Da-Dum Da-Dum – Prog’s Finest!
One of the most complex albums ever released, and definitely, one of the best ever made. It was the peak of their musical career that redefined their prog-rock sound.
The fifth studio album of the group that was released in 1973 – the line up during the release of the album was the best line up ever of the Genesis, with Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins.
“Selling England By The Pound” was indeed a great release following the critical success of their first two albums “Nursery Crime” and “Foxtrot.” It provided a new atmospheric, and bombastic sound, and the lyrics were complex and cleverly written. It has catchy and complicated song structures while the musical arrangement was ahead of its time.
The album provided a combination of stories such as fables and fairy tales, mostly about ancient medieval England. It also contains songs that are often used to Genesis live performances. The all-time favorite tracks from the album were, “Dancing With The Moonlit Knight,” “Firth Of Fifth,” and “The Cinema Show” that also are the best three tracks and most performed live tracks by Genesis.
The album is very special to the prog-rock era because it represents progressive music and the pinnacle of their career. It stands as one of the best and solid rock albums in the history of prog-rock music. Though some of the classic progressive rock albums such as “Close To The Edge” of Yes, “Wish You Were Here” of Pink Floyd, “In The Court Of The Crimson King” of King Crimson and “Thick As A Brick” of Jethro Tull were far more ambitious work, many prog-rock fans still prefer “Selling England By The Pound”.
Listen to the full album below: