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Genesis - Selling England by the Pound CD (album) cover

SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Genesis

 

Symphonic Prog

4.65 | 4657 ratings

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The Crow
Prog Reviewer
4 stars The best Genesis's album? I think it has some of the best Genesis's songs... But it's not perfect anyway.

Allthough all the tracks included here are simply excellent, specially the long ones, like Dancing with the Moonlight Knight or The Cinema Show, wich are just one of the best progressive's tracks from the 70's. The "Foxtrot"'s formula is perfectionated here, making a really elegant, catchy and powerful album, with good lyrics, and with every instrument sounding pefect... Steve Hackett makes another outstanding performance, both experimental and accesible, Tony Bank's keyboards playing is just excellent (the solo in Firth of Fifth is great!) and they have even more protagonism than in "Foxtrot", Peter Gabriel's voice shines in the whole album, I little less strident... All the musicians made their best efforth here.

So I think that the long tracks are the best music Genesis has made... But the short ones, being are also enjoyable, like the commercial I Know What I like, and the medieval influenced After the Ordeal... Are not as great as the long tracks, and that's the fact that doesn't allow "Selling England by the Pound" being a perfect masterpiece in my opinion. The whole album deserves a close listening, but the comparision between the short and long tracks is not in the album's benefit. "Foxtrot" has no flaws in my opinion, every song in it was just great... And although "Foxtrot" has not the quality of some "Selling England by the Pound"'s songs, the first surpases the second in terms of homogene quality. This is the reason I give "Foxtrot" five stars, and "Selling England by the Pound" only four.

Best songs: the four long songs are the best of the album... Four precious jewels, and along with Supper's Ready the best Genesis's long tracks.

Conclusion: for me, this album has some of the best Genesis's music, and it's one of the highlihgts of the 70's decade... This album should not be missed. Dramatic, sentimental, complex... But still really accesible! This album has everything that a real music's lover waits... Just the short tracks, although they are also excellent and they give variety to the album, doesn't let the record have the highest rating, because they are a bit under the stunning level of the long ones.

My rating: ****1/2

The Crow | 4/5 |

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