Selling England By The Pound [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com essential recording
Often overshadowed by its immediate successor--The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway--this 1974 album features Genesis concert favorites such as the baroque "Firth of Fifth" and the epic "Cinema Show." It yields the group's first British hit, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)." Singer Peter Gabriel's heady mixture of dark drama and cryptic commentary is tied to some of the band's most stunning arrangements: Steve Hackett's violin-like guitar melodies on "Firth of Fifth," Tony Banks's synth arpeggios on "The Battle of Epping Forest," and crisp, tight drumming throughout from Phil Collins. Collins makes his Genesis lead vocal debut on the acoustic "More Fool Me." The complex structures and poetic risks taken here may throw fans of later Genesis hits such as the cute "Abacab," but it's well worth coming along for the ride. --James Rotondi

Selling England By The Pound,Genesis,Atlantic / Wea,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Selling England By The Pound [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating:

A Brilliant Masterpiece
Hackett's Monument
Arguably the Gabriel era's finest hour 34 years on
A true masterpiece
Absolutely the best Genesis album.

Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000002J1O
Release Date: 1994-10-04

Tracks:

Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Firth Of Fifth
More Fool Me
The Battle Of Epping Forest
After The Ordeal
The Cinema Show
Aisle Of Plenty

Amazon.com essential recording

Often overshadowed by its immediate successor--The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway--this 1974 album features Genesis concert favorites such as the baroque "Firth of Fifth" and the epic "Cinema Show." It yields the group's first British hit, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)." Singer Peter Gabriel's heady mixture of dark drama and cryptic commentary is tied to some of the band's most stunning arrangements: Steve Hackett's violin-like guitar melodies on "Firth of Fifth," Tony Banks's synth arpeggios on "The Battle of Epping Forest," and crisp, tight drumming throughout from Phil Collins. Collins makes his Genesis lead vocal debut on the acoustic "More Fool Me." The complex structures and poetic risks taken here may throw fans of later Genesis hits such as the cute "Abacab," but it's well worth coming along for the ride. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant Masterpiece.......2007-07-17

'Selling England By The Pound' is indeed a brilliant masterpiece from beginning to end, and is one of the finest albums produced from the progressive rock movement that swept the music scene in the 1970s. The album is "bookended" by the building rocker "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" and "The Aisle of Plenty", a reprise of the opening track. "Selling England By The Pound" definitely has a medieval-English feel that holds its own charming presence throughout the entire album. The album starts out with Peter Gabriel a cappella, with Steve Hackett making his way in on guitar and Tony Banks making a powerful entrance on acoustic piano. Before you know it, you're smack-dab in the middle of a damn good, solid rock piece. "I Know What I Like" is a rather humorous take on an interpretation of the cover art (according the the album sleeve), and if you listen closely, you can hear Gabriel laughing as he sings through the second chorus. "Firth of Fifth" opens with a Banks piano solo, and is actually one of his shining moments as his excellent piano work is a central figure in the song. "More Fool Me" is one of the first songs to not feature Peter as the lead singer, and is an opportunity to hear a very young Phil Collins at the microphone as the lead vocalist. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is a progressive rock epic from start to finish- complex, lengthy lyrics, numerous tempo changes, not to mention clocking in at almost twelve minutes long. The song is a milestone for the band in that it proved Genesis could stand up to the other progressive rock bands of the time such as Yes and King Crimson. My personal favorite on the album is the diverse soundscape "The Cinema Show". The song begins with Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford on their 12-string guitars, picking their way through a beautiful intro after which Peter leads off with his unique style of sining about a modern day Romeo and Juliet... later in the song, a keyboard solo in the unusual 7/8 time performed by Banks signifies that the song isn't quite over yet and there's plenty left. I own many of Genesis' albums and this is one I continuously keep going back to-- it's Genesis at their best.

Hackett's Monument.......2007-06-02

I consider this album as one of Genesis's best, but strange enough I play it less frequently than for example Trick or Abacab. This is because you have to really sit down and listen to appreciate this masterpiece. Its greatness comes essentially from Steve Hackett, who produced here a few of the best guitar solos in the history of modern music. He never reached this superb level before and after Selling. Hey Steve, where are you ?

Arguably the Gabriel era's finest hour 34 years on.......2007-06-01

Genesis' fifth studio effort Selling England by the Pound was released in October of 1973.
By 1973, Genesis (which comprised of singer Peter Gabriel, bass player Mike Rutherford, keyboard player Tony Banks, drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett) had developed a cult following and respect with rock fans. However, the band's commercial aspects in the US were not great as Buddah Records (who distributed Charisma in the US) did nothing for the band. Charisma changed distributors Stateside from Buddah to Atlantic (which was home to Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream and many others) and this gave the band some confidence to record its next album as they were now at the same home as Zeppelin and The Stones. Would Selling England By the Pound be a classic or would the band fall from grace. Read on and find out.
We open the album with Gabriel singing the acapella intro to "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight" which told the tale of the demise of "good old England" and the rise of commercial, modern England. Gabriel's brilliant vocals and lyrics are matched by brilliant guitar work of Steve and Mike and additional musicianship from Tony and Phil as the song becomes a superb climactic rock number after its soft start. Next is the band's first UK Top 20 hit "I Know What I Like". This piece tells the story of a lawnmower sitting on the porch which was one of the band's first tracks to feature a synthesizer and a great piece. Next is the majestic "Firth of Fifth". It begins with a piano solo by Banks and launches into a grand epic. The song features a flute solo, a synthesizer solo and one of Hackett's most memorable guitar solos. The first half closed with "More Fool Me" which was Phil's second lead vocal with Genesis. A nice break-up song written by Mike and Phil.
The album's second half starts with "The Battle of Epping Forest" which is an epic about a gang fight with references back to medieval England and excellent muscianship by the Genesis members. Great piece. Next is one of Hackett's classic guitar pieces "After the Ordeal". Next is the epic "The Cinema Show" which is one of the band's best epics. From the opening 12-string guitar doodle, you are then thrown head first into a beautiful song for six minutes. Then, the song breaks into a superb synthesizer solo section which is hard to describe. We close the album with "Aisle of Plenty" which is somewhat of a reprise to the album's opening track but a nice piece nevertheless.
Selling England By the Pound gave Genesis their first crack in the US Top 100 album charts peaking at #70 in 1974 paving the way for more success in the future and eventually reached Gold status in US sales. It reached #3 in their native UK. Sales aside, Genesis were maturing and becoming a band to be reckoned with.
RECOMMENDED!

A true masterpiece.......2007-05-24

Not much to say about this album - you HAVE to listen to it youreself.

Surfice it to say that i have been listening to this masterpiece for over 20 years now and i always get something new out of it everytime i hear it, and thats at least 3 times a week.

This music makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and brings tears to my eye with its sheer beauty, and the pleasure it gives me. No other album has ever had such an emotional effect on me.

Give it a try - it is sublime!

Absolutely the best Genesis album........2007-04-24

Anyone who thinks Invisible Touch was the zenith of Genesis' career is either unfamiliar with the Peter Gabriel era of the band or just plain cracked. This album is so ridiculously underrated that is makes me physically ill. Okay maybe that was a tad dramatic but drama is a given when it comes to Genesis. The only weak track on this album is the one sung by Phil Collins. It seems really out of place. Anyway, this is probably as ambitious and experimental as progressive rock can get and still be accessible. If you are unfamiliar with progressive rock Selling England is a good place to start.

Average customer rating:

One of the Best Progressive Albums by Genesis
The best choice for newcomers to Gabriel-era Genesis

Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Foxtrot
Wind & Wuthering
Trick of the Tail
Nursery Cryme
Duke

ASIN: B00000DOZJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Dancing with the Moonlit Knight
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Firth of Fifth
More Fool Me
Battle of Epping Forest
After the Ordeal
Cinema Show
Aisle of Plenty

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best Progressive Albums by Genesis.......2006-08-29

Until I became a fan of progressive rock I was unaware of the pre-Phil Collins history of Genesis, or, as some fans describe it, the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. I was unsure of what to expect when I first played this CD because progressive rock has wide variety. I was pleased when the first track, "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight," starts off sounding like Jethro Tull's unique style of folk-rock. Just like classic Tull, this track soon gets spiced up with excellent guitar and drum work. The guitar in this selection is particularly interesting and challenging in portions and, with the complex lyrics, puts this selection squarely in the center of 70s progressive rock. Genesis does use some kind of synthesizer on this track. The synthesizer could be a mellotron or a chamberlain, or perhaps even a moog. I am unsure.

Foreshadowing the mellow Genesis of the future is "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)." However, the cryptic lyrics that nearly make sense and generally do not, along with the unusual rhythms (sort of a jungle theme from time to time) keep this song in the progressive genre, though toward the pop side of progressive. This song was the first hit for Genesis in Great Britain.

The third track, "Firth of Forth," is a wonderful track that has elements similar to King Crimson's early work in combination with excellent semi-classical piano and flute. The synthesizer and drums round out an intertwined, lush and sometimes sparse sound to create yet another outstanding progressive rock track. The lyrics for this song are more readily understandable, though still very euphemistic and poetic.

Phil Collins takes the lead vocal honors on "More Fool Me," once again foreshadowing the future of Genesis. This short track is a kind of interlude between the much longer "Firth of Forth" and "The Battle of Epping Forest," feeling almost like an intermission because of its relatively simple construction.

According to the booklet accompanying the remastered version of this CD, the nearly 12 minute song "The Battle of Epping Forest" was "Taken from a news story concerning two rival gangs fighting over East-End Protection rights." The song has a short introduction featuring vaguely military sounding music. The lyrics are about conflict and the results of the conflict, but the grim lines are moderated by the satirical nature of the entire song. Even the music is ironic, often light and playful in the midst of the death and destruction of the fight between the gangs. The end is outrageous and ironic. This music is one of those progressive rock creations that require hearing for full appreciation, and may never allow full understanding.

Leading from one irony to the next is "After the Ordeal." The English seem to enjoy poking fun at religion and this instrumental does well. Even the quasi-Elizabethan music feels vaguely religious without being so.

The seventh track, "The Cinema Show," is the fourth long track. This song is a dramatic story about Tiresias, a character from mythology who, in one version, was changed for a time into a woman, and then later back to a man. I leave the reader to discover the full story. However, the song brings in other elements to fill out the promise of the title, and because of the frequent ambiguity of the lyrics I am unsure of whether the intent was to harmonize the elements of the song with Tiresias's story, or whether the intent was to describe the elements of entertainment, since both Romeo and Juliet and Tiresias have been featured in various movies. In either case, the synthesizers are well-performed and much more subdued than those often featured in some other progressive rock work, such as, for example, that of Yes or Rick Wakeman.

The CD finishes off with the wonderfully bizarre and eccentric "Aisle of Plenty." There are some songs that are better left to the listener, and this is one of those.

As with much of progressive rock, this music is for the listener that likes a variety of progressive rock, particularly the kind created by groups such as Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and the Moody Blues, among others. While the music is somewhat mellow, there are places where the guitars take over and drive or pull the music along. The lyrics are sufficiently cryptic to challenge anyone attempting to decipher them. This album is a progressive rock classic from the early 70s, setting the stage for Genesis progressive rock album that followed, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway."

Be aware that this CD was remastered in 1994 and the remastered version is available new. This version may only be available used.

Enjoy!

The best choice for newcomers to Gabriel-era Genesis.......2003-07-06

This isn't my favorite Genesis album, but it's probably the best one to try if you're new to the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. It's more immediately accessible than the others, which take several listens to get used to. The album contains two songs that make the short list of Genesis' all-time best, "Firth of Fifth" and "I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe)", the production is pretty good, guitarist Steve Hackett plays some of his best solos, especially on "Firth of Fifth", and Tony Banks had just bought his first synthesizer, which provides ear candy throughout. Banks has made a career out of finding endless ways to make keyboard solos out of arpeggios -- "Firth of Fifth" is his best ever. "I Know What I Like" was Genesis' first notable single; the lyrics were inspired by a painting Gabriel saw at an exhibition, which became the album's cover. "More Fool Me" is a ballad notable only because it featured a rare lead vocal by the drummer, a fellow named Phil Collins. The second half of the album consists of two 12-minute songs sandwiched around a pleasant instrumental, "After the Ordeal". "The Battle of Epping Forest" relates the most twee gangland war on record; both Banks and Michael Rutherford admit in Armando Gallo's "I Know What I Like" book that while the music and lyrics to the song are both strong, the two just don't fit well together. "The Cinema Show" consists of two segments; the second half is a fantastic instrumental in 7/8 time spotlighting Banks' synth, the first half is...an acquired taste. The best way to tell a TRUE Genesis fan is to see if they can sit through the first half of "Cinema Show"; I've met some fair-weather fans who hit the wall during the acoustic instrumental between the two choruses. The song uses the dual 12-string acoustic guitar sound that was a staple of early Genesis, coupled with a lyric on gender issues that name-drops the Greek mythological figure Tiresias, history's first sex change. "Cinema Show" ends with "Aisle of Plenty", a brief reprise of the melody from "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", the first of many times when Genesis would reprise the first song of an album at its end. As on most progressive rock albums of the 70s, the lyrics on "Selling England" can get a little silly; if you can get through the first 20 seconds of the album, you've weathered the worst of it.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

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