Album of the Day

Though often thought of as radio-friendly pop hitmakers, there was a time when Genesis stood at the cutting edge of progressive rock; the band's first half-dozen albums (with singer Peter Gabriel at the microphone) are exemplars of the form. SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND, from 1973, is a remarkably effective fusion of whimsical storybook tales and muscular rock performances. The eight originals include a catchy single (“I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)”) as well as complex musical epics (“The Battle of Epping Forest,” “The Cinema Show”) and - shades of things to come – a lead vocal from drummer Phil Collins (“More Fool Me”). SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND reached #3 on the British chart to become Genesis' most commercially successful album to that point, and the set remains among the band's very best.