Selling England by the Pound

by Genesis

Overview

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. [Selling England was re-released on CD in 2014.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2014
Label:	Atlantic / Rhino / Warner Records
UPC:	0603497896011
Rank:	3198

Tracks

1. Dancing With the Moonlit Knight
2. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
3. Firth of Fifth
4. More Fool Me
5. The Battle of Epping Forest
6. After the Ordeal
7. The Cinema Show
8. Aisle of Plenty

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Genesis   Primary Artist
Phil Collins   Vocals (Background),Lead Vocals,Percussion,Drums,Vocals
Tony Banks   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Guitar (12 String)
Peter Gabriel   Vocals (Background),Lead Vocals,Percussion,Oboe,Flute,Vocals
Mike Rutherford   Guitar,Sitar,Bass,Sitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Steve Hackett   Bass,Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)

Technical Credits

Genesis   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Producer
John Burns   Audio Production,Producer
Betty Swanwick   Paintings
Rhett Davies   Assistant Engineer,Engineer
Peter Gabriel   Composer
Mike Rutherford   Composer
Tony Banks   Composer
Steve Hackett   Composer
Chris Blair   Remastering
Geoff Callingham   Remastering
Nick Davis   Remastering
Phil Collins   Composer