Genesis and The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayIn 1974 the British progressive rock group Genesis released their double concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The story was described by Genesis's then front-man Peter Gabriel as a 'moral fable' about Rael, a half-Puerto-Rican New York City street tough who is engulfed by a solid cloud into a series of strange adventures in a metaphysical realm. The album is a surreal allegory drawing its material from religious, literary and psychological themes. More than thirty years after its release, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway still enthralls listeners, earning the distinction of being Genesis's most consistently selling back-catalogue release. Kevin Holm-Hudson analyses The Lamb within the context of Genesis's recorded output, within the progressive rock genre as a whole, and within the context of social and political changes of the mid 1970s. The Lamb marked a conscious shift in their story setting to America, and for the first time the songs were oriented to the present rather than the past or future. Significantly, while 1974 marked the peak of music industry growth and consolidation through corporate mergers, it was also the year in which America was confronted with its limits: through the first of the OPEC energy crises, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the withdrawal from Vietnam, and the effects of runaway inflation. Genesis's native Britain was also to feel the effects of the energy crisis, intensified by a period of economic slowdown that ultimately led to the rise of Thatcherism. The Lamb is set in New York City during this time of uncertainty. Within a few years the economic constraints would affect the industry as a whole and as a result progressive rock would suffer a precipitous drop in industry support. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway thus makes a particularly rich subject for detailed study, providing compelling intersections between the musical, textual and socioeconomic aspects of an album. |
Contents
Situating The Lamb | |
Recording The Lamb | |
The Lamb song by song | |
In the press and on tour | |
Interpreting The Lamb | |
Genesis and Gabriel after | |
The Lamb tour | |
Bibliography Searching printed word | |
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32 Doors American archetype Armando Gallo artists audience Back in N.Y.C. band band’s Banks’s Bardo bass Beatles beginning bootleg recording Bootlegged Bowler and Dray Bright British Broadway Melody Cage Campbell Carpet Crawlers Chamber of 32 Charterhouse chord Colony of Slippermen concept album concert costume Couture Cuckoo Cocoon early El Topo example fans Fielder film Gabriel told Gabriel’s vocals Genesis Genesis’s Grand Parade guitar improvisation John Jung keyboard Lamb Lies Lamb tour Lamia Lifeless Packaging Lilywhite Lilith live performances Macan McMahan Mellotron Melody Maker Melody of 1974 Michael Rutherford Mike Rutherford Moore music industry Musical Box narrative Parade of Lifeless Peter Gabriel Phil Collins Pink Floyd’s Platts play progressive rock Rael Rael’s reference released rock’s Russell Rutherford Selling England solo song song’s songwriting stage Steve Hackett story studio Stump style Supper’s Ready theatrical title track Tony Banks UK Note visual voice Windshield writing York