Sorry if it's a repeat, but while I agree with both of you in terms of the "compositional skills", I think the period following Gabriel's exit through, say, Abacab, was the sweetest spot for pure composition. I think the early stuff got too compromised amongst the band, and after the self-titled, the process changed (to the "jam" as source of material). But some of those mid-period songs - One For The Vine, All In A Mouse's Night, Me And Sarah Jane, the instrumental suite on W&W, Cul-de-sac - are compositional tours de force. Perhaps more concise than something like "Battle Of Epping Forest", but well-thought out nonetheless.