SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

A true masterpiece. From beginning to end just a brilliant album in every aspect. Every song a classic of style, sound, and substance. And probably their most accessible of their early work, with superior songwriting, masterful musicianship, great melodies, and spellbinding instrumental passages. Every band member shines throughout, from Phil Collins' dynamic drumming, Tony Banks' inspired keyboard work, Steve Hackett's otherworldly guitar, and Peter Gabriel's expressive and inimitable vocals. One of the greatest progressive rock albums of all time. Simply astounding. A great, dynamic album opener of 'Dancing With The Moonlit Knight' leads to their 'almost a hit' sing-along song 'I Know What I Like', and then the incredible 'Firth of Fifth, with its fantastic piano opening sequence, powerful melodies, and Steve Hackett's stunning guitar solo making this a powerhouse epic track. And then the charming 'More Fool Me', where Phil Collins is featured on vocals, and we get a preview of what's to come later in one of Phil's most engaging songs and performances. And it just gets better from there, with what is perhaps the best of the band's series of darkly comic epic story songs, with the inventive 'The Battle of Epping Forest', and then eventually leading to one of the band's greatest songs of all 'The Cinema Show' , a beautiful, fantastic epic with some of their best instrumental sections. This was the first Genesis album I ever heard, and was immediately blown away by it. Just utterly fantastic. However, as great as this is, it is still not Genesis' best album, as it is slightly eclipsed by the even greater masterwork of Foxtrot (with 'Supper's Ready' being the greatest prog epic of all-time, with the mini-epic of 'Can-Utility and the Coastliners not far befind).