Genesis "A Trick of the Tail" Mobile Fidelity MFSL

$

31

 A Trick of the Tail is the seventh studio album by the band Genesis and the first to feature Phil Collins as full-time lead vocalist following the departure of original vocalist Peter Gabriel. It was released in February 1976.

After Peter Gabriel left Genesis, the remaining members held auditions for a permanent lead singer, although some members, most notably Tony Banks considered continuing as an instrumental act, while most songs were written without knowledge as to how they would be sung.  Initially, Phil Collins did not wish to take over the singing job from Gabriel, instead teaching the potential lead singers the songs.  When the auditions failed to produce a suitable vocalist, Collins reluctantly went in the studio to sing "Squonk" and the band decided that Collins should be the new vocalist.

A Trick of the Tail reached #3 in the UK, remaining on the charts for 39 weeks, and #31 in the US. Additionally, the album was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA in March 1990. Also according to Tony Banks in the essay that comes with Platinum Collection, the album doubled the band's previous albums sales. This success was also financially crucial for Genesis who were $400,000 in debt by the time Peter Gabriel left.
Tracks

1.    "Dance on a Volcano"      Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford    5.55
2.    "Entangled"      Banks, Hackett    6.26
3.    "Squonk"      Banks, Rutherford    6.29
4.    "Mad Man Moon"      Banks    7.35
5.    "Robbery, Assault and Battery"      Banks, Collins    6.16
6.    "Ripples..."      Banks, Rutherford    8.08
7.    "A Trick of the Tail"      Banks    
8.    "Los Endos"      Banks, Collins, Hackett, Rutherford    


"Squonk" is based on the North American tale of the squonk 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, presumably because of the incredibly heavy drumming a la 'When the Levee Breaks'. Steve Hackett, in particular, remembers getting an ecstatic reception when the band opened a show with this song at Madison Square Garden. Overall, this song is typical of a new direction Genesis 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.

The condition of the vinyl and jacket are both good, I'm not a collector so I don't really know anything about grading stuff.  I buy music to listen. 

Mobile Fidelity offers the best sounding copies of one of the best albums ever recorded.  It is a gem, a 'must have' for the audiophile or a casual listener. 

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi) is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound quality. Each title is licensed from the original record company as a limited edition item. It is manufactured and sold only within a specific period of time.

From its beginning in 1977 MFSL gained a reputation for emphasizing quality at all points in the sound duplication and manufacturing process. At this time MFSL was very unusual in the record industry by offering a premium quality product at a premium price. Simultaneously, most large record labels were forced to lower costs and reduce quality standards. In 1977 most major labels were using relatively poor quality disc mastering and duplication methods and had begun pressing their product on thin and often recycled vinyl. These low cost methods led to an unnecessary increase in surface noise and other audio distortions.

The emphasis on quality at MFSL has been praised by critics and music fans. The success of MFSL proved that there was a significant market for premium product and encouraged others to emphasize quality also. Many other "audiophile" labels soon sprouted up to compete with MFSL, some of these begun by the major record labels themselves.