The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - GENESIS*****

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway/Fly On A Windshield/Broadway Melody Of 1974/Cuckoo Cocoon/In The Cage/The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging/Back In NYC/Hairless Heart/Counting Out Time/Carpet Crawlers/ The Chamber Of 32 Doors/Lilywhite Lilith/The Waiting Room/Anyway/Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist/The Lamia/Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats/The Colony Of Slippermen/Ravine/The Light Dies Down On Broadway/Riding The Scree/In The Rapids/It

The double LP The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway was the last Genesis album to feature Peter Gabriel. It is a complex and challenging work that is well worth persevering with. (US:41 UK:10)

“The real magic of the album lies in its elegant, seamless blending of concise, highly melodic songs, with the spirit of adventure and experimentation. The music is hook filled yet never resorts to cheap, formulaic props or structures. This album stands as a prime example of why, what is now derisively called prog rock, deserves to be re-evaluated by any serious music lover.”

“Every time I listen to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, I always do it from beginning to end and never skip any of the tracks, that's how amazing it is; it really feels like a weird dreamlike journey into unknown lands.”

“This is how a concept album should be done. Whether the listener is always 100% sure of what is happening and what it represents is beside the point. Peter's dramatic performance and the band's atmospherics allow the alternate reality to ensnare the listener.”

“The music is beyond reproach, being every bit as melodic as their previous efforts. While the arrangements are heavier on the synthesizers, we're very far away from the dull, soulless automaton music of the band's later years.”

“This is Genesis at their peak, as well as their most experimental. Everything on this record works. The story is absolutely nonsensical, but also incredibly vivid. The pinnacle of the group’s output.”

“The problems with this album are that it is organized thematically around Gabriel's nearly indecipherable story of Rael, and the songs are way too wordy and don't leave enough room for the band to stretch out and play. Otherwise, this is classic Genesis with amazing melodic themes and incredible performances from the band.”

“A showcase for the virtuoso musicianship of this most British of progressive bands, featuring some of the most awesomely tight ensemble playing.”