10 Albums That Will Make You Love Prog Rock
5. A Trick of the Tail - Genesis
For the OG Genesis fans, there are probably some funny looks coming this way right now. Especially with all of the great prog albums that the band made with Peter Gabriel, putting Phil Collins behind the mic is the moment where everything started to go off the rails and go full blown pop, right? Well, yes, but those prog rock chops don't just go away overnight on A Trick of the Tail.
As Gabriel left to pursue a solo career and spend time with his family, Phil's vocals are definitely a lot more user friendly, especially when he didn't have to wear the strange outfits every night. When you listen to the kind of music that they're making here, it's not that dissimilar from what they had on their hands earlier, only given an extra sonic sheen this time around.
Since the band had become a four piece at this point, there's also a lot more room for every member of the band to experiment, with Steve Hackatt putting some amazing guitar fills into the mix. If you also want a reference for how well a keyboard can work in a prog context, Tony Banks delivered a master class on this album, like Dance on a Volcano where it's practically the lead instrument. This was the one moment where Genesis could have sank like a stone, but they managed to actually win their old fans over without Gabriel. The pop years weren't too far away, but the complexity was still firmly in place.