SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Sublime. Genesis has a hit and all the rest of the catalogue is now selling well. Asda be one of the first prog albums to check out if are new to the progressive movement. Fine fare! indeed starts as it means to go on with a great cut and doesn't let up till the last moment with some lovely puns and word plays. Peter is far far less to the front despite being the front man and he certainly is not at this stage forcing his lyrics on the band. This record is a wonder of controlled elegance, Selling England the first cut is probably the weakest of the important tracks but only because it is a little clumsy, but even so its moves from Trad Folk to Hard rock in an instant of Magick. "I know what I like" follows and of course we liked this track, Genesis score their first single success. A great great single featuring the essential "Twightlight Alehouse" but thats an aside for now. Firth of Fifth has an awesome Guitar solo and a slightly inferior lyric that isn't as essential as the music it sits upon. "more fool me" is the turd on the satin pillow of this release it is a curious thing in retrospect that Phill went on to be so very successful in the 80's. "the battle of epping forest" is entertaining throughout and gives Peter a chance to narrate one of his whacked but less than profound stories. After the ordeal is an instrumental and a very nice one as well. This is Hackett Inspired and well worth an extra listen often. The Record winds to a close via the fabulous "cinema show" a short lyrical section gives way to a monster of great prog which finally gives way to a clever lyrical section that you will have to make your own mind up about. Yes Biscuits costing 37p was an outrage and Britian is clearly on the slide. This is for me the very peak of the Genesis I loved, from here on in the problems started to mount. The Following album was really the last by this band then they mutated passing through a very decent prog period without gabriel and then changing again to become genisnooze, geniside with sparse moments of latter day genius. Its not this record that broke the camels back though and during this period they are clearly still working together and the whole is greater than any of the parts. This is of course a classic record and there are few as perfect in the annals of progressive rock. If you are Buying Genesis for the first time this is as good an album to hear first as you could hope to find. Absolutely essential in every respect, a must own item.