SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

I zipped thru the reviews for the current number one album on this site just to get an idea on what to say, since there's so many reviews. This is what I garnered: most people dispise "More Fool Me", and the ones who rate the album three-stars or less can't stand "I Know What I Like..." and "The Battle Of Epping Forest". I can understand the hatred of "More Fool Me", it's a ballad and stands out. Yet, if you take it for what it is, it's tolerable. I'm a huge fan of Gabriel's lyrics. There's not another human being who writes lyrics the way he writes them. I adore the lyrics in "The Battle Of Epping Forest". If you can take the time to listen to the words and let the music meld, it works on so many different levels. And quite honestly, it's damn entertaining! (BTW, the last line of the song rings SO true. I'm not going to write it here, you have to listen for yourself....) "I Know What I Like...." I remember hearing on FM radio back in the 70's and it stuck in my head ever since. Catchy, and so English its the perfect type of poppy/prog song to grab your attention and compel you to buy the album. All I can say about the rest of the songs is quite simple, Classic, Classic, Classic....if it weren't for them, there wouldn't be a Neo Prog category, (depending on what you think of the genre, that's a good or bad thing) They honed all they knew from "Tresspass" to "Foxtrot" and made their greatest three tracks. And for my money, "The Cinema Show" is the best they ever created. Everyone absolutely shines, especially Collins drumming and Banks keyboards. Proof in the pudding is on the live album "Seconds Out" when Collins has his drum solo using the middle-to-end section of the song. He shows his stuff on "The Cinema Show" brillantly. My only gripe, which is minor, is why Paul Whitehead didn't grace the album with another stunning cover. It's a decent cover, but I would have loved to have had him try a stab at it. Oh, well, can't have everything. But to sum up, this album runs the gamut of emotions: humor, tears, melancoly, joy. Is it the best prog album ever? Or is CTTE? Depends on your mood, eh. ;-)