SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

So, so very close...but I have to give this one a five. I work of art in many, many ways. Now, I'm not a Genesis fanboy or a homer; this is, in fact, the only album by them that I own (for now). I'm not giving this a perfect score because it is the famous Selling England By The Pound, or because I'm a devoted Genesis fan. This is simple a fantastic album in (almost) all ways.

Is it just me, or do most of the best albums or songs have a dramatic opening that is unforgettable and grabs your attention for what is about to come? Gabriel's opening line Can you tell me where my country lies? sung a cappella performs that duty admirably for this album. Absolutely chilling. The rest of the song, as well as the rest of the album, live up to this moment. This is actually a rather strong contrast to the somewhat lighthearted I Know What You Like. However, the latter song nevertheless provides a very good interlude between the opening track and the excellent Firth Of Fifth. Ah, yes, Firth Of Fifth. Definitely one of the highlights of the album. While Gabriel is his normal excellence in vocals on this piece, the real emphasis is on the instrumental parts. Most of the band members have solos here, from Rutherford's brilliant opening piano section, to Hackett's famous guitar part, to some of Gabriel's flute work. A very complete piece.

Now I set apart the last piece from side one on itself for good reason. More Fool Me is the Moonchild of this album: it is the one piece that seems to fall short of the rest of the album, often the song of most contention when debating between a four or five star rating. Often, it is seen as marring an otherwise flawless album. Personally, I almost always skip this track. So, is it right to give an album a perfect rating when there is a track on it that you always avoid? Well, it depends. In this case, I'm willing to let it slide, and give the album the full five stars. I feel that, while it adds nothing to the album, this song really doesn't hurt it very much. I mean, it really isn't a bad song; it just isn't a good song, either. It's simply there. Don't pay it any mind, and it won't cause you any harm.

After ignoring that one song ol' Phil What's-His-Name wrote, we approach another song of minor contention. I fell that, while it is a bit cheesy, The Battle Of Epping Forrest is still a very good song, with great instrumentation and a rather impressive and amusing vocal performance by Gabriel. Now we come to a song that I feel is somewhat overlooked. That's understandable considering the two mini epics its sandwiched between. Despite such oppressive circumstances, After The Ordeal comes very close to being my favorite track on the album, perhaps falling short of the song that succeeds it. A relaxing, instrumental piece with infectious piano, this really is deserving of more attention than it gets. Not a bad little solo by Hackett either. However, the song that truly makes this album is The Cinema Show. Some songs you can't say much about because of how bad they are; some you can't say much about because of how good they are. Fortunately, this song falls into the latter category. Suffice to say that the instrumental section at the end (or the whole song really) could be one of the greatest moments in prog history. And how do you follow that up? You melt into Aisle Of Plenty, a succinct song that wraps up the album beautifully. Really one of the best ending tracks around.

All around, a magnificent album. Essential in every prog rock collection, five-stars, etc. Definitely listen to the Genesis fanboys on this one.