Customer Reviews

Selling England By the Pound

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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I am a bit dismayed with tastes now-a-days... I am not too old, not too young. This album was originally recorded, mixed and mastered a couple years before I was born and I hate to say it, but those efforts were way more sublime and appropriate for this album, an album of delicate and articulate material.

It seems some of the original tracks could not be found for this remix. The most beautiful and endearing vocals ever delivered by Gabriel open the original mixes of this album. But on this version those a capella opening lines are very noticeably different form the original mixes and here on this remix sound more like a patch work of two or three takes. Overall very weak and enough to ruin this re-presentation of Selling England By The Pound for this listener.

As seems to be the case with all of these Nick Davis re-mixes, the stereo mix definitely took the back-seat to the surround mix. Sometimes the mix feels congested, nasal in the mid-range, sometime vocals are in that mid-range jumble and sometimes they jump into you lap. I dare say I think ONLY the 5.1 mixes were created or even cared about in this very ambitious Genesis re-mix project. Most likely an automated, computer decided upon, stereo mix-down is what we are left with, those of us who still prefer 2 (or 2.1).

Nick did a good job on the definitive remasters, especially with The Lamb... I would suggest sticking with those if you want to hear nicely EQed and cleaner versions of the original stereo mixes of any/all Genesis albums. A lot of what was done by the original engineers and producers of those albums really did enhance and solidify Genesis' in-studio presence and overall musical presentation.

Genesis' fifth studio effort Selling England by the Pound was released in October of 1973.
By 1973, Genesis (which comprised of singer Peter Gabriel, bass player Mike Rutherford, keyboard player Tony Banks, drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett) had developed a cult following and respect with rock fans. However, the band's commercial aspects in the US were not great as Buddah Records (who distributed Charisma in the US) did nothing for the band. Charisma changed distributors Stateside from Buddah to Atlantic (which was home to Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream and many others) and this gave the band some confidence to record its next album as they were now at the same home as Zeppelin and The Stones. Would Selling England By the Pound be a classic or would the band fall from grace. Read on and find out.
We open the album with Gabriel singing the acapella intro to "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight" which told the tale of the demise of "good old England" and the rise of commercial, modern England. Gabriel's brilliant vocals and lyrics are matched by brilliant guitar work of Steve and Mike and additional musicianship from Tony and Phil as the song becomes a superb climactic rock number after its soft start. Next is the band's first UK Top 20 hit "I Know What I Like". This piece tells the story of a lawnmower sitting on the porch which was one of the band's first tracks to feature a synthesizer and a great piece. Next is the majestic "Firth of Fifth". It begins with a piano solo by Banks and launches into a grand epic. The song features a flute solo, a synthesizer solo and one of Hackett's most memorable guitar solos. The first half closed with "More Fool Me" which was Phil's second lead vocal with Genesis. A nice break-up song written by Mike and Phil.
The album's second half starts with "The Battle of Epping Forest" which is an epic about a gang fight with references back to medieval England and excellent muscianship by the Genesis members. Great piece. Next is one of Hackett's classic guitar pieces "After the Ordeal". Next is the epic "The Cinema Show" which is one of the band's best epics. From the opening 12-string guitar doodle, you are then thrown head first into a beautiful song for six minutes. Then, the song breaks into a superb synthesizer solo section which is hard to describe. We close the album with "Aisle of Plenty" which is somewhat of a reprise to the album's opening track but a nice piece nevertheless.
Selling England By the Pound gave Genesis their first crack in the US Top 100 album charts peaking at #70 in 1974 paving the way for more success in the future and eventually reached Gold status in US sales. It reached #3 in their native UK. Sales aside, Genesis were maturing and becoming a band to be reckoned with.
In November of 2008, Rhino/Atlantic re-released the album as a CD/DVD set. The album was painstakingly remixed by engineer Nick Davis in stereo for excellent sound (in a similar manner to what was done to The Who catalog in the 1990s). The new mixes are AMAZING and I hear things in the new mixes that I have not ever heard before. The DVD was in 5.1 and had an excellent slide show with the album and interviews with band members, their classic Shepperton Studios concert that was filmed around Selling England's release but only aired on Italian TV but scrapped by rest of the world (but widely bootlegged) and the Batalcan Theater in France earlier that same year. In March, 2009, Virgin/EMI re-released the 2008 mix of the album as a single CD set.
This new mix of Selling England is recommended!

Genesis is usually divided into two distinct phases; the Peter Gabriel version or the Phil Collins one. Both versions have their positive attributes and both represent different eras in music. Peter Gabriel was there at the beginning and left in 1975 while Phil Collins lead and then dominated the group in the late 70's and throughout their more commercial period in the 80's. Like I said, both had their merits as well as drawbacks. But, in the Gabriel led era there is no better, prettier, or complete record than this one. Unlike the heavy handed complexity of 'The Lamb Lies Down... .' (the follow-up and last with Gabriel) this record has a sweet and sophisticated appeal that makes it a standout in the Genesis library. The album's centerpiece songs; 'Dancing with the Moonlight Knight', 'Firth of Fifth' and 'The Cinema Show' all feature extended instrumental work. Both keyboard player Tony Banks and guitarist Steve Hackett really show off their skills on this record. In fact all musicians are exceptional and the combination of Gabriel's singing and the bands instrumental breaks and solos makes for a soaring and majestic collection of songs. 'Isle of Plenty' closes the record with the same melody and theme as 'Dancing...' which focuses on the downturn of England as a once powerful country in the late 20th century. In 1973 England was going through a change from an industrial society to a service based economy (sound familiar?) and the lyrics and attitude on this record reflect the negative aspects of that change.
But, from a musical perspective Genesis created arguably their most appealing musical statement. The performances and song writing are first rate and each song has its own unique melody and feel so the record is always interesting and very satisfying.

The album begins with Peter Gabriel singing a cappella. The melody he sings has a celtic feel, and then the band joins in. The tune goes through several different layers of dynamics and tempo. That tune is followed by the first Genesis hit single, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" which is similar to some of the stuff Peter Gabriel did later on in his solo career. It's a good pop song, and it works really well. "Firth of Fifth" begins so powerfully, and has a beautiful guitar solo in it. It's a beautiful tune, and like the opening track, it goes through several different layers. Phil Collins has become known as the lead singer for Genesis. However, on this album, Peter Gabriel was the lead singer. Phil Collins was given the spotlight for his own song, "More Fool Me," which was a beautiful song. It's probably the softest song on the album. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is a track that several of the members themselves have criticized, but it's not that different from "Get 'Em Out By Friday" from the previous album. "After the Ordeal" is an instrumental track, and several of the members didn't like it, which is what led to Steve Hackett (the guitarist, and the person who composed "After the Ordeal") to leaving the band. Obviously, that was only a small part of it. The album concludes with "The Cinema Show" and "Aisle of Plenty."

This is definitely a favorite Genesis album of mine, and although they have become known for their Phil Collins-era music, I think that this is Genesis at some their best.

This is one of genesis'finest albums probably second in accomplishment behind the Lamb. It showcases P.G at a time of very high creative power and the group in fine fettle.From the opening song to the closing musical furore that segues to the reprise of Moonlight knight this album seems to have a kinetic energy that gives it a weight above it individual components.
There seems to be a good heart at work behind the scenes.
I wish todays artists were able to be as ambitious as these guys were and musicians in general from this era.
Until they become so again though, this eras artistic genius set in Hi FI aspic will keep on providing me with enjoyment.

"Selling England By the Pound" was the first Genesis album I heard and shortly after also bought. It took me a while to get used to the, for that time, rather long and complex songs, but the start of "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" was sufficiently catchy that I initially became interested coming to a better understanding the group's music. It soon proved to be worthwhile, and now many years later, after have bdecome thoroughly acquainted with most of the group's music, I still consider this album as one of their best.

The record was a great success for the group in 1973 and some time later the single-track "I Know What I Like" also became a minor hit. A fun song that shows the group from its humorous side. "Firth of Fifth" is like the opening track a complex compostion, built up with different, but very fine musical pieces. The quiet acoustic "More Fool Me" is a little pre-taste of Genesis with Phil Collins as lead singer.

The original side two opened with the album's longest track, the dramatic tale of "The Battle of Epping Forest" This is followed by the delicate instrumental "After the Ordeal" that ends with a majestic guitar solo. "The Cinema Show" is another long composition, where especially the vocal parts are very melodic and catchy - and which include a sequence where the vocals remind me a lot of Crosby, Stills and Nash. "Aisle of Plenty" is a little reprise of the "Selling England by the Pound" theme.

Definitely one of Genesis' strongest and most enduring albums.

I got this 2008, Import remasterized version of "Selling England by the Pound" (Dutch edition), after my 1994 U.S. issue 'got lost' (How? I really don't know...).

Find it having a very good sound, even when the colors of the cover are quite different from the LP original cover, having a slightly 'greenish' tone.

Anyway, I like it a lot not only for the extraordinary good sound quality (I usually listen music in a very simple table-top 4-speaker Sony equipment, more than enough for my ears), but also 'cause it has no "Bonus tracks", then respecting the original LP edition.

Even the CD labelled layer reproduces the 'FAMOUS CHARISMA RECORDS' LP label, that one with the characters of 'Alice In Wonderland' (the Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat)... Very nice detail!!!!

And frankly speaking, this album has one of the Genesis themes I like the most: 'I Know What I Like (In your Wardrobe)'... I heard if for the first time in a British-edition LP back in 1974, and I still go crazy for it! Great Peter Gabriel voice!!!

This is a ground breaking album in alternative rock. In my humble opinion one of, if not the very best album Genesis ever recorded. Unique vocals and melody make this a must listen to for those interested in the early years of Genesis.

There are really a lot of great songs on this album, and some really great guitar riffs, and a kick ass solo in one of the songs. In some ways I always thought of this as a predecessor to 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' a true rock classic.