Jack Feeny reviews: Genesis

	Selling England by the Pound (1973)
	"You know what you are, you don't give a damn"
	Best Tracks: Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, Firth of Fifth, After the Ordeal

Unfortunately I had already written a complete review for this album when my computer crashed and I lost it all. Understandably it was all very frustrating. I was running Morpheus at the same time so I guess it was my mistake believing my humble computer could multi-task. I had made a whole string of hilarious "I hate Phil Collins" jokes but I don't feel motivated to write them all out again. Briefly, every time I mentioned his name I'd insert a offensive slur in the middle like Phil "I wish I was Sting" Collins or Phil "if you hold him down I'll punch him" Collins but it just doesn't seem worth it anymore. I also cannot be bothered to sum up the band Genesis as, let's be honest, you all know that they used to be a good prog rock band in the seventies when fronted by Peter Gabriel before he left and Collins made them shit. So let's just get down to my opinions. Well, is this the best prog rock album ever? It certainly presents a strong case from the admittedly limited selection I'm familiar with. They just manage to stay on the right side of "up-their-own-arse" pretentiousness for the most part meaning this album is never unlistenable. In fact, with Gabriel's competent song-writing ability they actually pull off an album that is pretty good in its own right, prog or not. Certainly the first song, "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" is almost definitely the best prog song ever. A decent eight minutes long it actually manages to stay good for most of the time. It begins with Gabriel singing a cappella before the keyboards and guitar-picking are beautifully layered on. The best moment comes with the entrance of a sumptuous piano part, pretty much proving that it would have been best if the prog keyboardist had stuck to traditional instruments; something I attribute, coincidently, to Pink Floyd's superiority above the usual prog suspects. Gabriel nails down some brilliant vocal melodies and the choir effect a little later on is an inspired touch. All in all, the rarest of commodities, a great prog song. Lyrically this album is a cut above the average prog efforts (particularly Yes) with Gabriel really embracing his peculiar Englishness (he went to a public school, you know) with many references to English landmarks and institutions, not least London's Epping Forest. Supermarket chain Tesco and failed fast-food emporium Wimpey also get a look in. They have a Wimpey in my local bowling alley in York, you know. Over-priced, though. They used to make you eat with knives and forks as well. This is fast-food, not the fucking Ritz. It is my goddamn right as a fast-food consumer to eat shitty pieces of meat with my hands. My right, I tell you. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is presumably intended as the album's centrepiece but it doesn't really feel like it. Probably the weakest of the four epics. I can't say the melody is that memorable and the riff is unspectacular. The following instrumental, "After the Ordeal", on the other hand, is altogether better. A great instrumental, with a great guitar solo, and much less emotionally blunted than most normal prog songs. Similarly "Firth of Fifth" has a great weeping guitar solo. While his guitar gently weeps, if you will. It is a good ol' prog song, actually, with a decent melody progressing into a lengthy instrumental passage, heightened by the aforementioned sorrowful guitar solo. Both "After the Ordeal" and "Firth of Fifth" are real highlights on this album, from an instrumental point of view. Thankfully, and maybe the main reason for it, Banks doesn't resort much, if at all, to his shitty synths for those two numbers. "The Cinema Show" is the last epic, of the four, and is another all-round good song relying on a repetitive melody and instrumental arrangement. I actually quite like that as it makes a change from the continuous and often bewildering change of structure that other prog bands throw at us, the discerning consumer. Yeah, I'm talking about you ELP. The final track "Aisle of Plenty" flows seamlessly from "The Cinema Show" and even restates the melody of "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" adding the respectable touch of beginning and ending an album with the same theme. Phil "insert insult here" Collins' effort "More Fool Me" is a pretty folky effort but it really ain't very good. Maybe a little superior, though, to his solo material. Proof really, that Gabriel was the major player here. The final track I have to mention is the short, radio-orientated "I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe)" which is probably the second worst track on here; behind Collins' effort. I don't find it very amusing and the pop melody seems a little lost, surrounded by the rest of the more grandiose arrangements. Therefore, a contender for the dubious honour of best prog album ever and all that that carries with it. Limited though, simply by being a prog album. Which is a shame.

It's good that you have prog rock reviews. Long live Peter Gabriel's Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, etc. For a good laugh, take a listen to Seconds Out by Genesis (Phil Collins) (but don't pay too much for it. I got it for $8.99 Canadian. Two CD's!) Phil absolutely wrecks and mangles "Supper's Ready" and "The Cinema Show" with his bad interpretations of Peter Gabriel's vocals. Good thing he didn't even dare trying to completely screw up "The Battle of Epping Forest" !!!!!!!!

I think this album deserves a 10. A true classic, one of my favourite albums. As you mentioned, "Dancing with the Moonlight Knight" is really good (that choir effect really gets the adrenaline pumping), but I think the 'best prog song ever' label is pushing it a bit. "I Know What I Like" is a pretty catchy tune, and is quite fun to listen to; Phil Collins drumming is very good on this track, I think. "Firth of Fifth" is brilliant, a really beautiful song, though the lyrics are very pretentious (but the music is so special, so it makes up for it). "More Fool Me" is OK, I know it's Phil Collins and all, but its got an OK melody and it is over quick, so it is not so bad. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is the highlight for me, I love this track, the atmosphere in it is very good, the melody is fantastic, and the lyrics are quite amusing really. I know it's kind of long, but it is never boring. I could listen to another ten minutes of that track and still enjoy it. "After the Ordeal" is beautiful instrumental, and "Cinema Show" is another lovely instrumental, but not quite as good as "Firth of Fifth". "Aisle of Plenty" repeats that same wonderful bit of "Moonlight Knight" and ends the album on a high note, I think. So, I really like this album. Even though the songs are long and innovative, they are never too pretentious or over bearing, mostly because Peter Gabriel has such a down-to-earth presence on the album and treats even the longest songs with good humor and a light touch. Definitely deserving of a ten. I'm not sure what you mean by it being "limited by being a prog album"...to me, prog is one of the least limiting genres, certainly allowing for more creative freedom than punk and metal.

That you didn't give Selling England by the Pound 10/10 is nothing short of insulting. It is not 'limited' by being a prog album; it completely transcends the genre. It is one of the most beautiful and stunning albums ever made. Quite frankly, I think you don't understand progressive rock. The albums in the genre take a lot of time to appreciate, but I think the pleasure people like myself experience in the genre is that the more you listen, the more meaning you discover and the more you enjoy the albums. Please, stick with your three chord punk bands and your Bon Jovi. Leave the higher planes of music to people with enough intelligence to appreciate them.