SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Hello The World ! This is my first review ever. When I was looking at the possibility of reviewing albums, way back, I said to myself that this very CD will be the first... to have this tremendous honor. It is interesting to see the battle of this CD over the other main All-time best CD's, exchanging the number-1 position with other ones (I feel this one is THE no-1, but the battle is OK for me). Here it is ! On the 'Reference'. On 'What is the best example of Prog ?' A promise to myself that is held. The % of 5-star reviews on SEBTP is very high, and this will be another one !

Well... There are masterpiece tracks and more 'average' tracks on this '70's music, but the all-around effect that this type of music has in the Prog-world in monstruous. All the characteristics of Prog are here : complex music, very unpredictable melodies, odd-time signatures and rythms, special lyrics, musicians that are athletes on their instrument, intensities. The epics are responsible, alone, for the high-class scoring : 'Dancing', Firth of Fifth, 'Epping' and The Cinema Show. Everyone of those songs is a classical, being directed to a nice story and being constructed magnificiently with all the members of Genesis participating at what has become the group's specific sound. They became a unity through a few numbers of releases (1971-1974), the climax being this one, mostly because of 'Firth of Fifth' and 'The Cinema Show', that are in my view in the Top-10 individual Prog-songs of all-time. Emotions when you listen to those songs are built in a unique way, either in 'Firth' when the piano gives place to the power of the group, followed by the well-known flute theme and the crying guitar; or either in 'Cinema' by the slow-guitar start, a very nice impro, a nice rythm center part, and the fabulous 7-8 second part that is not equalled in this world. I know this group since a long time, of course, as many here also, but if you are new to the progressive music, with an open-mind on complex music and willing to discover, curious about this classic that has high-ranking, you are not mistaking at all in getting in a hurry this fabulous CD. You will get instantly 'The Best' ! You will discover after each listening elements of beautiful music that will transport you, if you like super guitar work, fantastik keyboard and mellotron play, a very special drum play, if you like to remember forever Peter's voice, and a musicality arising from a group that is different than all individual parts.

Even if some other songs would not each attain 5 stars, the overall rating to give to this CD is 5.0, because of the complexity and the incredible music recorded here. Even a theme in the first song emerges later... Super. The epics balance easily the shorter songs, because they enhance this CD value to the very Top. It is bad that we cannot give 8\5 for 'Firth' and 'Cinema' !!

Well ! Enjoy !