Published on Nov 23, 1997
If you ever want to start a fistfight with a diehard Genesis
fan, bring up the subject of
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, ask them if they think it’s
a work of genius or the last act of a deranged frontman — and then
defend the opposite stand they have.
You never knew what to expect from this British art-rock band –
lead singer Peter Gabriel was known to take the stage dressed up as
a flower. Often the liner notes to their albums had rambling non
sequitur stories that you probably could understand while on the
influence of drugs. Obviously, this was a much different band than
the ’80s popsters they became.
But in 1974, Gabriel and crew did seem like they went over the
top with
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway – an album that would have
been great if it had been a single release. The first half is
indeed a masterpiece,but the story line… would
someone explain to me what the fuck this story is supposed
to be about?
I swear, I tried extra hard on this one, but I just couldn’t
plow through the liner notes on this one. I think I’d rather read
Charles Dickens — and I
hated
Great Expectations when I was in high school — than try to
re-read the inside album cover again!
Apparently, the story revolves around a character named Rael who
gets sucked into a surreal world of self-discovery. It’s a
difficult story to follow, even with the lyric sheets — and the
lyric sheets add a bizarre aspect to the lyrics. In the title
track, one of the classic performances on the album, Gabriel sings
a line that sounds like something in a foreign language — it
actually is “Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid”. Two words: say
what
?!?
In fact, the first half of the album is some of the most
original music I think that Genesis had ever created. “Cuckoo
Cocoon” is a gentle performance which features our “hero” finding
himself imprisoned. “In The Cage” features some massive time
signature changes and shifts in tempo; just their ability to work
through these flawlessly is a sign of the band’s power. Phil
Collins’ drum work illustrates how good of a drummer he is, and the
guitar/bass work of Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford is the glue
that holds this whole collection together.
The second part of
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway — side two, for us vinyl
junkies — is the part to hang over the mantle. From the surreal
vocal effects on “Back In N.Y.C.” to another gentle vocal
performance on “The Carpet Crawlers” to a country twang on “The
Chamber Of 32 Doors,” this is the side I kept finding myself
drifting to.
Too bad that the second record ruins the whole moment. The
instrumental work on “The Waiting Room” is a little too whacked out
for my tastes, as were the noodlings on “The Supernatural
Anaesthetist.” The story tying the songs together begins to develop
on the final side, as Rael must face the decision of escaping from
the hell he is in or saving his brother John and remaining trapped.
You’ll find out what his decision was on “The Light Dies Down On
Broadway.”
The whole weirdness level had to have gotten to even Gabriel; he
bolted from Genesis in 1975 to start a more toned down solo career.
And somehow, I believe that if the band had dropped the whole
Kafka-meets-Poul Anderson schtick and concentrated on writing a
one-disc pop progressive rock monster, this would have been a much
better album. (In Genesis’s defense, at least most of the music
isn’t over the top, and does lean more towards pop. “Counting Out
Time” could have been a big hit on the radio, and doesn’t get any
airplay these days… pity.)
In one sense, I really think that if someone could figure out
what the hell this story was about, they could turn
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway into a massive hit… yes, on
Broadway. But until that day comes, my advice is to approach this
album with caution.