Los Endos
Encyclopedia
"Los Endos" is an instrumental
piece by English
progressive rock
band Genesis
from their 1976
album A Trick of the Tail
. It is one of the band's few forays into the world of jazz fusion
and reflects drummer Phil Collins
's involvement in the instrumental band Brand X
. As the title suggests, the song was featured at the end of the album, and it was also featured at the end of Genesis's concerts, usually as a medley with "Dance On A Volcano" and a drum duet between Collins and Chester Thompson
in between. 'Los endos' is not any actual phrase in Spanish or in any other language.
The song contains excerpts from three other songs recorded during the Trick of the Tail sessions: The intro is from "It's Yourself
," a song which appeared as the B-side to "Ripples" (as well as "Your Own Special Way" from the Wind & Wuthering
album in 1976
.) The closing section features riffs and melodies from "Dance On A Volcano" and "Squonk
".
During the fade out of the song, Phil Collins
sings "There's an angel standing in the sun...There's an angel standing in the sun / free to get back home." These lines are from the "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)" section of "Supper's Ready
" from 1972
's Foxtrot
. The band included these lyrics in "Los Endos" as an homage to original lead vocalist Peter Gabriel
, who had left the band in 1975
.
The reprise of "Dance on a Volcano" at the end of "Los Endos" gives the album a bookend effect that is found on other Genesis albums, such as Selling England by the Pound
, Seconds Out
(Reprising motifs from "Squonk", which is the third song of the album) and Duke
.
"Los Endos" became a live favourite. It was kept consistently in the setlist from the Trick of the Tail tour in 1976 up to the Invisible Touch
tour in 1986-1987. It was dropped for the Way We Walk
tour in 1992, the last tour with Phil Collins for 15 years. It was returned to the setlist for the band's comeback tour, Turn It On Again
, in 2007.
The song was first performed in 1976 as it is heard on the album. From 1977-1981, the song was performed in the medley with "Dance on a Volcano". From 1982 afterwards, "Dance on a Volcano" was excised and the medley was kept as "Drum Duet / Los Endos".
A live version of "Los Endos" from the 1976 tour featuring former Yes
and King Crimson
drummer Bill Bruford
appears on Genesis: In Concert
, Seconds Out, the Encore Series recordings of Turn It On Again: The Tour
and Live Over Europe 2007
. It was also featured on Genesis' 3-disc compilation album Platinum Collection as one of three cuts from A Trick of the Tail (along with "Ripples" and "A Trick of the Tail"), remixed by Nick Davis.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
piece by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
from their 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
album A Trick of the Tail
A Trick of the Tail
-B Side:*This is the first song in the Genesis catalogue to feature an ellipsis in its name, used to convey the mysteriousness of the track. All future issues of this track omit the elipsis, however....
. It is one of the band's few forays into the world of jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
and reflects drummer Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
's involvement in the instrumental band Brand X
Brand X
Brand X was a jazz fusion band active between 1975–1980 and 1992-1999. Noted members included Phil Collins , Percy Jones , John Goodsall and Robin Lumley ....
. As the title suggests, the song was featured at the end of the album, and it was also featured at the end of Genesis's concerts, usually as a medley with "Dance On A Volcano" and a drum duet between Collins and Chester Thompson
Chester Thompson
Chester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...
in between. 'Los endos' is not any actual phrase in Spanish or in any other language.
The song contains excerpts from three other songs recorded during the Trick of the Tail sessions: The intro is from "It's Yourself
It's Yourself
It's Yourself is a 1976 B-Side by the English progressive rock group Genesis, recorded during the sessions for "A Trick of the Tail", their first album after the departure of original lead singer Peter Gabriel.- Original Version :...
," a song which appeared as the B-side to "Ripples" (as well as "Your Own Special Way" from the Wind & Wuthering
Wind & Wuthering
"It's Yourself" is the B-side to "Your Own Special Way", released February 1977-Related EP:All tracks from the Single Spot the Pigeon 20 May 1977-2007 SACD/CD/DVD Release:...
album in 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
.) The closing section features riffs and melodies from "Dance On A Volcano" and "Squonk
Squonk
The Squonk is a legendary creature reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania. Legends of squonks probably originated in the late nineteenth century, at the height of Pennsylvania's importance in the timber industry.-In folklore:...
".
During the fade out of the song, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
sings "There's an angel standing in the sun...There's an angel standing in the sun / free to get back home." These lines are from the "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)" section of "Supper's Ready
Supper's Ready
"Supper's Ready" is a song by the band Genesis. A recorded version appeared on their 1972 album Foxtrot, and the band performed the song regularly on stage for several years following this...
" from 1972
1972 in music
-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...
's Foxtrot
Foxtrot (album)
Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis and the second from the band line-up which included Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, and Steve Hackett.-History:...
. The band included these lyrics in "Los Endos" as an homage to original lead vocalist Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, who had left the band in 1975
1975 in music
-January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....
.
The reprise of "Dance on a Volcano" at the end of "Los Endos" gives the album a bookend effect that is found on other Genesis albums, such as Selling England by the Pound
Selling England by the Pound
- Sound and live performance :The piano introduction to "Firth of Fifth" has not been included in a performance since 1974, in a Drury Lane Theatre concert, when Banks misplayed and Collins covered by starting the song from after the intro...
, Seconds Out
Seconds Out
Seconds Out is a live double album by Genesis, released in October 1977. It reached No.4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for 17 weeks. The performances were recorded in Paris in 1976 and 1977 on their tours in support of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering...
(Reprising motifs from "Squonk", which is the third song of the album) and Duke
Duke (album)
Duke is the tenth studio album by British band Genesis, released in March 1980.-Overview:The release of Duke followed solo albums by Genesis members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford ....
.
"Los Endos" became a live favourite. It was kept consistently in the setlist from the Trick of the Tail tour in 1976 up to the Invisible Touch
Invisible Touch
Invisible Touch is the 13th studio album by the band Genesis, released in 1986. It reached No.1 in the UK where it remained in the charts for 96 weeks, making it by far the most commercially successful album of their career, eventually selling over 15 million copies worldwide...
tour in 1986-1987. It was dropped for the Way We Walk
We Can't Dance
Rolling Stone chiefly commented on the album's lyrics. They criticized "Tell Me Why" and "Way of the World" for being soulless and impersonal social commentaries, but regarded most of songs as outstanding, and summarized "Although We Can't Dance doesn't quite achieve the vulnerable grace of Duke or...
tour in 1992, the last tour with Phil Collins for 15 years. It was returned to the setlist for the band's comeback tour, Turn It On Again
Turn It on Again: The Tour
Turn It On Again: The Tour was a 2007 concert tour of Europe and North America by progressive rock band Genesis. The tour was notable for the return of drummer and vocalist Phil Collins, who left the group in 1996.-History:...
, in 2007.
The song was first performed in 1976 as it is heard on the album. From 1977-1981, the song was performed in the medley with "Dance on a Volcano". From 1982 afterwards, "Dance on a Volcano" was excised and the medley was kept as "Drum Duet / Los Endos".
A live version of "Los Endos" from the 1976 tour featuring former Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
drummer Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
appears on Genesis: In Concert
Genesis: In Concert
Genesis In Concert is a concert film directed and produced by Tony Maylam for the English progressive rock band Genesis. The recording of the film took place during concerts in Glasgow, Scotland and Stafford, England in 1976...
, Seconds Out, the Encore Series recordings of Turn It On Again: The Tour
Turn It on Again: The Tour
Turn It On Again: The Tour was a 2007 concert tour of Europe and North America by progressive rock band Genesis. The tour was notable for the return of drummer and vocalist Phil Collins, who left the group in 1996.-History:...
and Live Over Europe 2007
Live Over Europe 2007
Live over Europe 2007 is the sixth live album by British band Genesis recorded during the Turn It on Again: The Tour of 2007. It was released in North America by Atlantic Records on 20 November 2007, and in Europe on by Virgin Records on 26 November 2007.-Disc 1:# "Duke's Intro" – Manchester –...
. It was also featured on Genesis' 3-disc compilation album Platinum Collection as one of three cuts from A Trick of the Tail (along with "Ripples" and "A Trick of the Tail"), remixed by Nick Davis.
Personnel
- Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
- DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, RototomRototomRototoms are drums which have no shell. They consist of a single head in a die-cast zinc or aluminum frame. Unlike most other drums, they have a variable definite pitch. Composers are known to write for them as tuned instruments, demanding specific pitches. Rototoms are often used to extend the tom...
s, Percussion, Vocals - Mike RutherfordMike RutherfordMichael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
- BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Twelve string guitarTwelve string guitarThe twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar...
, Moog Taurus bass pedalsMoog TaurusThe Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:... - Steve HackettSteve HackettStephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
- Lead GuitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Guitar Effects - Tony BanksTony Banks (musician)This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...
- MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, Organ, ARP Pro SoloistARP Pro SoloistThe ARP Pro Soloist was one of the first commercially successful preset electronic music synthesizers. Introduced by ARP Instruments, Inc. in 1972, it replaced the similar ARP Soloist in the company's lineup of portable performance instruments.-History:...