SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

Selling England by the Pound was the follow-up to their masterpiece Foxtrot. The most notable difference to me is an improvement in sound and production quality, although musically compared to Foxtrot it is fairly equal in skill and composition but not quite as good. In places there seems to be a slight lack of direction and occasional bouts of noodling. More Fool Me and After the Ordeal seem more like filler than previous short pieces the band created. Even so, Selling England by the Pound is easily another masterpiece in the band's catalog with some exceptionally well done extended pieces, like The Cinema Show, Firth of Fifth, Dancing with the Moonlit Knight and The Battle of Epping Forest, each one a complicated mini-story and considered hallmarks of our beloved genre.

Another notable difference is the much better sounding guitar work of Steve Hackett including his soaring solo on Firth of Fifth and some exceptional piano playing by Tony Banks on the same song. I Know What I Like also gave the band some exposure in the British pop charts.

Selling England by the Pound is considered by many to be the band's greatest achievement, although I'm more inclined to lean towards Foxtrot. Regardless of the difference of opinion, this is the fourth consecutive masterpiece the band had created in a short four years. Not many groups have received such accolades. This album is easily one of the most important contributions to progressive rock and is an essential acquisition. Five stars.