I love the sequencing of Entangled into Squonk, a contrast that just seems to work perfectly. Genesis must have agreed because in the 76 tour they sequenced them together without any talking in between (at least on the boots I have heard). I always felt Squonk was never as impressive when used as a show opener in 77, as documented on Seconds Out (which is otherwise excellent). Live it never captured that awesome drum sound, IMHO.
Am I right in thinking that the title "A Trick of the Tail" is a reference to the "head" (PG) having departed? Tim
The lyrics are inspired by the book The Inheritors by William Golding. Like much of the album A Trick of the Tail, the song's lyrics focus on a specific character: the "Beast" who leaves his own kingdom and enters the world of humans. He is captured and put on display in a freak show after his captors refuse to believe in his kingdom. The Beast laments his decision to leave his home, describing it as a paradise covered in gold. His captors then release him in exchange for leading them to his world. However, just as they see what appears to be a "spire of gold", they find that the Beast has vanished, though they do hear his voice. Make of that what you will. We Will get there in due course
Squonk is pretty cool (and sounds great on the studio version), but outstayed its welcome in the live setlist, IMO. Needs some variety in the middle and, at the very least, some decent lyrics; these lyrics are terrible. Great opening lyric, which then means absolutely nothing in the context of the rest of the song, and it's all downhill from there.
It's good but I never got crazy 'bout it. As some have noticed, it seems that Mike had some hard rock-ish thing burning under the ashes. Once a piece pops out to be more aggressive, it's generally his. Funny, because he also sometimes tends towards sugar-ish ballads . Lyrics are surprisingly nice for an attempt to do an à-la Gabriel story but certainly are far from the model and a little prosaic. Musically, I appreciate the variety but it's not my go-to Genesis. Interesting coda.
the tour was amazing though, I mean Bruford on drums. Recently listening to Cleveland Ohio concert, and Fly on a Windshield never sounded better.
slightly agreed in regards to stiff/turgid being used to describe Squonk, though over time I've found it to be far less so than on my first several listens. The payoff for me is in the wordless chorus. And, like any great song that burrows into your mind (and begs to be replayed through the years that make up a lifetime), the verses build step-by-step into the lilting yet powerful (and wordless) chorus. Squonk succeeds in bringing a fairytale to life, with a slight Zeppelin-esque stomp that eschews the funk of most Zeppelin stompers. This is fine and well for me however, as I rarely (if ever) associate funk sounds/styles with fairy tales. Squonk puts me into a wooded scene full of wonderful vistas and mythical beasts just as Zeppelin's stomper "Trampled Under Foot" takes me to a drag strip raceway on the edge of town, filled with testosterone and comely ladies.
One of the great triumphs in Squonk is found within Phil's percussion. Fantastic accents on the beat and lyrics. Tony Banks should give a special thanks to Phil some day, for Phil's uncanny ability to highlight and support (and stay out of the way when necessary) of Tony's grand synth sonics!
Squonk's one of my favorite Genesis songs. Probably because the first Genesis album I bought was Seconds Out and it's the opening song. Still love it. Still think it's underrated. Still sends a chill up my spine when I hear the closing verse. All in all you are a very dying race Placing trust upon a cruel world You never had the things you thought you should've had And you'll not get them now And all the while in perfect time Your tears are falling on the ground Oh, no, no, no, no, no Phil called it their Kashmir
It's remarkable the pasting Phil gets by some for their later work when you consider how brilliant his work on the kit always was.
placing trust upon a cold, cruel world to give you a step up in life, or at least show you the way? Had I known that this was a fool's errand in my 20's, I'd be in a much better place today!
Despite my earlier slightly negative remarks concerning the post-Gabriel era, this really is a very good album, and Entangled is one of the highlights. A beautiful tune combined with a decidedly creepy lyric. Not one to listen to if you are about to embark on a stay in hospital, I shouldn't think. One of the things I like about it is that it has a proper finish. After the last verse ends, we are teased with a quite long instrumental coda and wonder where this is going, but it all comes to a perfectly realised conclusion. Then suddenly we get Squonk - a dramatic shift that strangely does not sound at all jarring. Maybe it would to someone less familiar with this band, but to me it sounds very much in character. So far this album is all good, and just seems to get better with every track.
I believe that in due time, Phil's musical aptitude will be re-appraised. If the legions of young prog fans on various social media pages I frequent is to mean anything, it would appear that prog isn't dying on the vine at all with today's youth. A discussion about "Supper's Ready" met with hundreds of responses on a prog-devoted Facebook group!
Imagine their disappointment when they discovered the discussion was about a song, and not, as they had thought, a summons to the dinner table.
He does? All I ever see on this board is praise for Phil's contribution to Genesis - justified praise.
Well that would be good to see. The over exposure in the eighties seemed to just right him off in so many people's minds.
He is a great drummer and a great singer. He is actually a great songwriter too, but he is not a seventies prog song writer, even though a great contributor. I enjoy playing hard rock and metal, but my writing isn't in that style ... it is a weird dynamic.
not so much this board. If you ever read youtube comments (and other sites) there are a lot of folks that go on there merely to savage Phil and anyone who says anything good about him.
We come to it at last. Squonk. My favorite Genesis song. On my favorite Genesis album. Ever. Funny thing, it is not my favorite through nostalgia. It is very far from the first song I ever heard from them. And the first few times I did hear it were on Seconds Out, before I ever owned a copy of my now-favorite Genesis album. But it wormed its way under my skin, burrowed into my brain, and eventually came to represent truly "great rock" in my opinion. But there's no one thing about it that's extraordinary. No unforgettable solos. No belting vocals. Just a very good song that manages to be much more than the sum of its parts. I have no tattoos, nor any desire for one, but if I were forced to get ink, it would be this guy:
