SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

After a streak of ambitious albums that enjoyed quite a success, Genesis were ready to conquer new territories, having more time, a higher budget and better conditions to work in. Selling England By The Pound is the fruit of those resources and the talented minds of musicians in Genesis.

Selling England is a typically British product. The release portrays a progressive rock band in its creative peak. Steve Hackett, the band's guitarist explains: "This has always been my favourite Genesis album. It runs the gamut from Scottish plainsong to Elgar, Mozart and heavy rock with tricky time changes ? all in the first track, with very clever drumming that links all the disparate ideas. I'm proud of my own guitar and writing contributions to this album too. Together we were a powerful combination here. I feel this was Genesis at its strongest.". Although it presents a wide variety of styles, all are taken from somewhere inside the British Isles, whether it's a majestic piece like "Frith Of The Fifth", the comedic "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" or the folk-inspired "More Fool Me". Every musician contributes to the mighty whole, adding small details, one at a time. Those sum up and create a beautiful whole with a factor, that only Genesis was capable of creating. "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", the album opener encourages all of the fantastic qualities of the album and so it could easily be considered as a highlight of the work, being dynamic, diverse, and skillful.

Genesis are probably the most renowned progressive rock band. And that is for a reason! Selling England By The Pound is often regarded as the band's best album. This is a great place to get into progressive rock or symphonic rock in particular. Five stars!