Selling England by the Pound

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Selling England by the Pound · After the tour for Foxtrot the band had little time to write new songs. Charisma gave them two to three months. Most of the music came about in an old house in Chessington and beneath a dance school in London. In August 1973 the group recorded the album at Island Studios, with John Burns as co-producer. Peter Gabriel wanted to look at Englishness in a different way. The title, a slogan from a Labour Party election manifesto, refers to the decline of English folk culture and increasing Americanisation.

The drummer Phil Collins let himself be influenced by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and played more complicated time signatures, among other places in Dancing With the Moonlit Knight. From a guitar riff by Steve Hackett grew I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), the group's first British top thirty hit. The album reached third place in England. Critics and band members thought differently about it, but its reputation has grown over time.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Dancing with the Moonlit Knight (2007 Stereo Mix)8:00Apple Music ↗
2. 2I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) [2007 Stereo Mix]4:10Apple Music ↗
3. 3Firth of Fifth (2007 Stereo Mix)9:31Apple Music ↗
4. 4More Fool Me (2007 Stereo Mix)3:11Apple Music ↗
5. 5The Battle of Epping Forest (2007 Stereo Mix)11:43Apple Music ↗
6. 6After the Ordeal (2007 Stereo Mix)4:15Apple Music ↗
7. 7The Cinema Show (2007 Stereo Mix)10:49Apple Music ↗
8. 8Aisle of Plenty (2007 Stereo Mix)1:58Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

See also

• Genesis