THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

The first disc is incredible, a cohesive unit that moves in sections: the first three tracks, tracks 4-6, tracks 7-9, and the final two. These sections are linked to stages in the narrative. The whole thing is an emotional flow, a conduit of moods far less structured and set than that in Selling England. The blurring of the edges only makes the experience more natural, however. The first disc is perhaps the most perfect of the decade, and is part of what would now be seen as traditional 70's prog. From the opening, through the peacefulness of Cocoo cocoo and the harder edged Back in nyc, to the poignant ending of The chamber of 32 doors, this is hard to fault. The second disc is more experimental, and weaker. So much momentum is created by the opener, Lilywhite lilth, and so much is killed off by the ambient follow-up, The waiting room. Anyway and the Lamia, however, are two of the highlights of the whole Genesis discography. Although there is still a sense of narrative flow, the lyrics often make little sense without the Gabriel-penned narrative in the album sleeve. The final section, from the Ravine through down to It, feels too much like filler. The light dies down on broadway may have been better as the closer of the album, but it would not matter so much had It been less anti-climactic. Only five songs out of the twelve on the second disc live up to the quality of the first. This second disc will grow on the listener, however, and provides the album with more depth. The first disc alone would warrent five stars.

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