Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973) [2013 Japan Mini LP SHM-CD]

Genesis proved that they could rock on Foxtrot but on its follow-up Selling England by the Pound they didn't follow this route, they returned to the English eccentricity of their first records, which wasn't so much a retreat as a consolidation of powers. For even if this eight-track album has no one song that hits as hard as "Watcher of the Skies," Genesis hasn't sacrificed the newfound immediacy of Foxtrot: they've married it to their eccentricity, finding ways to infuse it into the delicate whimsy that's been their calling card since the beginning. This, combined with many overt literary allusions – the Tolkeinisms of the title of "The Battle of Epping Forest" only being the most apparent – gives this album a storybook quality. It plays as a collection of short stories, fables, and fairy tales, and it is also a rock record, which naturally makes it quite extraordinary as a collection, but also as a set of individual songs. Genesis has never been as direct as they've been on the fanciful yet hook-driven "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" – apart from the fluttering flutes in the fade-out, it could easily be mistaken for a glam single – or as achingly fragile as on "More Fool Me," sung by Phil Collins. It's this delicate balance and how the album showcases the band's narrative force on a small scale as well as large that makes this their arguable high-water mark.


Tracks:

01. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight 08:03
02. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) 04:10
03. Firth Of Fifth 09:34
04. More Fool Me 03:10
05. The Battle Of Epping Forest 11:43
06. After The Ordeal 04:15
07. The Cinema Show 10:41
08. Aisle Of Plenty 01:58

Personnel:

12-String Bass [12 String], Bass, Sitar [Electric] – Mike Rutherford
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Phil Collins
Electric Guitar, Guitar [Nylon] – Stephen Hackett
Keyboards, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [12 String] – Tony Banks
Vocals, Flute, Percussion, Oboe – Peter Gabriel