284. Selling England by the Pound - Genesis

I don't know much about Genesis, and the only album I have is "And Then There Were Three..." which I've not listened to much as I don't think it was very good. So, it's fair to say that expectations were low.

Genesis had been an established band, but not a well-known one, until their fourth studio album, Foxtrot, gave them significantly more recognition. Selling England by the Pound was the follow up to this, and its major themes are the loss of folk culture in the UK, and a broader loss of English identity, the title coming from a Labour Party manifesto. The single I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) was the band's first single to break the top 30, and the album itself reached number 3 in the UK. The number 70 it attained in the US was a marked improvement on previous efforts, and the first released there under the Atlantic record label.

Dancing with the Moonlit Knight is about three songs in one, with the first setting the tone beautifully in a driven, focused manner. It then builds into a guitar driven frenzy which is not quite so compelling, but still impressive, before it ends up as a slightly fey, directionless testament to different keyboard effects, which is a real disappointment. You get the impression that just kept trying to add more in the studio, and ruined what is at its heart an excellent song. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) was the only song off the album I knew, and I cared even less for it after repeated listens. The funky bass and tight drumming cannot distract from the meaningless lyrics (When the sun beats down on an empty beach\ and I hear the people talk/ Me, I'm just a lawnmower/ you can tell by the way I walk), and annoying double-tracking of Peter Gabriel's slightly desperate sounding vocal turn. Firth of Fifth has an impressive piano opening, and features recurring motifs from this intro throughout, but is too drawn out and meandering to be a good song, however technically capable the band members are. More Fool Me is a more classically structured pop-song, and the basic rhythm guitar sound suits Gabriel's voice more. The Battle for Epping Forest is like the Battle for Evermore, but nowhere near as good. It is sclerotic in its nature, and never really gets going, with too many overly-fiddly parts to it, and the embarrassing use of some peculiar accents. After the Ordeal is actually a very accomplished instrumental, which manages to convey a greater span and sense of emotion than most of the other songs on this album. The Cinema Song is forgettable, although not actively offensive, and Aisle of Plenty draws upon earlier motifs you may have remembered, should you decide to commit this far.

This is not a very good album. Indeed, I'd go so far as to describe it as a bad album, made all the worse for the clear technical and musical abilities contained within it. I don't really understand it, at a lyrical or conceptual level, and not only did I feel no further along the path to understanding by the end of the week, I actively wanted to leave the path, to stretch the analogy nearly as far as Genesis repeatedly choose to do.

Chloe's album rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 1. Dance of the Moonlit Knight

Olly's album rating: 4

Olly's favourite track: 6. After the Ordeal

Next week is 82. Disraeli Gears by Cream.