Genesis (UK)Selling England by the Pound (1973)Genres: symphonic rock"Dancing With the Moonlit Knight", "Firth of Fifth", "The Battle of Epping Forest" and "The Cinema Show"; four epics and four great songs, this is how we want our tea served. With changes in time, tempo and mood. With great performances from all band members. With good sound quality. And with great lyrics. Unfortunately there are more songs on the album; the awful hit-single (how was it possible for this to become a hit?) "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", the nonsense instrumental guitar-licking "After the Ordeal" and the horrific Phil Collins sung "More Fool Me". One good thing is that the four epics takes up about fourty minutes so you really get value for money spent, with the total time landing on approximately 55 minutes. But on the other hand it's always annoying with bad songs between the good ones.
This could have been a classic album should they not have overdone it. Instead this record have to settle with coming in just behind, not fully worthy to enter the classics realm.
Genesis were back with a slightly lighter and more symphonic sound. As usual when it comes to Genesis it’s a mixed bag. “I know what I like (in your wardrobe)” and “More fool me” are horrible songs and the least said about them the better (at least they are short). The rest is however good stuff. “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight”, “The Cinema Show” and “Firth of Fifth” are Genesis in symphonic mode while “The Battle of Epping Forest” displays their theatrical and humorous side. I know some people dislike the latter side, but I actually like the theatrical Gabriel, silly voices and all. When he is less dramatic he often sounds like Phil Collins and that is not something I prefer.
If you are unfamiliar with Genesis (I guess the Genesis fanatics stopped reading after the outrageous preceding sentence) this record is a good place to start. It features all the characteristics of early Genesis; gentleness, sophistication, wittiness and good (as well as bad) songwriting. Both Hackett’s guitar playing and Banks’ organ playing are typically light and tasteful throughout. I do have problems appreciating Hackett’s guitar playing (I would like some more crunch), but that goes for other Genesis albums as well. And it is not a big issue since Banks’ organ or piano usually serve as the lead instrument.
