Genesis – A Trick Of The Tail

It was released on February 2, 1976 and was a record where Messrs Collins, Banks, Hackett and Rutherford followed their best instincts. "It's as strong as ever," Banks said to Melody Maker when A Trick Of The Tail was released, whereupon he made a bold statement. "If it isn't, we're not gonna play any more. If it's not that good, there's no point in playing. Peter left and life goes on. We were all kind of sad. We spent some time trying to get him to change his mind, but when he didn't change his mind, we just kept going.

A Trick Of The Tail debuted on 20th March at number 5 in the British charts. The band spent the first six weeks in the top ten and remained in the top 75 for 31 weeks without interruption until September. Even more than two and a half years after its release, the album still appeared occasionally in the market overview. In June it went on to win both silver and gold, and it also hit gold in America, where it reached 31st place.

When the album peaked at #3 in the UK, the band's highest album since Selling England By The Pound, and the best album in the US album charts to date, it was clear that the emergence of the new Genesis had much promising potential for the future.

AllMusic rating: