THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

After a really considerable amount of time (about eight years) of learning, listening and kind of understanding I have to conclude that there are quite few really important bands whose defined the actual progressive rock, and among them stands Genesis as an eminent influence. Particularly speaking two of their Gabriel-era opus; "Selling England by the Pound" and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".

Tough this record has been obscured, even by the band itself, maybe mostly because of the artistic differences between Gabriel and Banks, the number of bands that subsequently used the sound of this album for their entire opus is incredibly wide (most noticeable in the Neo-Prog bands).

This double album featured the incredible and bizarre psychological entropy of one man's fears, doubts and desires. A surreal stomachic yet well-defined trip through his tormented mind full of symbols and a mythology of its own.

Like most Genesis previous and forward works, the lyrics are as important as the musical print. There's maybe a good reason many listeners can't enjoy this like other Gabriel-era works; the entire atmosphere (except only for the conclusive "It") is rather dismal, dark and maddening. Full of panic outbreaks and schizophrenic visions and sounds.

The theatrical force Gabriel prints punch the listener in the guts since the very first track. The interaction among symphonic ethereal sounds, the hard rock riffs and experimental music brought a whole new experience. By then there weren't many 'musical stage scripts' even least any as dim as this one.

There are faults however, it didn't reach the perfection achieved in their previous oeuvre. Some songs feels there like fillers, maybe they are, or maybe they couldn't be completed as they should due the musical quarrelling at those days. Even with these gaps of apparent incongruity or simply void atmosphere (The Waiting Room, Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats, Ravine) there are also magnificent moments that display their powerful strength and potential, delighting playfully among violent desperations as on "In the Cage", "Back to NYC", "The Colony of Slippermen" or "Riding the Scree" and sweet charm melodies as on "Hairless Heart", "The Carpet Crawlers", "The Lamia" or "In the Rapids".

It must be heard as a whole single piece from beginning to end. Close your doors and windows, shut down the phones, lights and clocks. Sit comfortably on your favorite chair and lets the music ride you to an unforgettable travel into an exotic yet familiar psyche.

For many this is not the best Genesis Gabriel-era effort, however it is undisputable that is one of the most influential works in the progressive rock. For me, this is the naked and most personal showmanship of Gabriel's core. And I just love this kind of passion.

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