Genesis
Selling England By The Pound

THE REVIEW

"Selling England by The Pound": a fairy tale with arcane touches, a picturesque tale, a regal painting; everyone loves to judge this work as they wish, but it remains and will forever remain the Masterpiece. Just looking at the cover is enough to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere, or perhaps not. We are in a garden, where there is a man lying on a bench, surrounded further down by women and seemingly high-born characters. This image may seem quite banal to us, but it contains many meanings, like the irony about England at that time, so different from how we imagine it... and now you'll ask me: but what do you know? Well, let's start from this concept: turn on the stereo and you will hear a verse that goes:

"Can you tell me where my country lies?"

Perhaps you did not fully understand my speech, but let us be lulled by the delicate harmonies of the album to begin our journey...

Historical context

Genesis arrived in 1973 with already three albums under their belt, famous throughout Europe and mostly led by the flamboyant Peter Gabriel at the height of his abilities: from the combination of Foxtrot and Nursery Cryme, this album was born, which would become one of the most influential in the history of progressive. In some passages critical of the society of the time, it is definitely a milestone.

The album

Let's go back to where we left off.. the verse I mentioned to you earlier is part of the first track of the album, the magnificent and solemn "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight", perhaps the most beautiful of the record. Chilling is Gabriel's dry voice at the beginning, which gradually becomes harsher and more acidic towards England, alluding to characters like the Queen of Maybe, the "Old Father Thames," and Britannia, a character played by Peter himself, whose extravagant performances highlighted his great theatrical talent. In the track, there is then a powerful "Hackettian" solo, followed by delicate melodies, which transform into a strange noise... "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" is a funny and amusing song lasting only 4 minutes, the only single released from the album. The song itself is a kind of ballad with exotic and psychedelic sounds, while the lyrics talk about a loafer who needs to find a job. Next is the more complex "Firth of Fifth", noted for its very complex introduction for piano in terms of harmony, rhythm, and melody. Fantastic is also the long instrumental interlude, composed of three solos: the first, performed by Gabriel on the flute, followed by a solo by Tony Banks on the keyboard, which partly reprises the opening theme, and finally Hackett's on the guitar, used masterfully in one of the most beautiful solos in music history. A masterpiece track.

We meet Phil Collins on vocals with the simple yet intense "More Fool Me", a voice and guitar ballad; a great piece, in this case, the drummer's subtle voice fits perfectly with the rest of the song, even though Peter Gabriel's voice remains superior. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is a return to the past, to the fairy-tale atmospheres of "Nursery Cryme." Already declared in its title as an explicit anti-war song, here too, the harmonies and melodies are very refined (even if apparently more "direct"), a sign of the band's great maturity acquired over the years. "After the Ordeal" is, instead, a composition born entirely from Steve Hackett’s genius. According to Banks, both he and Peter Gabriel were against including this track in the album and had many disputes with the guitarist, who eventually prevailed. For this reason and for the group's continuous disdain for his compositions, Steve decided to leave the band four years later. The seventh track of the album is "The Cinema Show", the quintessential track. The lyrics combine the story of two lovers (Romeo & Juliet), eager to spend an evening at the cinema. The song is composed of two sections: the first is dominated by soft guitar arpeggios and flute, accompanied by PG's voice, while the second is completely instrumental and is dominated by a long solo by Tony Banks, making it more electric and lively. The notes gradually flow into the original theme of the album (that of "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight") to then introduce "Aisle of Plenty", which concludes what would be the best-selling album of the Gabriel era.

Conclusions

The album that consecrates them to being a legendary band in the rock Olympus. The sound is much more refined and manages to seamlessly merge the balances that support the tracks, the musical sound, and the expressive freedom of the individual members. Three words: immense, deep, intense.