SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Let's be honest. Although progressive rock lovers recognize this genre as the purest essence of music,very few prog rock albums cross that barrier of reputation to be remembered by the general public as classic recordings, despite how blindly their fans worship it.

Selling England By the Pound managed to do so in a way I'd dare say not even Close To the Edge did. Is it amazing that such a complex and enigmatic piece of music has been able to cross the barriers of time? Probably not.This album has a rare quality: it's deepest music depths and overwhelming complexity can be ignored to the point of hearing it as casually as possible. Those interested in it's stunning musicianship,however,will find here the most theatrical album ever made, nevertheless free of any haunting pretensions.

Peter Gabriel's lyrics are at his best here, poems that are spread beautifully through the music.Unlike some of Genesis best moments,Gabriel's voice and charisma never overshadow the other musicians here.That's particulary noticeable in Firth of Fifth,in wich the band reaches what is perhaps a perfect balance of instruments,to create a symphonic piece that's likely to be unmatchable by all means.From it's wonderfully nostalgic piano introduction,passing through majestic verses crowned with beautiful lyrics(sang by a tear-splattering Gabriel),to it's fading conclusion, this piece is the purest definition of prog.It would all seem less amazing,of course, if it's arrangement wasn't in contrast with a dramatic guitar solo which crumbles it's way to an epic ending.Breathtaking,really.

Firth of Fifth is a masterpiece,but it would be incomplete,hadn't Genesis created the best album opening of all time here,in Dancing With the Moonlit Knight.To the sound of nothing,Gabriel opens the album asking:'Can you tell me where my country lies/said the unifaun to his true love's eyes?'.With a crying guitar chord by Steve Hackett,comes the answer:'It lies with me!Cried the queen of Maybe/for her merchant eyes, he traded in his prize'.The band then softly unleashes an epic introduction to it's music,singing about the decadence of Great Britain, the death of 'old father Thames' and how the fat old lady England was sold by the pound to American culture.The album was conceived right in the height of the first oil crisis in 1973,and the lyrics, although marvelous and poetic,all have a purpose. In usual albums,these would be as good as it gets,but not here.

The Cinema Show is the soft and delicate relief to the album,without losing,nonetheless,the class of previous compostions.Along with the contemplating After the Ordeal(to figure between the best instrumental tracks in prog)and the brief silent despair of the closing song,Aisle of Plenty, it creates the majestic atmosphere of reflection,in constrast with the previous madness and sarcasm of the eleven- minute piece The Battle of Epping Forest and I Know What I Like(In your Wardrobe),the former representing the beloved weirdness of classic Genesis,and the latter being the first hit single in the band's career.

More Fool Me is a brief transition from the opening mood to the deepest reflections of the second half.

The exotic majesty of Genesis, first presented in 'The Knife'(the closing track in the Trespass album),and which from there on was in constant natural enhancement, reached a peak in this album to create a monster which the band wasn't able to tame(what eventually leaded to it's classic formation rupture),a monster which overshadowed the rest of their career from there on,despite the success of the next album(the classic The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway),and which,indeed,has been a quality standard ever since. A monster wisely named Selling England By the Pound.With and without it's charismatic leader Peter Gabriel,the band made wonderful pieces of music,most of them being well- kept secrets in the mists of time nowadays,but make no mistake:this,their best known work, is Genesis magnum opus.