Selling England by the Pound (1973)

Selling England by the Pound is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released on 5 October 1973, by Charisma Records. The album was a commercial success in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, but less so in the United States, peaking at No. 70 on the Billboard 200. A single from the album, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", was released in February 1974 and became the band's first top 30 hit on the UK singles chart.

The album was recorded in August 1973 following the tour supporting their previous album, Foxtrot (1972). The group set aside a short period of time to write new material. It covered a number of themes including the loss of English folk culture and an increased American influence, which was reflected in the title. Following the album's release, the group set out on tour, where they drew an enthusiastic reception from fans.

Critics and the band members themselves have given mixed opinions of the album. Its reputation has improved over time, appearing on various critical and fan-voted lists of the best progressive rock albums. The album has continued to sell and received Gold certifications from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was remastered for CD in 1994 and 2007.

Background

In May 1973, the Genesis line-up of frontman and singer Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist and guitarist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins completed their 1972–1973 tour supporting their previous album Foxtrot (1972). The tour marked the band's first full-scale North American tour, which drew positive responses, but journalists were still criticising the band and comparing them to other progressive rock bands of the time such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd. Charisma pushed to release new Genesis material to capitalise on the band's newfound commercial success despite the band's wishes against it, and released a compilation of live recordings from early 1973, originally intended for broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show in the US, as their first live album Genesis Live (1973). This budget-priced release also compensated for the cancellation of a proposed gig at Wembley Arena in May 1973 due to the inability to print tickets in time, and to act as a bridging album in between Foxtrot and the next studio album. It became their highest-charting album in the UK at the time, peaking at No 9.

The group were too busy touring to write new material, so after coming off the road they set aside time to create new songs. Due to the success of Foxtrot, the group's record label, Charisma Records, allowed them two to three months to come up with a new studio album, which Rutherford considered to be "the kiss of death". Early into the sessions Collins formed a pick-up band with former Yes guitarist Peter Banks for a few gigs, and Rutherford revealed in an interview to Sounds in 1976 that "there had been worries that Phil might want to leave the group". Despite this, Gabriel recalled this time as a "relatively happy and calm period".