The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway [Original recording remastered]

I was very fortunate to have seen the band on the UK Lamb tour back in Nov 74 with two nights at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. Absolutely brilliant and I can still remember the biggest impact visually on the first night was the identical figure of Peter Gabriel dressed as Rael and an identical dummy on the opposite sides of the stage at the start of the track, IT. Then it was a major stage stunt. It was impossible for a few seconds to understand what was happening with explosions and strobe lights but by today's on-stage graphic techniques probably very tame.

I have the original vinyl and the first CD released from 1985 (in my view this is a very poor recording). I also purchased the re-mastered UK vinyl box set but due to poor pressing of some of the other albums I gave up. Recently I managed to get a copy of the Atlantic/Rhino USA vinyl box set. Now I finally have a full vinyl re-mastered set that I am happy with. The Lamb re-mastered vinyl is excellent. In my view it lacks the higher frequency range in places vs the original but the bass/percussion is much cleaner and more pronounced in the mix. It gives a softer, less harsh sound.

Although in my view this album was the best recorded/produced of the albums from 1970, it was never one you could use to highlight the sound quality of your Hi-Fi system like for instance the Pink Floyd albums. For me with Genesis this never happened until ABACAB was released when Hugh Padgham joined the fold.

So to the re-mastered CD stereo mix, I find it excellent. Like all the others 2008 re-mastered CDs it has a different sound mix vs the original vinyls. I find it has what I like in a good CD: clear, clean, sound low background noise and the music fills the speakers. I will always prefer the vinyl vs CD sound but I have absolutely no issue listening to this re-mastered CD and enjoying it. The quality of the music is still first class and there are no major derivations that make the songs sound that different. It is still a 70s classic album and for me the best Genesis album released.

I do not believe this is an easy album to take on board as a first introduction to Genesis. All the previous albums in my view are more accessible on a first listen. I was exposed to this album in the full historical sequence of the first five albums so it was a natural follow on and a very high point of following the band in the early to mid 70s. I still find the story difficult to fully understand and clearly it can be taken many ways. The combination of music, lyrics and vocal performance make the album outstanding and there is so much to extract from it on each listen.

So what's good on this album: in my view everything from start to finish, but my favourites even after 36 years are still:

The Cage, I love the build-up and structure of this track. The vocals are great, delivered with real feeling.
Back In NY City, a very different sounding Genesis track with an aggressive, gritty feel.
Fly on a Windshield: Like the vocals at the start followed by the heavy musical sequence, which vibrates around the room.
Hairless Heart/Counting Out Time: A beautiful instrumental perfectly leading into a very catchy, commercial sounding track.
Carpet Crawlers: An excellent smoothing interchange of vocals with keyboards and later percussion:
Etc, etc

Like all the other Genesis re-mastered CDs, it is disappointing not to have any out-takes/unreleased materials included. I assume there must be is a good reason for this.

In conclusion, I recommend this re-mastered CD. It may not be as the as the original album was made 36 years ago but in my opinion it does not take anything away from a classic album. If you want to get into the Peter Gabriel fronted Genesis for the first time I would start with the other re-mastered CDs in sequence (Trespass to The Lamb). They are all excellent but `The Lamb' needs a little more patience to get into. Once you are in, you will never get out of `The Cage'.

Peerless, still in my top 5 after all these years. It has it all, stunning melody, angst, aggression, passion, lyrics, rhythms a plenty, a rawness, a softness, a mysterious unreachable air, Gabriels vocals, Collins unbelievable percussion, Banks, Rutherford and Hackett too boot. This was Genesis at their undoubted peak. There is the storyline too, with its many interpretations. There is hardly a bad track on it. Repeated listening will be rewarded. How I envy those who still have its pleasures to discover for the first time.

The triumphant climax of the Gabriel Era. A concept album which began to sow the seeds for the punk movement. All that was good about Gabriel era Genesis is contained in this album, especially the magnificent side 4 which I wore out with my vinyl copy. The sequence of tracks starting with Colony of the Slippermen through Ravine, Riding the Scree and In The Rapids is the nearest thing to perfection you are likely to get.

It's an album you can become completely immersed in with an urban tale of street punk Rael and his schizophrenic tormented psyche portrayed by 'brother john'. References to Homer's Odyssey intermeshed with popular american culture make this a story which has been deconstructed in many different forms. The beauty is that it probably evokes a different reaction and interpretation by every single person that is lucky enough to experience it's beauty.

The album is a fitting and (probably) carefully planned climax for Gabriel as it contains many segments of a song called 'The Light' which was played live during the Trespass tour. Almost as if they were taking all the great unused ideas from the past and neatly wrapping up that era of the band. The Genesis that evolved after The Lamb were so far detached from this piece of work that a band name change would have been fitting and appropriate.