SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Once upon a time I stumbled across an album, an album that was to make me realize what music really can be and that would alter my personal wiev on reality enormously. That album was "Selling England by the pound, the Genesis masterpiece, the one album that got me introduced to the wonderful world of progressive rock. It felt as if I had seen the light, as if I had understood the wonders of the world. It seemed almost magical. So when I was to write my first review I had no problem whatsoever choosing which album I was to review. Even though the time when I first listened to this album wasn't so long ago, it seems like ages in experiencing different albums and music. It was this album that started all that. Of course you must not forget that this album holds great sentimental value for me, but generally I find that music gaining sentimental value is a good thing, because a lot of music make me quite bored the first time I listen to it, and even more so when I hear it som other time. Anyway, the album starts of with the classic " Selling England by the pound", beginning with Peter Gabriel singing the frases "Can you tell me where my country lies, set the uniform to its true loves eyes", and then it takes off. Never pretentious, never boring, only extremely good. Hackett's slick lines, melodies and sometimes furiously fast double-handed tapping feels so natural, so relaxed and so does Collins' complex and expressive drumming, Tony Banks fantastic and many keyboards and Rutherfords often complex and yet so relaxed bass lines which glues it all together and which you really start noticing after a while. And the music! Never you get the feeling that something is missing, you feel that you can not make a better album in the same style as this one. After the opening frack follows " I know what I like" the one and only Genesis hit from this period, still good, and makes me incredibly happy every time I listen to it. Gabriels flutes play an important part in this track, as in the next, "Firth of Fifth" which opens with the classic grand piano intro by Banks. An incredible song and one of the most popular from this album. It ends with what i picture as waves continuing and fading away. Then follows a song which is, much like "For absent friends" sung by Collins accompanied by only guitar. I actually find this song quite good and important for the structure of the record. After that follows "The battle of the epping forest" a song I really like and I can not understand why one not would like it. And even though I found this and "The cinema show" as the least listener-friendly tracks on this album, compared to other progressive rock albums "Selling England" is generally is very easy listening to, which I find great because it might make others interested in progressive rock as well. The instrumental "After the ordeal" is next, an instrumental which I also find really good and strong, and which leads into "The cinema show", an amazing track, and the conclusion " Aisle of plenty" which in the beginning made me want to listen to the whole album again.

Over all, I fond this album as the essence of nostalgia and melacholy, and it appeals to me on so many levels. Off course you must not forget that I am a Swedish 15-year old who doesn't really bother with the meaning of the lyrics, but the music is so fantastic. The production is superb, the material phenomenal and it gets to me. It makes me feel and inspires me. It simply is incredibly good and truly a masterpiece.