The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

I remember vividly going to a Sound Warehouse music store in the summer of 1987 and blindly purchasing the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway on a double cassette.

It was originally released in 1974, so I was about 13 years late to the party.  I had been a huge Genesis fan since the self-titled Genesis album came out back in 1983 and had pretty much spent my junior high through high school listening to the Phil Collins era of the band. 

Better late than never.

I had heard that it was a very weird album and unlike any other Genesis album before or after.  This peaked my interest.  When I opened up the case, the liner notes were blank.  Nothing to read. Talk about a complete mystery in listening.

So, I began to listen with a completely open mind. And of course, look at the few photographs that made up the album artwork by the late great Storm Thorgerson, legendary album cover artist and creative visionary.

My first impression was: “What’s up with Phil Collin’s voice?  It sounds different.  Oh well.  I didn’t know about Peter Gabriel yet.  I liked the album overall with the opening track “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, “The Carpet Crawlers”, “The Waiting Room” and “Riding The Scree” among my favorites.

I ended up putting the album in a drawer and went off to college.  About a year later, I had my first psychedelic  and everything changed.

I found the double cassette in that drawer and proceeded to listen to it again, now knowing about Peter Gabriel and his contribution to Genesis as an artist on many fronts.

I loved everything about this album: the drums, keyboards, synthesizers, vocals and overall surrealness vibe that literally created a different place to immerse yourself in.

It made sense to my ears and mind now.  I truly got what they were trying to do.  In fact, it even felt like a musical acid trip to me now.  Not too many albums an pull this off on this level but when they do, it’s glorious!

Tony Banks keyboards are part of my musical DNA and show up here and there in my playing.  Phil Collins drumming is also in my musical sensibilities.  I know I will never play as well as him, but he is such an inspiration to me and has been most of my life, especially with Genesis and even more so with Brand X, his crazy jazz fusion musical entourage.

“The Lamb” is a one of a kind progressive rock concept album that seems to create a life of it’s own within the imagination of the listener.

In 2024, it will hit the 50th anniversary mark.  PHISH guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman have said that this is one of their favorite albums of all time.

At one point in 2013, they were in talks with Peter Gabriel to perform this as a Halloween album but the talks seem to fizzle out after a period of time.

They said the only way they would perform the album was only if Peter would sing.

Being a HUGE Phsih fan for almost 30 years now, this would have been a dream come true for me and them.

Two of my favorite performers belting out The Lamb LIVE!

But alas, please do yourself a favor and check it out with headphones and see where the musical landscapes take you.