Genesis proved that they
could rock on Foxtrot
but on its follow-up Selling
England by the Pound they didn't follow this route, they returned to the
English eccentricity of their first records, which wasn't so much a retreat as a
consolidation of powers. For even if this eight-track album has no one song that
hits as hard as "Watcher of the Skies," Genesis hasn't
sacrificed the newfound immediacy of Foxtrot: they've married
it to their eccentricity, finding ways to infuse it into the delicate whimsy
that's been their calling card since the beginning. This, combined with many
overt literary allusions -- the Tolkeinisms of the title of "The Battle of
Epping Forest" only being the most apparent -- gives this album a storybook
quality. It plays as a collection of short stories, fables, and fairy tales, and
it is also a rock record, which naturally makes it quite extraordinary as a
collection, but also as a set of individual songs. Genesis has never been
as direct as they've been on the fanciful yet hook-driven "I Know What I Like
(In Your Wardrobe)" -- apart from the fluttering flutes in the fade-out, it
could easily be mistaken for a glam single -- or as achingly fragile as on "More
Fool Me," sung by Phil Collins. It's
this delicate balance and how the album showcases the band's narrative force on
a small scale as well as large that makes this their arguable high-water mark.
Released
12 October 1973
Recorded
August 1973at Island Studios, London
Length
53:21
Label
Charisma, Atlantic
Producer
Genesis & John Burns
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By Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia)
There is no doubt that Genesis of the 80's has a lot of fans, but in my opinion, if you really want to hear Genesis at its finest, one has to go back to the days when Peter Gabriel fronted the group. Released on October 12th, of 1973, "Selling England by the Pound" was the firth studio album from the group. With a feel of returning to England's better days, the album has just eight tracks, ranging in length from a 1 minute 32 second "Aisle of Plenty" to "The Battle of Epping Forest" at nearly 12 minutes long.
The album opens with "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", a song which opens a cappella and quickly changes into a frenzy of music and very much a rock piece. This song is also one of the bookends of the album as its reprise titled "Aisle of Plenty" closes the album with the same melody, though certainly a different lyric and feel. Next comes "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", an unusual single which gave Genesis its first taste of the charts. "Firth of Fifth" is next, and it is a superb example of a progressive rock number, with tremendous musical segments featuring Tony Banks and Steve Hackett. The first half closes with "More Fool Me", the only song on the album that has Phil Collins handling the lead vocals, and only one of two that Phil sang lead on while Peter Gabriel was in the group. It is a stark contrast to the rest of the album as it is just vocals and acoustic guitar.
"The Battle of Epping Forest" is the longest song on the album, and has Peter Gabriel changing his voice to represent different characters during the song. Overall the song has some interesting lyrics and fine music, but the two don't always fit together all that well. "After the Ordeal" is an instrumental written mostly by Steve Hackett. Supposedly Banks and Gabriel wanted to keep the piece off the album, but somewhat surprisingly Hackett prevailed. "The Cinema Show" is next and like "Firth of Fifth" represents the height of progressive rock, and in this case the lyrics hold up to the level of the music as well. The transition at the end of "The Cinema Show" leads into "Aisle of Plenty", a reprise of the melody from "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" providing a very appropriate close for the album.
This album features Genesis' legendary lineup with Peter Gabriel (lead vocals, flute, oboe, percussion), Steve Hackett (guitars), Phil Collins (drums, percussion, backing vocals, and lead vocals on "More Fool Me"), Mike Rutherford (bass guitar, bass pedals, rhythm guitar), and Tony Banks (piano, keyboards, backing vocals, and acoustic guitar on "The Cinema Show"). This album is right up there with the best that Genesis has ever done.
-------------------------------------
By Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia)
There is no doubt that Genesis of the 80's has a lot of fans, but in my opinion, if you really want to hear Genesis at its finest, one has to go back to the days when Peter Gabriel fronted the group. Released on October 12th, of 1973, "Selling England by the Pound" was the firth studio album from the group. With a feel of returning to England's better days, the album has just eight tracks, ranging in length from a 1 minute 32 second "Aisle of Plenty" to "The Battle of Epping Forest" at nearly 12 minutes long.
The album opens with "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", a song which opens a cappella and quickly changes into a frenzy of music and very much a rock piece. This song is also one of the bookends of the album as its reprise titled "Aisle of Plenty" closes the album with the same melody, though certainly a different lyric and feel. Next comes "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", an unusual single which gave Genesis its first taste of the charts. "Firth of Fifth" is next, and it is a superb example of a progressive rock number, with tremendous musical segments featuring Tony Banks and Steve Hackett. The first half closes with "More Fool Me", the only song on the album that has Phil Collins handling the lead vocals, and only one of two that Phil sang lead on while Peter Gabriel was in the group. It is a stark contrast to the rest of the album as it is just vocals and acoustic guitar.
"The Battle of Epping Forest" is the longest song on the album, and has Peter Gabriel changing his voice to represent different characters during the song. Overall the song has some interesting lyrics and fine music, but the two don't always fit together all that well. "After the Ordeal" is an instrumental written mostly by Steve Hackett. Supposedly Banks and Gabriel wanted to keep the piece off the album, but somewhat surprisingly Hackett prevailed. "The Cinema Show" is next and like "Firth of Fifth" represents the height of progressive rock, and in this case the lyrics hold up to the level of the music as well. The transition at the end of "The Cinema Show" leads into "Aisle of Plenty", a reprise of the melody from "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" providing a very appropriate close for the album.
This album features Genesis' legendary lineup with Peter Gabriel (lead vocals, flute, oboe, percussion), Steve Hackett (guitars), Phil Collins (drums, percussion, backing vocals, and lead vocals on "More Fool Me"), Mike Rutherford (bass guitar, bass pedals, rhythm guitar), and Tony Banks (piano, keyboards, backing vocals, and acoustic guitar on "The Cinema Show"). This album is right up there with the best that Genesis has ever done.
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