I gave it a 14 - one of the first Genesis songs to catch my ear, and really different from most of the rest of their songs once I got to know more of their catalogue. Always mystified by the lyrics, but I guess that's largely a result of jamming in the studio & scatting vocals as they went?
Love Tony's ballsy synth tone here - helped by a distortion pedal as I recall? Like others mentioned, absolutely love how the instrumental part became more dynamic live!
Too many moments to mention! Some of my favorites:
* Me and Sarah Jane - the piano figure in the first part of the song is really brilliant, but easily overlooked, and I love how the song modulates all over the place as it progresses!
* Firth of Fifth
* Cage / Raven / Cinema Show synth solos & accompaniment - both in their original studio forms and various live medleys.
* Lamb, Duke, and Abacab albums - just love the sounds Tony used and his writing throughout these three!
I love this whole album, but went with BTL, Duchess, and Duke's Travels. Big props to Man of Our Times, Turn It On Again, and Cul-de-Sac, a song that took a long time to grow on me, but worth the investment!
15 from me - have LOVED this song since first hearing it. Great groove & always feel uplifted from the music.
I'm hoping to catch them in Wilmington, DE towards the end of February!
My favourite part in that song is the little interlude right before the last verse where Tony doubles the piano line with the ARP and puts Hammond chords behind.
I love this section, too! I think it shows Tony's influence from the Romantic/Impressionistic composers. Perfect blend of keyboard sounds here!
Me And Sara Jane, Keep It Dark, Dodo/Lurker
One of my all-time favorite 3-tracks-in-a-row!!
Abacab was my 1st Genesis studio album, and as is often the case, one's first album by a band often becomes their favorite. 40+ years later, I still love it. There's still a lot of the older Genesis sound present in the new-wave/pop leanings, and maybe the best drum sounds from a Genesis studio album. Absolutely love Tony's synths on this one as well as Phil's wide array of percussion extras!
I think Abacab still features this sound (Me and Sarah Jane, Dodo, Like it or not, even a small bit in No Reply at All where Phil delivers some emotional vocals), and Three Sides Live maintain that atmosphere especially in that fourth live side.
However, begining from the s/t album, the mood seems to change drastically and that fantasy feeling disappears, even in the proggier moments such as Home by the Sea, Domino, etc.
Me And Sarah Jane was the song that came to mind when I read your question. It's also one of the last "pre-written" tracks brought into the album sessions before Tony, Mike & Phil switched full-on to in-studio jams & collaborations as their preferred avenue for songwriting. Perhaps the pastoral/fantasy element came more naturally from a more single-minded compositional approach?
1. When did you buy Selling England By The Pound (or have received it as a gift)?
~2008
2. How old were you when Selling England was released?
5
3. Was Selling England your first Genesis album? If not, how many Genesis albums did you own before getting Selling??
No, I think I had 4 ahead of it (Duke, Abacab, 3SL, "shapes")
4. If you had to rank all Genesis albums, where does Selling England stand?
4th
5. Which track was your favourite when you bought the album?
Cinema Show
6. Which track is your favourite today?
Firth of Fifth
7. Which track do you think is the best track on the record despite your own taste?
Firth of Fifth
8. How many versions of the album have you bought / owned? (Vinyl, CD, Remaster, Cassette, SACD etc)
At least two CD releases
I had this one on cassette - it was the "Walkman era" after all 
I remember hearing Mama on the radio for the first time & thinking 'well that's quite different from Abacab!' I also had a soft spot for "Just a Job to Do" and "It's Gonna Get Better". I'll but "Better" on when I need a good pick-me-up - great groove!
lead vox = Jon Davison
drums = Jay Schellen
guitar = Steve Howe
keys = Geoff Downes
bass = Billy Sherwood
I caught Yes' warm-up show for their current US tour last week in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Roger Dean was there with several of his paintings on display, and he was also the opening act, talking for a half-hour about his training in art and architecture and how that led to doing album art. Roger was introduced by Michael Tait, pioneering stage-lighting engineer, and namesake of the venue "Mickey's Black Box". Roger Clair of Clair Brothers Sound was in the audience. A very "full circle" event for Yes!
I thought the set list was good - some deeper cuts and covering a lot of different albums. It was great to hear 2 tracks from their latest "Mirror to the Sky".
One of the best! I like both the studio version as well as the medley from 3-sides-live. I was amazed when I learned that the "pad" chords on the studio track came from the RMI - Tony was always very clever getting the most out of his instruments!
If you haven’t seen one of their album-specific tours before this one, be sure you catch the SEBTP one! It’s outstanding! They sometimes do the “Black Show” in addition to the regular stage for this one! Not to be missed!
I've seen their SEBTP and Black Shows a few times before! I'd been hoping they'd eventually do another "Lamb" show... so glad I was able to see it!
One last time to see TLLDOB in its entirety in suburban Philadelphia at the Keswick Theater tonight! I’m looking forward to it! 😎
I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I caught Friday night's show, and it was fabulous! I had seen TMB play most of side-2 of The Lamb on their "extravaganza" tour a few years back, but this was the first (and expected only) time I got to see the entire Lamb show. So very well done on every level!!
One of my all-time favorite Genesis songs! Great analysis by Backdrifter 
It really is amazing just how much sonic ground this track covers in a short time, yet it feels so natural as it flows from one section to the next.
I bought a copy (in English) last month & really enjoyed it. I agree that some passages had some awkward wording, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. (The author's English is much better than my German!) It was very well researched & structured!
My bandmates & I were pleasantly surprised to find "The Rock Orchestra" name-checked in the later chapter about other performances of "The Lamb"!
Also love Tony's piano on this - interesting and somewhat sparse voicings that sound fabulous!
15 for me - probably my favorite PC solo track! Many fond memories catching this one on MTV back in the day It's also one my Dad loved!
For what it’s worth, this American Genesis fan would prefer the English version of the book to be written in British English.
that makes two of us "Amis"! Genesis lyrics are full of "Britishisms", so it's only fitting for the book to have a more authentic British flavo(u)r!
In der Zwischenzeit... vielleicht kaufe ich das Buch auf Deutsch..!?!
