SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Okay, everyone else is doing it, so why not me? The next in my series of Genesis reviews, and a great album it is, too. I don't actually think it is their best - that one goes to Nursery Cryme, but this is mighty close.

What I love about this album is the story behind it - the longing and yearning for an England that is passing, never to come back, and the realisation that what is to follow is nowhere near as sweet and as innocent. That is exemplified by Dancing with the Moonlit Knight...Can you tell me where my country lies...? Gabriel almost pleads with his audience. A moving, perfectly played song.

I Know What I like was the first single success in the UK, and is fantastic.

Firth of Fifth is a magnificent achievement, with Hackett towering above all others - indeed, it is his finest moment with the band, and you get goosebumps listening to this solo.

More Fool Me was not Phil's first vocal effort (that was on Nursery Cryme), but it is fantastic. The live version on the Archives Boxset is even better, with acoustic guitars ramping up the tempo.

The Battle of Epping Forest is PG's go at being a punk before the punks were even heard of! This one tells of changes in society from the white working class perspective, and I thought of this today when reading reports of strikes about migrant workers in the UK. After the Ordeal is a fantastic interlude and coming down before The Cinema Show, which is simply a tour de force of a love song told from both genders point of view and featuring a magnificent Banks keyboard solo which is still a live favourite to this day.

Aisle of Plenty is the perfect bookend to Dancing.... and ends the album's theme with a gentle and perfectly played rant against the power of the emerging corporate supermarkets destroying the traditional English town. Thankful for her Finefare discount indeed!

A great LP, and apologies to those who might think it has been reviewed too often, but there is a reason for this. It is an LP that speaks to us all in a deeply unique and personal way. You do not have to hail from Middle England to appreciate the sentiments behind it, and you certainly all marvel at the musical accomplishment. Utterly essential to any prog collection.