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Get yer butt off of Broadway and go back to the main GENESIS page now! The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and Makes Us All Go Insane
Overall Album Score: 9.3 out of 10 Holy crap! ... ... Okay, I think I'm just going to review this album and get it over with. I've listened to it at least a dozen times over this month and I WANT TO GET ON WITH IT! This is a good album! It's mighty long, though, and it's mighty bloated. And you certainly won't get it at the first listen. (You might not even get it at the twelfth listen, but that's just me --- I am stupid.) After Genesis released the ultimate-classic Selling England By the Pound, Pete Gabriel apparently wanted to violently jerk the band's course of direction and actually make a rock opera. It's not that I'm criticizing the band for going in this direction. It was just entirely unexpected. I mean --- Look: From Genesis to Revelation -- Art pop rock wannabes! Trespass -- Art prog rock wannabes! Nursery Cryme -- Great art prog rock! Foxtrot -- Quintessential art prog rock! Selling England By the Pound -- The ultimate art prog rock MASTERPIECE! The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway -- A ROCK OPERA?!?!?!?!? Yeah ... that's how it goes. And, after this album is released, Peter Gabriel leaves the band. Phil Collins takes over. And they go back to doing good ole reg'lar prog rock. I suppose I'll have to commend Genesis fans for not considering The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway the black sheep of their discography (and thus missing out on a great pun). If that were the case, then I'd probably go on a holy war to have that reversed. But, actually, this album seems to be a little bit overrated by Genesis fans! I certainly won't to go on a holy war to smack them down into their place. Why should I? They don't need to be "smacked into their place." If you're going to feel very passionate about an album ... even if you are going to have a *favorite* album by Genesis, then it had just might as well be The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. After all, taken as a piece of art, it is the most impressive thing Genesis has ever done. (It's got a weird plot, cool imagery, and some great tunes all at once!) In fact, as far as Genesis tunes and arranging goes, this one would have been equal to Selling England By the Pound if it wasn't so danged long. There is a lot of "filler" in here. (Though, I guess a rock opera can't really have "filler," as every moment pretty much has a purpose of some sort ... okay, instead of saying "filler" let's just call them "sloppy bits.") Nevertheless, it is very strong as it stands in both of these areas. This record is extremely pretentious. However, this band certainly has the capability of making a super-pretentious rock opera really work. There is a plot of some sort! It has something to do with the spiritual journeys of a poor New York man named Rael. As far as the details go ... they're interesting to read through! If you want to read more, go to the track reviews. I'll do my best to describe them. I hope. Overall Album Score: 9.3 out of 10 (This is a product of pure lunacy and brilliance all wrapped up into one airy box. Bizarre and beautiful. There are moments on the second disc that leaves some to be desired, but they are hardly even noticed among seas of better material.) Average Song Score: 9.0 (There are 23 TRACKS ON THIS ALBUM! GAAAAAAAAAAAH! Nevertheless, they are mighty-good! A few weak links, but they're not weak enough for me to really care about 'em too much.) Album Tilt: 9.0 (I might have awarded it extra points in this category, but one can't help realizing that the album might have fended better if it were not so danged bloated.) Artist Rating: 10 (Man! This was a CRAZY effort! Only a total nutball like Peter Gabriel could have gone after something as bizarre and daring as this venture and still manage to come out on top. The album deserves a major boost in the art category because of that! A *MAJOR* boost!) Track Reviews The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 10/10 A strong introduction to the album if there ever was one. It begins with nice notes, quick of a pianoey synth. The song escalates into a very good one that paints the scene of New York City and an out-of-place lamb that sits down. (Generally, the accepted symbolism for this lamb is God.) It's a vivid and memorable song. Fly on a Windshield 9/10 (I'm listening to this on Music Rhapsody, and I believe they mislabeled some of these songs. It appears that part of "Broadway Melody of 1974" was included under this track. I'll just review it as they have it.) This slower song is still quite solid. The sort if Medieval instrumental interlude in the middle of this thing was very well done. (Including Mr. Collin's drumming!) I'm not sure what this song is supposed to mean. However, a lot of unusual things are obviously going on! (There's Howard Hughes in blue suede shoes, smiling at the majorettes smoking Winston cigarettes.) It reminds me of the opening number to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust!. Broadway Melody of 1974 9/10 This is a pleasant 30-second instrumental. It doesn't work so well on it's own, but, in the context of this album, it works perfectly. Cuckoo Cocoon 10/10 This is an excellent song, and it's only two minutes long! It sounds like it would go great in a big-budget science fiction picture. It's mysterious and wondrous. (The several notes that the song appears to be based on is quite memorable.) A great addition! (This is where our hero finds himself in a cocoon, which I guess is supposed to be purgatory.) In the Cage 9.5/10 Yet another keeper! This one is 8 minutes long and it is more-than-appropriately expressive. Perhaps this is more of a normal Genesis song (if the only justification for that lies in the length). The lyrics, which is about Rael who is locked in a cage in a Hell-like place, take up the first fourth of the song, and then we get a highly-interesting instrumental interlude that helps paint this picture well. After that, we get some equally-as-expressive sung parts. Very nice! It closes out with a quiet synth instrumental. The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging 9.5/10 The instrumentals of this song sound almost like it was written for a late-80's video game! Neverthemind! This is a perfectly fun song to listen to. It starts out rather pleasant, but end up after a crescendo and gets all spooky! (According to the all-music guide, they also had a little help from Brian Eno on this one ... all the sound effects certainly make that evident.) The song is about our hero finding himself in a supermarket-like setting where people are being packaged and ready to sell. Back in NYC 8.5/10 The arranging is only slightly sloppier than the previous tracks (it's disjointed - not that it's really a bad thing, it just doesn't sound as nice) ... however Peter Gabriel's performance, where he just screams these lyrics with unbridled anger and passion, nearly redeems the track entirely. Here, in our little story, Rael's imagination wanders to when he used to live in New York. Hairless Heart 9/10 Genesis goes much calmer here (which provides a memorable contrast to the last song ... as if our energy was spent and is now recuperating). And then it gets a bit louder, but moves at a smooth pace just the same. It's good 'cause there aren't any lyrics for me to (try to) interpret! Counting Out Time 10/10 Hey! You want a good stadium rock song here? I mean ... this song basically kicks the living beola out of everything Foreigner did, eh? And this type of song was their forte! (Okay ... it's not really a stadium-rocker, but it certainly has strong elements of it.) The tune here is actually wonderful and ... everything about it just KICKS. Even the unusual synths (that I swear, it still sounds like a late-80's video game) were chosen and executed very well. Or maybe I just like the song 'cause it's so happy. (And therefore, I'M happy! Yippe!) The song seems to be Rael revisiting various points in his life. Carpet Crawlers 9.5/10 This is a calmer, more passionate song that ALSO sports a super melody. I really like that harp thing going on in the background, too. The song gives us some very skillful imagery. Rael suddenly realizes where he is ... it doesn't sound too bad, I don't think. (I have trouble with the plot on this one ... sorry.) The Chamber of 32 Doors 8/10 Ooooh. Not quite as melodic or mystic or passionate as much of these other songs. Nevertheless, Genesis doesn't fail to deliver yet another strong number. (And, yes, this one also seems to be a bit sloppy on the arranging front ... the synths in particular weren't done extremely well.) At this point in our fun little story, Rael tries to escape and goes to a chamber of 32 doors. (One wonders if Rael saw Jim Morrison there.) Unfortunately, however, when you go in a door, you go back into the same room again. (Rael is watching other people do this.) Lilywhite Lilith 7.5/10 Genesis is getting SLOPPY! Sloppy on hooks ... even sloppier on the arranging. Though I cannot call it weak! At this point in our SPECIAL TALE, there is some chick named Lilywhite Lilith who opens the right doors and leads Rael the way through the cave. The Waiting Room 8/10 An avant-guarde instrumental?! ... Eh. Why not? The sound effects sound kind of cool ... I guess we're supposed to be picturing what goes on while they go through this corridor ... or whatever. It was all done with good taste, and I don't get bored with it. After that part, we get a more regular song going on that still sounds noisy and disjointed. Yeeeeeeeeeap. Anyway 9/10 After that last song, "Anyway" is right! SO ANYWAY! Heheheheeeee! Okay. Now ... I'm lost in the story ... somewhere back there, Rael apparently threw a rock and this cave collapsed, which buried him alive. (I apparently missed that!) And this song illustrates what's going through his mind as he waits to die. This track is actually quite beautiful and expressive. Here Comes the Supernatural Anesthetist 8/10 I'm reading the All-Music Guide's interpretation of this song and I have no idea where they're getting all that detail! (Where does the anesthetist disappear into a wall? Heckifiknow!) Grrrrrrrrr! This is a bit of a sloppier song that doesn't really manage to hold my interest. The hero is visited by the supernatural anesthetist, which is probably the grim reaper. The Lamia 9/10 Okay, somehow Rael ends up in a room with three giant snakes who have female faces and starts taking love nibbles out of our hero, and they die. So Rael only does the natural thing and eats these creatures. (This is INSANE. Yet, I probably would have done the exact same thing.) I like the musical quality of this song, however, because it's actually rather beautiful! The tune could have been improved, but everything else seems to be firmly in place. Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats 8.5/10 Through rain, through snow, through hail, through tornado, THE ALBUM SHALL GO ON! Fortunately for my confused little mind, this is a quiet any mystic instrumental (that has ENYA written all over it ... and yes, I realize that Enya wouldn't happen for another 13 years). It ain't the greatest instrumental on the planet, but it sounds nice and ... dang it ... I need a breather after that last track, which was INSANE. The Colony of Slippermen 8.5/10 The song starts out quiet and with eastern-sounding electric instrumentals. (The insanity shall never cease.) And then an actual song strikes up. Again, the song appears to be solid Genesis material, yet it isn't magnificent. Okay ... the plot even gets crazier ... Rael finds himself amidst a bunch of ugly trolls who think he ought to go see a doctor of some sort. And then this doctor (which they spell doktor, for some reason that only proves my theory that they were all on crack) does ... I don't know what he does. He does stuff. I don't care anymore. (Grrr!) Toward the end of this 8-minute song, there are some really awful synths. (Tony Banks seems to be quite the shifty character ... sometimes we get great synths ... other times we get not-so-great synths. He's obviously a part of the right-winged conspiracy.) Ravine 7/10 This is not-at-all a great instrumental. It's quite boring if you ask me. Though I'll probably have to give it credit for being professional. I guess. The Light Lies Down on Broadway 10/10 ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I UNDERSTAND THIS SONG! Okay ... Rael has a chance to get out of this insanity. He sees a tunnel or a corridor that leads to his home. However, he sees that his brother, who is still in the insane place, is drowning in a river. And so he must choose between leaving or his brother. The melody revisits that of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." That was a good melody. The old-school (for 1974) synths are stupid, but kind of cool at the same time. Well, Rael does the good thing and goes for his brother, and the corridor disappears. (Something I didn't mention beforehand was there was a time when Rael was trapped in the cage and he called out to his brother John, who pretty much ignored him.) Riding the Scree 8.5/10 This one starts out as a loud instrumental that isn't bad. It's solid, of course. The synths go a little bit overboard on this one. The story here is where Rael runs down the bank of the river to try catching up with his brudder. In the Rapids 10/10 Okay, this is a good song! It starts out very calm and then goes through a major crescendo. Here, Rael latches onto a rock and rescues his brother. However, he discovers that this was not his brother that he was rescuing. It was him! This song is oddly moving. (To think! He thought he was going after his brother, but he was really saving himself through his selflessness!) I have no idea why we're supposed to be moved when Rael does this, but it happened. And that's all there is to it. It 10/10 Oh crap! This album is finally over! This is a super album closer. It's very noisy. The arranging is complicated and actually VERY good. The melody is nice (it sort of revisits "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," but not quite). Now these lyrics are left to interpretation. I think it just signifies that Rael completed his spiritual journey. (A spiritual journey that I didn't understand in the slightest, but at least it was thought-provoking.) Don't even think about e-mailing me and telling me that I wrote an awful review of this. I spent the entire freaking afternoon on it. Only e-mail positive comments here. hola_el_pola@hotmail.com (Ezequiel) received Dec. 22, 2003 You got half the songs right.....but the other half...oh my...."IT" is the most disgusting song ever...how could the same creator of "The Lamia," "Anyway," "In the Cage," or "Riding the Scree" have written it....I am unaware of it. w.quicker@netcologne.de (Werner Quicker) received Feb. 25, 2004 Hallo The Lamb lies down on Broadway is one of my favorite Rock- Albums.I´ve got all the Music of Genesis with Peter Gabriel and P.Gabriel Solo. I´m a professional Musician,church- musician, I would like to get the Score for The Lamb lies down on Broadway. What is to do? I´ve got no VISA or other Creditcard. Please help me Thank you Yours W.Quicker Don Ignacio Responds: I noticed that a lot of people have been accessing this page by doing a Google search for 'Lamb Lies Down on Broadway score' or something like that. I'm not sure if this is the same person doing that or there are multiple people with similar questions. Just in case, I wish it to be known that I have no idea where to find the score for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. In fact, I'm not even sure exactly what it is that you're asking for. slb23@shaw.ca (Simon B.) received August 26, 2004 I got THE LAMB... about 3 years ago, and I really liked it,
and I still do. Some call THE LAMB the best 70's concept album ever
made, but I think it's a close three-way tie between this, the Who's
QUADROPHENIA and Pink Floyd's THE WALL. All the story and lyrics were
written by Pete, except for the lyrics to "The Light Dies Down on Broadway"
which was written by Banks/Rutherford. There are many different
interpretations of the story of THE LAMB... so the best way is to listen for
yourself and interpret it in your own way. And the music is some of the
best music the Gabriel-era Genesis has ever written (more pop/rock than
prog/rock in some places). Anyway, ("they say she comes on a pale
horse...") onto the song ratings:
bobtendy@aol.com (Uncle Bob) received Jan. 31, 2005 Perhaps I've had a bad day, but I am so tired of people who do not have the educational background, musical and literary, to appreciate this album. I won't attempt an education, and I am not even upset about this particular review of this particular work. Everything has gotten so dumbed down that most people haven't... oh nevermind. Anyway, some of you may know that this album is full of literary images, kind of like a baby boomer's "The Wasteland" (T.S.Eliot, anyone?! I didn't think so). It has references to Wordsworth's brother, Jesus (obviously), baptism and redemption through self sacrifice, and, oh my, so much more. And of course the universally neglected biblical wordplay, "it Is Real, It Is Rael. ISRAEL, get it? It is all tied up quite nicely. Anyway, you do not have to like this album. But it really ticks me off that so many rock critics hate it because it attempts to do what every other musical genre is still permitted to do EXCEPT ROCK: Create a universal work of art. NO! It's boring prog rock! Screw the stupid labels. This is a lasting piece of literature, and, dammit, Collins plays some great drums on it. Poor Phil. What the hell happened to him? Don Ignacio responds: I wish you would actually bother to read the review before you write such comments. And I seriously have better things to do than to spend days analyzing the philosophical content of every album. ... Even though this is one of the few albums that would warrant such an effort. Besides which, I did make an attempt to "interpret" the album. ... Not that I suspect you read that part. tisantana@hotmail.com (Tiago) received July 20, 2005 The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway´s story is detailed on it´s cd booklet. All the the stuff that happens between the songs, and includes some weird poetry before the story really begins... if u want to read it see on the site: http://myspot.neteze.com/%7Espace/cds/sub/lamblies.htm He´s SUCH a Genesis freak... And this is my favorite Genesis album, by far... Peter Gabriel is the man. Seeya! dzpenner@hotmail.com (..) received March 26, 2007 pretty good, but there's a few songs here that are DEFINITE 10's, and surely on par with just about anything on SEBTP. those being In The Cage, Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber Of 32 Doors (i don't get the general dislike towards this! it's beautiful, and Gabriel's voice soars with emotion!!), and most most most most of all, The Lamia, which is a contender for second best Genesis song ever. sorry, i really don't understand the common criticism of this album. Also, i find Lillywhite Lilith to be great, 7.5?? lower than Waiting Room? i'd give it a 9-9.5, easy. whatever, you're site still rules. and you love captain fantastic and PG3 so you must be a cool guy |
All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He likes-a Peter Gabriel.
