THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

I guess everyone was doing long-winded double-LP concept albums, so why not Genesis? As is customary with these kinds of bombastic and complicated projects, they usually fail to live up to expectations. So along comes The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...

First, I must say, the story is quite original, certainly a bit weird, and mostly confusing. That I actually do not mind so much. What bothers me the most is the format of the songs, the occasional period of incessant noodling, and the overuse of filler. It clearly seems to me that Gabriel stretched the concept too far so that two whole LPs could be properly filled. Otherwise, the best material on here would take up one LP, or at most 1 1/2 LPs. Generally most of the songs fit a more radio-friendly format, with very little musical inspiration like the 10+ minute pieces that band had done quite well with on previous albums.

Highlights for me are Fly on a Windshield/Broadway Melody of 1974, In the Cage, The Carpet Crawlers and Colony of Slippermen. The rest of the album is mediocre, bordering on good. In my opinion, I think this work could have been so much better if instead of separate short pieces that seem loosely tied together only because of the storyline, they would have consolidated the story into a grouping of maybe four 12-minute mini-epics with a more ambitious musical palette. If they really must have a 2-LP set, certainly Hackett and Banks could have provided some excellent extended instrumental sections.

But alas, Genesis didn't live up to its expectations and Gabriel's farewell was on a mediocre note. Still many consider this work historically important. I thought about giving it four stars simply because of that, but I can't justify it on those grounds. Thus, three stars it is. Good, but not essential. Definitely worth acquiring if you are a Genesis or Peter Gabriel fan.