SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

My first review here on prog archives and I had to choose my all time favourite album. There's just something about the effortless playing on Selling England that elevates it to absolute masterpiece. Cool, slick and clean but at the same time quirky and heavy. After the thickness of Foxtrot this is like a breath of fresh air, and apparently it was all jammed by the band in an 8 week timescale!

From the opening moments of 'Dancing with the Moonlit Knight' to the closing refrain used in 'Aisle of Plenty' there honestly isn't a dull second, and along the way they've created at least 4 essential masterpiece tracks. *That* moment in 'Firth of Fifth' when Steve's guitar soars for just that little bit longer, and the spine tingling bit in 'Cinema Show' when the Choir and Bass Pedals kick in really send shivers down your spine.

Lately I've gotten in to the more heavier side of prog via the likes of Opeth and Anathema, but every now and then I come back to the absolute best - nothing can match the euphoria of this album, and it truly is one of the few works that deserve the title of masterpiece.