It might not be immediately obvious, but this was a transitional album for Genesis. The classic lineup of Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett and Rutherford was in a good place, coming off a successful album and associated live tour, and the recording process sounds like it was happy and relaxed. They had a reputation as one of the most inventive prog bands of the 70s with all of the frills and flourishes and fantasy that entails.
However, this album is much more concerned with the real world - Dancing Out With The Moonlit Knight talks about Wimpy Bars and Greenshield stamps, and The Battle of Epping Forest is not about warring elves and goblins, but is actually about violent London street gangs. The rest of the songs touch on the tension between a nostalgic vision of the England of the past and the reality of strikes and social changes in the 70s, as well as punning references to classic supermarkets like Tesco, Co-Op, Finefare and Safeways.
Musically, this has all of the proggy goodness that you might want, but going back to it, it’s the quieter moments that shine for me, especially when that funny little bald drummer chap steps up to the mic for a simple and heartfelt love song in More Fool Me.
In hindsight this pointed the way to what would follow the epic supernova flameout of their next album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway when Peter Gabriel would spin off into his own orbit and the remaining band members would coalesce into a new incarnation and head into the brave new 80s.
Prog-tastic!
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