Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway CD (album) cover

THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

Genesis

 

Symphonic Prog

4.31 | 3350 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Chus
Prog Reviewer
3 stars This album receives mixed reviews... mine is a bit mixed too.

This is the story of a guy named Rael (Puerto Rican?), who goes on a surreal journey through blah blah yada yada. I don't really care for the story if the music doesn't get me there. All I can say is that the magic this band recreated on previous efforts is slightly forgotten, and the band has fallen in it's own weight. Of course, the songs are not bad; but this is hardly the Genesis I like, just reworking much on "I Know What I Like", which, whilst is not bad, it's not essencial in understanding what Genesis was about.

I guess making a song-by-song review would make a lenghty day for me, so I'll just take the parts of the album I found interesting.

The title track is catchy and memorable, and the piano intro says it all; the chorus is pop oriented (and good pop at that). A staple to many post-Gabriel concerts (not post- Hackett though).

Then we get to the rap called "Broadway Melody Of 1974", which has thumping rhythm and interesting spoken lyrics by Gabriel (in the same way he did in "Epping Forest"). Cuckoo Cocoon is very mellow, and contains simple yet complementaty flute notes over some keyboard arpeggios. "In the Cage" has one of Banks' trademark solos (also shown in "Riding The Scree" and "Slippermen") and amazing progression, all in the bridge.Then "Hairless Heart" is again simplistic but with the Genesis' feel of previous albums. "Carpet Crawlers" is an arpeggio exercise by Tony Banks, but in the whole it's a good pop song. "The Waiting Room" is pure King Crimson with a more organised climax. "Anyway" has a bombastic bridge and Hackett's showcase of minimalistic yet powerful guitar licks; but again it's a very pleasant pop song with interesting piano melody. "Supernatural Anaesthetist" is purely Hackett's showcasing (a well deseved one, even though not particularly as good as his solo works). "The Lamia" is arguably the best song here, and in the true vein of Genesis; it has simple piano arrangements but it's a song of pure bliss and it's emotionally charged; is the most underrated song on the album. The rest of the album contains the most inspiring songs, starting from "The Colony Of Slippermen", through the amazing Banks' showcase yet again in "Riding The Scree" and the melancholic "In The Rapids". "It" is a pop song, but not as good as the title track.

I'm more fond of the second disc because it's more filled with that Genesis vibe that was predominant on "Foxtrot" and "Selling England". But in the wholesome, the production here appears to be rushed and some things were done for the sake of making a double album. Even so, the story appears sort of incomplete and uneven, despite the length. 3 STARS

Chus | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this GENESIS review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.