The two hundred and eightieth album: #280 Genesis - Selling England by the Pound

Possibly more than any other album before, Selling England by the Pound is an album that I feel the need to listen to again, so I can parse it and place it. While some act have some baroque elements in addition to their normal rock, or on the other hand go showy with it. While Selling England by the Pound has its showy moments, it integrates it here into eight tracks that manage to create an odd vision of England, a look at a fantasy rooted in reality. That doesn't mean it's flattering or nostalgic, but it recontextualizes events in a really fascinating way.

The art rock music is over the top, sure, but in a way that I like, not pushing it too far but creating a production out of it - creating something more resembling an older symphony while using rock instruments. The long tracks - pushing ten minutes - don't wear out their welcome as they thrive on variety, using a common theme that they move around and play with. It's a lovely album, more than I was expecting, and I've made a note to find more of Genesis' albums beyond the one I'll cover in a few months.