SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Be forewarned that you may pick up Selling England by the Pound and not like it. It does not mean that you are a stupid, ignorant fool. Genesis albums were written for their fan base and one must respect them for that.

Selling England By the Pound is sold short by the poor singing. Gabriel should have taken a voice lesson, even Bruce Springsteen took some lessons. On this album, he tries to expand his range and vocal prowess and it sounds awful. He is a great lyricist though and I believe that this album struck the nerve to something that people were feeling in England c.1973; but the album does not hold up well and sounds quite dated.

I would assume that what people like in this album is its chamber like ambience, which is quite nice. The songs are madrigals that flow effortlessly from one to the other and there are some magical moments; my favorites are the chorus of "I Know What I Like;" I tend to like Genesis at their most poppy, and "The Cinema Show."

More Fool Me features Phil Collins on vocals. It is a three minute ditty, perhaps an attempt at a single, that proves that progressive rock did not kill the three minute song. Collins voice is so much nicer to listen to than Gabriel's.

I first purchased this album back in 1976 and did not like it; the album has never kept my interest though it is highly rated. Close to the Edge is not one of my favorite albums either; it is not even my favorite Yes album. Selling England by the Pound is a fan's album as most early Genesis albums were. That's why their fans like them so much.