Genesis - “Selling England by the Pound”
Tracks:
- Dancing With the Moonlit Knight
- I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
- Firth of Fifth
- More Fool Me
- The Battle of Epping Forest
- After the Ordeal
- The Cinema Show
- Aisle of Plenty
Anyone growing up in the MTV age of the 80’s knew who Genesis was: an English pop-rock trio. But eventually I learned of the band’s progressive rock roots with Peter Gabriel as their lead singer and Steve Hackett as their guitarist. I believe my Uncle Steve and Aunt Ann got me this CD for Christmas one year. (I know they got me two and one was “Nursery Cryme”.)
(Top from left): Tony Banks (keyboards), Phil Collins (drums), Steve Hackett (guitar), Mike Rutherford (bass); and (below in front) Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute).
All of Genesis’ albums recorded by their classic prog line-up are great, but this tends to be my favorite, or at least the one I listen to the most. Most of the big prog rock bands of the early 70’s had one thing or another that they had over the bands. For Genesis, it was their humor and the antics of a theatrical front man (that being Peter Gabriel). And as much as some of the humor goes over my head, especially the British political barbs that go back and forth throughout “The Battle of Epping Forest”, there is still some things that I do find funny.
The musicianship is excellent, yet subtle. There are no “show stopping” solos or riffs, but I can’t help but be mesmerized by some of the instrumental passages. I enjoyed this album from the first listen, but it took several listens to hear all that was going on, all the wonders that lied deep within the music. The pinnacle of which is the last half of “Firth of Fifth”, which includes Gabriel on flute.
“I Know What I Like” was the band’s first and only single, that is until the trio days, and is dripping with humor. The lyrics were based on the album cover painting and tell the story (so it seems, because Gabriel’s lyrics are hard to interpret at times) of a young man who mows lawns for a living, but his family and friends are urging him to change careers and stop being lazy, since he still lives at home. It is a great example how talented musicians can still write catchy singles.
The instrumental sections of “The Cinema Show” are more great examples of all four of the musicians coming together to create a full symphonic sound. And “More Fool Me”, though being the weakest track, features Phil Collins singing lead for the first time in his career, and turns out to be a cool ballad. You can hear some of the inexperience in his voice, but you can also still hear the soulfulness that many love.
Genesis had a habit in the early days of making the music to sound as one cohesive unit, with strong melodies and great musicianship from all members, but no one stepping over the top of anyone else. And I believe that “Selling England by the Pound” is the most consistent of the classic line-up’s albums using this ideal.
January 25th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Scooter: Phil actually sings the lead on the track “For Absent Friends” on the first Genesis album he and Hackett appeared on, NURSERY CRYME. If you listen closely, his background vocals are all over the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis records, due mostly to his workaholicism than anything else; he’s stated in old interviews that he liked to hang-out in the studio when everyone else was gone and Peter came in after they’d finished their tracks. I think that’s why people felt Collins sounded so much like Gabriel when he finally took over the lead vocal position; he’d been doubling the vocals for so long! Take care, DJ
January 26th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Hey Dave, thanks for stopping by again. I didn’t realize that was Phil on “For Absent Friends”, though it makes sense with him doing so much background vocals. I agree too that he did sound a lot like Peter back then.
And “Nursery Cryme” is another favorite.