THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

I have a unique relationship with The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway in that I am so absolutely entranced and overwhelmed with sides 1, 2 and 3, that I never could get into side 4. Either the band petered out (no pun intended) for the last quarter of the album, or more likely, it was me who did. Feel the same way about Battle of Epping Forest from the Selling England album - too busy, unfocused and insubstantial to keep my attention for its duration before the tone arm inevitably heads west toward the higher yielding Cinema Show - despite the fact that on its own, Epping, like the Lamb's final side, is really not bad at all!

But what Genesis cooks up for at least three sides of composition and execution is nothing short of a personal best. Just an incredible performance of deftly composed songs presented by a band with its great chops intact, and some melodies that are as timeless as they come - The Lamia and the mellotron-charged Broadway Melody in particular elevate me to another plain.

The storyline of this double album still makes my brain hurt after 34 years, but with songs this strong, I've learned to manage! The band has relatively few nice things to say about this album, probably due to the fractious nature of the writing and recording processes - I just wish they could at least separate themselves from the album's creation periods and just see what a monumental accomplishment was left in their wake.

The Lamb remains a high watermark for Genesis that still rewards with every listen. And y'know, I think I'll try and tackle side 4 once again tonight.

It's 4.5 stars from me.