About the band: Genesis are a British rock band formed in 1967, whose output in the period 1970-1976 (the Gabriel and/or Hackett years) is among the very best of prog rock. After the departure of first Gabriel, and then Hackett, the remaining three members (Collins, Rutherford, Banks) opted for a more commercial rock sound that was highly successful for about 12 years. The band released 15 studio albums. One of my favourite bands for their prog years, even though I also appreciate some songs that came later. Genesis currently have nine songs in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: Dancing with the moonlit knight is the opening track of the superb 1973 Selling England by the pound album, one of the three best albums ever to my taste. Genesis hits the jackpot with this song, using intelligent texts full of wordplay (like "queen of May-be" and "Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout" - Green Shield stamps having been used extensively in English shops), beautiful melodies and stunning vocal and instrumental performances. Of particular interest is the shift from ballad to energetic rock upon the invitation 'to join the dance', with appropriate changes in instrumentation. Run time 8:04.
