Your favorite tracks on ... "A Trick Of The Tail"

  • The best album by anyone ever.

    My introduction to Genesis. Never heard them before. Bought it mainly for the cover. I used to look at their albums in record shops having no idea what they sounded like .They seemed a bit mysterious and fascinating. I seem to remember DLT playing a song on my little radio , early evening thought it was ok. I had a look, and liked the cover, so I bought it.

    I was absolutely knocked out by it's opening. Never heard anything like it. Playiing loud on my parents stereo.

    Today I chose Ripples Entangled and RAAB. though I could choose a different 3 tomorrow!

    Some Genesis fans have surprised at my choice of RAAB the musical break in it is one of favourites.

  • Jist seeing the track titles laid out evokes the sound of the album. I think it's their richest overall, with such a warm, dusty ambience. Interesting to see entangled top of the poll. I like it, dance on a volcano and ripples. My favorite is not on the album though - it's yourself. Would love to hear what the suite would have been like. And did mad man moon fit into it? Great period for the band.

  • New to the forum, so a bit late to this party....


    But, this is a pretty much impossible task. I prefer The Lamb as an album but the consistent quality of the songs on this album is ridiculous. Choosing 3 is nightmarish.


    In the end I went for Dance, Los Endos, and after much debate, TOTT. I think TOTT is an underrated track, and is currently bottom of the poll. Admittedly it's up against strong opposition.


    As someone who LOVES singing and singing along to whatever I'm listening to, TOTT is my favourite on the album for that. I love the melody, the way the lyrics scan and just the general fun of it.

  • Really? Everyone I know who's heard the song finds it instantly lovable. I had no idea that most people consider it a weak song.

    I saw a poll a long time ago where the very many respondents rated the songs on A Trick of the Tail. The bottom two songs were the title track and "Robbery, Assault and Battery." If I remember correctly, RA&B finished last, but those two were well below the other six.

  • I saw a poll a long time ago where the very many respondents rated the songs on A Trick of the Tail. The bottom two songs were the title trick and "Robbery, Assault and Battery." If I remember correctly, RA&B finished last, but those two were well below the other six.

    It always depends on who's answering the polls, though.

  • It always depends on who's answering the polls, though.

    Well, sure. However, this was a pretty big poll. I think it was on Mad Man Moon's Genesis Page, if anyone remembers that. The poll was probably conducted 25 years ago, so fans' opinions may have changed in general since then.

  • Well, sure. However, this was a pretty big poll. I think it was on Mad Man Moon's Genesis Page, if anyone remembers that. The poll was probably conducted 25 years ago, so fans' opinions may have changed in general since then.

    I don't know the page. As I say, a poll is only as good as its contributors and I wouldn't know, of the millions of Genesis fans who are out there, what percentage of them are members of internet Genesis sites but I doubt the poll counts as a yardstick of general taste.

  • I don't know the page. As I say, a poll is only as good as its contributors and I wouldn't know, of the millions of Genesis fans who are out there, what percentage of them are members of internet Genesis sites but I doubt the poll counts as a yardstick of general taste.

    Well, the real question is, "How representative is the poll?" I don't know the answer to that.


    What's fun is seeing how fans' opinions have changed in the 25 years since I started perusing the Internet. For example, lots of people have warmed to We Can't Dance (my personal favorite of the Genesis studio albums) since then. In the mid-90s you still had people trying to signal against the then-recent hits, but since then some of those folks have probably reexamined that album and others on their own merits rather than on radio play.

  • What's fun is seeing how fans' opinions have changed in the 25 years since I started perusing the Internet. For example, lots of people have warmed to We Can't Dance (my personal favorite of the Genesis studio albums) since then. In the mid-90s you still had people trying to signal against the then-recent hits, but since then some of those folks have probably reexamined that album and others on their own merits rather than on radio play.

    I only started surfing the internet in the last fifteen years and much less of that time has been spent posting on forums but I do recall that on one site some prog fans considered themselves "superior" to people who liked pop music. I'm not sure what basis they used for that assumption, only that I've never read such guff in all my days!

  • I saw a poll a long time ago where the very many respondents rated the songs on A Trick of the Tail. The bottom two songs were the title track and "Robbery, Assault and Battery." If I remember correctly, RA&B finished last, but those two were well below the other six.

    I remember that with RA&B. It has confused me any time I thought of it since. The only way it makes sense to me (along with perceived criticism of the title track) is that it's not a direct judgement on the songs but rather people preferring the other songs. I love them all, I think it's a great album from start to finish. I really love those two songs but would they be in my top 3 out of the 8 on the album? Honestly no but it's a bit random/arbitrary.

    some prog fans considered themselves "superior" to people who liked pop music. I'm not sure what basis they used for that assumption, only that I've never read such guff in all my days!

    1000%