Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (5xLP+Blue Ray, 50th Anniversary, Super Deluxe Edition)

When Genesis began work on their fifth album "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" in 1974, the group was on the verge of upheaval. The record caused a dispute among the musicians and two camps formed - until singer Peter Gabriel finally quit.

The story begins in May 1974, when Genesis have just returned from the tour for their fourth studio album Selling England By The Pound (1973), the group's most successful record to date. Immediately afterwards, they book a former poorhouse in Headley, England, to start work on the next record straight away. What they found there caused the musicians' spirits to plummet even before the starting shot was fired. The band, who had previously booked the building, left their successors not only a lot of rats, but also excrement. Frontman Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist Mike Rutherford, guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins are "not amused".

But it's not just the external circumstances that cause tensions. There was also a crisis within the band. In an interview, Hackett stated: "Each of us had our own plans. Some were married, some had children, others were getting divorced. Nevertheless, we tried to get together."

Right at the beginning of the creative process, Genesis decided that The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway would be a double album, but the story had yet to be written. Rutherford suggested an idea based on The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but Gabriel vetoed it. The reason: the concept is too "cute". Instead, he presents his colleagues with his own idea, which he is ultimately able to convince them of. So the album now tells the story of Rael, a New York teenager of Puerto Rican descent who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and experiences exciting things.

The creative approach works, but also causes controversy. Gabriel wants to write all the lyrics single-handedly. Up to that point, however, all Genesis musicians had always been involved. His colleagues, on the other hand, are supposed to contribute the appropriate music, which means that Gabriel often sits alone in a room and writes verses while the other four Genesis members compose together.

Further difficulties arose when Gabriel left Genesis during the songwriting and recording sessions to work on a joint project with film director William Friedkin. To make matters worse, the singer has to travel to London in July because his wife Jill is facing a difficult birth. His colleagues have no sympathy for this and the mutual estrangement gets out of hand. In a later interview, Rutherford admits that the band did not support Gabriel enough at the time.

After its release on November 18, 1974, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway initially received mixed reviews, but is now one of the most important reference works in seventies prog and in Genesis' early catalog. Two singles are released in Europe, namely The Carpet Crawlers and Counting Out Time; Lamb reaches number ten in the British charts and 41 in the USA. By then, personal relationships within the team are no longer in good shape. Peter Gabriel remained on board for the tour accompanying the album, but left on May 22, 1975.

Reviews

"It's stunningly polished new take on their heavy concept album." – Mojo

"Quite a lavish package. It includes some very rough demos from Headley Grange. .... Both the high-water mark of the prog concept album, and the most potent example of the genre's glorious, boundless absurdity." – Uncut

"While it might be pushing it some to claim it, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is a 'weirdly prescient precursor of punk', as Alexis Petridis suggests in the sleevenotes to this reissue. And there is no doubt as to its influence or longevity." – Classic Rock Magazine

"The remastering work across the whole album is more subtle than might have been feared in that it does not draw attention to itself, but simply and effectively brings out more clearly than before the (positive) group dynamics and the sonic range. .... The three records are in an attractive tri-fold sleeve, though it would have been good, for such a lavish and correspondingly expensive product, to have the paper inner sleeves for both the studio album and the live one poly-lined." – The Line of Best Fit

"Of wider interest will be the small handful of demos (although they're hardly revelatory) and a full live show from the subsequent tour. It's here the songs seem less confined, more direct and powerful. .... Lamb... remains an album that relishes its ability to surprise." – Record Collector