THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

Sorry, I cannot give the full five stars to this album as I have done to all the previous ones of their classic period. A great album? To be sure. A great listening experience? To be sure. A change of climate towards their fall into mediocrity and then unlistenability? Unfortunately that too. Tension within the ranks had been growing prior to this album, with Peter Gabriel feeling "caged in" and the rest of the band resenting his overwhelming influence on the public's love of their music. I heard a long time ago (11 years) that things got so bad that Gabriel would not be in the same room as the rest of Genesis nor them with him!!! Midway through The Lamb tour Peter disapppeared and then called from a phone booth "I am no longer in the band" he said, never came back, and that was the end of Genesis. There is more dissonance and claustrophobia here than on any of the previous albums, and while that sometimes can work sometimes it is hard to listen to this. Also, keep in mind that a double album without a single weak link is practically or totally unheard of. Had Genesis gone too far? Had they taken on more than they could handle in a bad situation? I personally do not think they went too far, but they cracked under the pressure. After Mike Rutherford's story tale idea for this album was turned down and Peter G. wrote the story about a very disturbed and angry Puerto Rican/New York boy named Rael things were bad enough, but Peter Gabriel as always proved to be right in the end. The storyline he chose gave him a great amount of freedom to write on all kind of subjects he'd not tackled before, and there is nothing wrong with a somewhat awkward and disturbing coming of age story or just an experience of an underdog story as this is. My main complaint here isn't any of the actual songs, it is the group's lack of focus and seeming unwillingness to play well for Gabriel's story. Steve Hackett is at times horrible, the production doesn't hide the unravelling within the group, but instead brings it to the fore. Even Tony Banks doesn't sound focused. In fact, Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks had ended their long best friends friendship by the time of this album, and it was not a pleasant atmosphere at all. I can't say this isn't a great album, it is, but I really miss what was so wonderful about Selling England, Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme, and my favourite Trespass. An essential album in prog rock history and the last album I really enjoy most of by the group, no matter how essential or good this is, it's really very melancholy inducing for me when I have to think that I hadn't even been born when Genesis were such a great force in the music world. Don't avoid this album, pick it up, but keep in mind what I've said here- it's all true