The Battle Of Epping Forest (track)
by Genesis
Year: 1973
From the album Selling England By The Pound (track #5)
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The Battle Of Epping Forest appears on the following album(s) by Genesis:
- Selling England By The Pound (track #5) (this album) (1973)
- 1970-1975 (Box Set) (track #24) (compilation) (2008)
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The Battle Of Epping Forest ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 302 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/12/2026 16:38 | philschmil | 427 | 88/100 | |
| 01/23/2026 15:49 | zexen47 | 5,012 | 81/100 | |
| 01/19/2026 00:52 | kinginsomniac12 | 5,498 | 100/100 | |
| 12/17/2025 03:02 | FrancK | 4,576 | 82/100 | |
| 12/10/2025 09:17 | plasmicmist | 7,586 | 91/100 |
Rating metrics:
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(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 2% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 84.0/100, a mean average of 83.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.2/100. The standard deviation for this track is 12.4.
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The Battle Of Epping Forest comments
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Squonk007 10/17/2023 19:36 | #299521
Too wordy but musically good.
This is ok. I like the theme, both musically and lyrically. I have some issues with the silliness of the lyrics. The story is nice, I like the humour. But some passages feel forced.
This song proves that prog rock can be fun. You can tell for sure that Gabriel had fun with this one, as he provides loads of quirky vocals and charm while telling the winding, whimsical story of a gang war in Epping Forest. It's got a pretty catchy feel, especially in the chorus, and though it's not as musically interesting as Selling England by the Pound's other lengthy "prog epics" (Moonlit Knight, Firth of Fifth, Cinema Show), it's just so chock-full of clever writing and wordplay that it more than makes up for it. Some Genesis fans say it's too long, but the runtime on this one has never bothered me. I really think this one is up there with some of their best.
Weakest track in the album
Although melodies are okay, the song extends them for too long, it drags on and it feels forced
Nobodyisemo 06/04/2017 05:28 | #191954
Silly, irreverent with some great music to back it up.
AAL2014 06/28/2016 03:18 | #170042
Beautifully British. Wonderfully quirky. Stupendously Gabriel.
The lyrics steal the show here. Great stuff.
There was one line I can't stand, but the rest is very good.
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