Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
For the start of our fourth season, we explore the 1973 LP by one of progressive rock’s most interesting (and entertaining) bands, Selling England by the Pound by Genesis.
Considered by many to be the best album of the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, it is definitely the most accessible, and even gave the band their first Top 40 single int he UK with “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) which peaked just shy of the Top 20.
The overall theme of the album laments the Americanization and commercialization of English culture. The songs are full of vivid imagery, played by outstanding musicians, and sung by one of the best voices in rock. A thing that sets Genesis apart from other progressive rock bands of the time is their ability to make complex music that is not showy. Gabriel’s vocals adds a level of soul that is absent from other bands of the genre. All of this makes for a compelling listen, and puts Selling England by the Pound up there with the greatest progressive rock albums ever released.
No Recommendation this episode.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
It all began at the Charterhouse Public School where Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips formed the “genesis” of what would become genesis.
Pictured: Tony Banks (top left) and Peter Gabriel (top right) circa 1965.
Johnathan King, an alum of the Charterhouse School, took an interest in the young band and produced what would become their first album From Genesis to Revelation.
Genesis circa 1967
Pictured (L to R): Anthony Philips, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, and Chris Stewart.
Jonathan King was a fan of pop songs in the vein of the Bee-Gees. Peter Gabriel Tony Banks and wrote what would become the bands first single, “The Silent Sun”, specifically to appeal to King.\
The band’s second single “A Winter’s Tale,” also written by Banks and B+Gabriel, and which you can listen to below, showcases a much more confident band, particularly in terms of Gabriel’s vocals.
Below is what is thought to be the only live footage of Genesis with their original guitarist Anthony Phillips.
After the album Trespass, Anthony Phillips left, and the band dumped then drummer John Mayhew. Both were replaced respectively by Steve Hackett and Phil Collins.
Here is that classic Gabriel era version of Genesis (before Gabriel embraced the theatrics of makeup and costumes). Pictured (L to R) Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Peter Gabriel.
Looking for a way to make their live performances stand out and get the band some press, Gabriel shaved a reverse mohawk into his head, and began to wear make-up and costumes on stage.
One of the first costumes consisted of Gabriel squeezing into his wife’s red dress and donning a fox head (à la the cover of Foxtrot) during the band’s performance of “The Musical Box” from their album Nursery Chryme. Later he would wear an old man mask and perform the song in the guise of “Old Henry.”
By the time the band was touring in support of Selling England by the Pound, Gabriel had a whole plethora of characters, such as:
Britannia for “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight.
Jacob during “I know What I Like (In My Wardrobe).
The Revered for “The Battle of Epping Forest,
