SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Just about my favourite Genesis album, includes (IMHO) two great tracks - Firth of Forth and Cinema Show - and several very good ones; also showed the way Genesis would develop towards pop orientated material, with "I Know What I Like".

As with all Genesis stuff it comes across as very middle class and sometimes a bit too "nice" even though "Battle of Epping Forest" is about a gangland fight! For me Genesis were never quite up there with the real giants of prog like Yes or Floyd but sometimes they shone, like on parts of this album; when Steve Hackett gets in full flight backed by Collins et al, they really were at their peak; they stood losing Peter Gabriel well, but not their guitarist.

This album should be obtainable in a bargain bin (where I found it - vinyl copy long gone....) and it's worth rooting out. Whether it deserves this web-sites listing as (at time of this review) second only to Yes' Close to the Edge as the ultimate prog album is a different matter - but then every one is entitled to their opinion!