Wednesday 1 October 2014

The Lamb Lies down on Broadway (Genesis, 1974)

The title track of the most controversial Genesis album is a real treat, IMHO. I like every second of it: the waving piano intro, the american rock'n'roll theme, the unpredictable tempo change, the NYC inspired lyrics, everything. Peter Gabriel's rough vocals perfectly fit in this frame, adding a pre-punk touch to the big picture, something we also find here and there in the rest of the album. But here the melody is especially strong, a series of crescendos and largos creating a pathos and focusing on the lyrics passage about the lamb.

 This song was also released as a 7" single for the US market.
 
As the white animal is completely out of place in Broadway, there's also something weird in this apparently "normal" song, so that the listener is forewarned: this is not only rock'n'roll. It seems to me that the catchy opening tune slowly slips into a challenging adventure, opening the gates to one of the most surreal and unpredictable prog albums I've ever listened to.

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