A Trick of the Tail
Encyclopedia
B Side
- This is the first song in the Genesis catalogue to feature an ellipsisEllipsisEllipsis is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence...
in its name, used to convey the mysteriousness of the track. All future issues of this track (including live versions) omit the elipsis, however. - "It's YourselfIt's YourselfIt's Yourself is a 1976 B-Side by the English progressive rock group Genesis, recorded during the sessions for "A Trick of the Tail", their first album after the departure of original lead singer Peter Gabriel.- Original Version :...
" is the B-side to "RipplesRipples (song)Ripples... is a song from Genesis' 1976 album A Trick of the Tail. Musically, it is a slow piece with prominent 12-string guitar and piano...
" as well as a single from the Wind & WutheringWind & Wuthering"It's Yourself" is the B-side to "Your Own Special Way", released February 1977-Related EP:All tracks from the Single Spot the Pigeon 20 May 1977-2007 SACD/CD/DVD Release:...
album.
Working titles for the album
Before A Trick of the Tail was released, two songs had working titles. Below is a list of the original working title and finalised song title (in parentheses):- "Indians" ("Squonk")
- "Beloved Summer" ("It's Yourself")
Remastered
Squonk
"Squonk" is based on the North American tale of the squonkSquonk
The Squonk is a legendary creature reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania. Legends of squonks probably originated in the late nineteenth century, at the height of Pennsylvania's importance in the timber industry.-In folklore:...
which when captured dissolves in a pool of tears. The song features many different sections and was a live favourite at Genesis concerts between 1976 and 1980.
According to Collins, in the interviews on the DVD release, this song was intended to be the closest thing Genesis ever got to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
(who were signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, the US label for Genesis), presumably because of the incredibly heavy drumming a la 'When the Levee Breaks
When the Levee Breaks
"When the Levee Breaks" is a blues song written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The song is in reaction to the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927....
'.
Steve Hackett, in particular, remembers getting an ecstatic reception when the band opened a show with this song at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Overall, this song is symptomatic of a new direction they would follow well in the 80s, the most notable departure from other earlier work being the change of Collins' drumming style from light, snare-heavy, jazz-rock to full-blooded rock. This change is mainly due to new producer David Hentschel
David Hentschel
David Hentschel is an English recording engineer, writer and music producer who engineered on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, as well as with artists including Genesis, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Queen, Marti Webb, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Peter...
. The working title of the song was Indians.
2007 SACD/CD/DVD Release
A new version of A Trick of the Tail was released in the U.K. and Japan on 2 April 2007. It was released in the US and Canada as part of the Genesis 1976-1982Genesis 1976-1982
Genesis 1976–1982 is a box set of five studio albums by Genesis. It was released on 2 April 2007 in Europe by EMI and on 15 May 2007 in North America by Atlantic/Rhino. The 6-CD/6-DVD box set includes newly remixed versions of the albums A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, ...And Then There Were...
box set on 15 May 2007. This includes the entire album in remixed stereo, the entire album in surround sound, and related video tracks.
- Disc 1, in the EuropeanEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and Japanese releases, is a hybrid SACDSuper Audio CDSuper Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
/CD. The stereo layer includes the remixed tracks, and the SACD layer is a multichannel surround soundSurround soundSurround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
remix.
- Disc 1, in the Canadian and U.S. releases, is a standard CD, containing the stereo remixes. No SACD layer is included.
- Disc 2, in all releases, is a DVD-VideoDVD-VideoDVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
disk containing both audio and video tracks. This DVD includes three audio mixes of the album: DTSDigital Theater SystemDTS is a series of multichannel audio technologies owned by DTS, Inc. , an American company specializing in digital surround sound formats used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications...
5.1-channel surround sound, Dolby DigitalDolby DigitalDolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
5.1-channel surround sound, and Dolby DigitalDolby DigitalDolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
stereo. The DTS surround sound is a slightly compressed version of the surround sound on the SACD, and the Dolby surround sound is of slightly inferior quality to the DTS.
- Disc 2 also includes the following video tracks:
- Band interview about this album (2006).
- Promotional videos: "Robbery, Assault and Battery", "Ripples" and "A Trick of the Tail".
- Genesis: In ConcertGenesis: In ConcertGenesis In Concert is a concert film directed and produced by Tony Maylam for the English progressive rock band Genesis. The recording of the film took place during concerts in Glasgow, Scotland and Stafford, England in 1976...
(1977 concert movie filmed during 1976 tour). Songs include "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"I Know What I Like " was the first charting single by the rock band Genesis. The single was first released in the UK in August 1973, but did not become a hit until April 1974, when it reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart....
", "Fly on a Windshield", "The Carpet CrawlersThe Carpet Crawlers"The Carpet Crawlers", also sometimes listed as "Carpet Crawl", "The Carpet Crawl" or "Carpet Crawlers", is a song originally from the 1974 Genesis concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...
", "The Cinema ShowThe Cinema Show"The Cinema Show" is an epic rock song by British progressive rock band Genesis from their 1973 album, Selling England by the Pound.Musically, the song is divided into two main sections: The first section is a gentle 12-string guitar-based piece, featuring vocal harmonies between Peter Gabriel and...
", "Entangled", "Supper's ReadySupper's Ready"Supper's Ready" is a song by the band Genesis. A recorded version appeared on their 1972 album Foxtrot, and the band performed the song regularly on stage for several years following this...
" and "Los Endos". - White Rock premiere program, from 1977 show (8 page gallery).
Personnel
- Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
– vocals, background vocals, drums, percussion - Steve HackettSteve HackettStephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
– electric guitar, 12-string guitars - Tony BanksTony Banks (musician)This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, synthesisers, pianos, background vocals, 12-string guitar, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music... - Mike RutherfordMike RutherfordMichael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
– bass guitar, 12-string guitar, bass pedalsBass pedalsBass pedals are an electronic musical instrument with foot-operated pedal keyboard with a range of one or more octaves. The earliest bass pedals from the 1970s consisted of a pedalboard and analog synthesizer tone generation circuitry packaged together as a unit...
Production
- Arranged By Genesis
- Produced By Genesis & David Hentschel
- Recorded & Engineered By Nick "Haddock" Bradford & David Hentschel
Tour
The tour of 1976 was the first to feature Phil Collins as the band's lead vocalist. In order for Phil to truly focus on singing, the decision was made to bring in another drummer to play during the songs when Phil was singing. A legend at the time, former YesYes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
drummer (who was at the time on hiatus from King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
) Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
was brought in on the tour after he suggested that they might use him to fill in for a bit. This added a bit of star power to the new line up of the band. The resulting tour was widely regarded as a success, and launched the band into a new level of stardom. It is documented on the film "Genesis In Concert" and is included on the 2007 re-issue of A Trick of the Tail.
Set List
- "Dance on a Volcano"
- "Lamb Stew Medley" – "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"/"Fly on a Windshield"/"The Carpet Crawlers"
- "The Cinema Show"
- "Robbery, Assault and Battery"
- "White Mountain"
- "Firth of Fifth"
- "Entangled"
- "Squonk"
- "Supper's Ready"
- "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"
- "Los Endos"
encore
- "It"/"Watcher of the Skies"
Personnel
- Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
– vocals, percussion, drums - Steve HackettSteve HackettStephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
– electric guitar, 12-string guitars - Tony BanksTony Banks (musician)This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, synthesisers, pianos, background vocals, 12-string guitar, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music... - Mike RutherfordMike RutherfordMichael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
– bass guitar, 12-string guitar, bass pedalsBass pedalsBass pedals are an electronic musical instrument with foot-operated pedal keyboard with a range of one or more octaves. The earliest bass pedals from the 1970s consisted of a pedalboard and analog synthesizer tone generation circuitry packaged together as a unit...
, background vocals - Bill BrufordBill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
– drums, percussion, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, gongGongA gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....