SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

This is quite a controversial album for me to review since is the one that holds the number one spot on the site and as it was written in a recent review , one of the few prog albums that are known by the general public ( even my mother seems to enjoy it). However , while not bad , I think it's not the perfect desert island release it is said to be.

One aspect of Selling England that I 'll praise are the lyrics. Gabriel is known for his thought provoking songs but I think that in this album he reached his peak. This record feels so british and cynical ! and I love it for that. Then we have several seminal prog rock tunes like Dancing with the moonlight knight , The Cinema Show and Firth of Fifth. Let me add that the much maligned poppier songs on this album are not masterpieces but not by any means filler songs I enjoy the acoustic ballad and the synth sounds in I know what I like. SEBTP's problems do not lay there. Lastly it seems to be a major improvement on the sound department and production , the record does not sound muddy like their previous releases.

If I have stated all those positive aspects then , why I don't give SEBTP the full 5 stars mark ? Mainly because The Battle of Epping Forest is too long and Gabriel abuses of his theatrics on this tune putting way too much enphasis on dialogue. It's a pity since musically the song is exellent and could have worked better as a 5 minute piece. The instrumental After the ordeal is not as stong as Horizons or Los Endos for instance. Finally the main reason as regards why I do not consider this record as a masterpiece has to do with the fact that sometimes Selling England bores me to death!!! The record is way too calm and pastoral for my tastes. However I can appreciate it when I am in the mood for it.

That being said , this record is a must have for anyone but is not as exiting as other Genesis releases like Foxtrot or the Lamb. And not by any means the best prog album of all times , just one of the most iconic ones.