowel or ship within Ireland for EUR 5.50.
A Trick of the Tail is Genesis answering the question that could have ended the band: what happens after Peter Gabriel leaves? Released in 1976, it is the first studio album with Phil Collins as lead vocalist, though he was already part of the group's rhythmic and vocal identity. Instead of shrinking from Gabriel's absence, Genesis made a record that feels confident, lyrical and unusually balanced, preserving the fantasy and complexity of the early 1970s while letting a new warmth enter the centre of the sound. Dance on a Volcano begins with nervous energy, as if the band is daring itself to move forward. Entangled and Ripples show a softer, more dreamlike side, full of acoustic detail and slow-building melancholy. Squonk brings weight and stomp, Mad Man Moon gives Tony Banks a wide emotional canvas, and Los Endos closes the album by turning themes and momentum into a wordless statement of continuity. Collins does not imitate Gabriel so much as reveal how much of the band's musical character could survive with a different kind of singer. The album endures because it is neither denial nor reinvention for its own sake. It sounds like Genesis discovering that the machinery still works, and then realizing it can move with new grace. For many listeners, it is the purest bridge between the Gabriel-era imagination and the Collins-fronted future.
A Trick of the Tail matters because it proved Genesis could continue at a high creative level after the departure of their most theatrical frontman. It kept the band's progressive ambition intact while introducing the vocal warmth and rhythmic confidence that would become central to the next phase of their career.
This is one of the core Genesis albums to own, especially for listeners who want the post-Gabriel transition at its most elegant. It sits naturally beside The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Wind & Wuthering, forming the crucial mid-1970s sequence where the band redefined itself without severing its roots.
Elegant progressive rock with intricate keyboards, fluid drumming, melodic bass, pastoral textures, theatrical turns and Phil Collins' newly central lead vocals.
Recommended for: Genesis fans exploring the first Phil Collins-fronted studio album; Collectors of classic 1970s progressive rock with strong songcraft; Listeners who want fantasy, melody and instrumental sophistication in balance.
What year was A Trick of the Tail released? A Trick of the Tail was released in 1976. Why is it important in Genesis history? It was the first Genesis studio album after Peter Gabriel's departure, with Phil Collins taking lead vocals. Which tracks best represent the album? Dance on a Volcano, Entangled, Squonk, Ripples and Los Endos are central to its character.