Genesis A Trick Of The Tail equipment

A Trick Of The Tail is Genesis' seventh studio album, released in February 1976 on Charisma Records. This album was the first to feature drummer Phil Collins taking on lead vocal duties, following Peter Gabriel's departure during the Lamb tour.

Tracks were written, rehearsed and subsequently recorded as instrumentals at Trident Studios during September-October 1975 while auditioning for a replacement singer. One of the auditionees, Mick Stickland, was invited to the studio to sing, but found that the backing tracks were a key outside his natural voice range so they decided not to work with him. In the end, Phil reluctantly attempted singing "Squonk", and the band were impressed by his performance, so they settled with him as their new lead singer.

Phil Collins
Drums (Gretsch):
 * Gretsch "Name Band" white kit
 * Ludwig Snare(?)

Cymbals:
 * Paiste & Zildjian

Tony Banks
Keyboards & synthesizers:
 * ARP 2600
 * Bechstein piano - used at Trident
 * Hammond T102 tonewheel organ
 * Mellotron M400
 * RMI Electra 368 electric piano

Effects:
 * Leslie rotating speaker for organ
 * Fender Blender fuzz (on RMI piano)
 * MXR M-107 Phase 100 (on RMI piano)
 * Echoplex
 * MXR M-108 10-Band Graphic EQ (Mellotron)

Mike Rutherford
Guitars:
 * Dick Night custom double neck

Amps

Effects:

Other:
 * Moog Taurus I

Steve Hackett
Guitars:
 * 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
 * Gibson Les Paul custom

Amps:
 * HH stack?

Effects:
 * Pete Cornish custom FX board

Other:

Microphones
Little documentation has surfaced about the microphone specifics relating to this particular album. However, there is information relating to the usual microphone setups employed by staff at Trident Studios during the early-mid 1970s period. Particularly from Kenneth Scott's Gearspace Q&A and a Gearspace comment by ex-Trident staffer Neil Kernon concerning snare mics. Also a mention of tom-tom mics on on RE/P forums.

Producer David Hentschel himself worked at Trident as a staff engineer for a few years before leaving in 1974, so there are increased odds that he followed a similar approach when recording A Trick Of The Tail there.


 * AKG:
 * C-12a: main mic for (possibly) overheads, bass & guitar amps
 * D-12: main bass drum mic at Trident
 * Neumann:
 * KM84: main snare microphone at Trident
 * U67: multi-purpose mic at Trident - tom-toms, vocals, pianos, (possibly) overheads etc.
 * U87: used for tom-toms at Trident

Outboard gear

 * Astronics Graphic EQs
 * EMT-140 reverb plate (x2)
 * UREI 1176
 * Universal Audio Teletronix LA2A compressor
 * Universal Audio 175b
 * Pultec EQP-1A

Source: Gearspace forums

Ancillary equipment

 * Trident A-range console (customised)
 * Studer A80 Mk. II tape machines

Source: Photo