Genesis: Lamb Like a Polished Diamond- A Lamb Review
Genesis: Lamb Like a Polished Diamond
From Sounds, November 23, 1974.
by Barbara Charone.
GENESIS: "THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY" (CHARISMA CGS 101)
"PETER GABRIEL likes a bit of rhyme, Phil Collins insists on keeping perfect
time, Mike Rutherford likes his romance pure, Steve Hackett gracefully wends
his guitar around the musical foundation while Tony Banks stubbornly prefers
music to World War III mellotron soundtracks. Add them all together and it
spells Genesis. Combine the musical proficiency of "Selling England By The
Pound" with the grandiose illusions of "Foxtrot", and that spells "The Lamb
Lies Down On Broadway", the Genesis vinyl story-book.
It's the perfect musical scenario for growing up, gazing dreamily out of the window, or banging your head against the wall in bursts of adolescent frustation. Instructions for listening to attain maximum enjoyment: PLAY IT LOUD, push preconceived ideas about either double albums or Genesis out of your nasty little brain, do not get lost trying to follow Rael through his various adventures and misadventures, rather allow the story to slowly creep up on you as the music defines the mood, give the bloody thing a good five listenings straight through before you pass go. Collect 200 dollars and go round the board again. That's right dollars, not pounds, for this very British band has thrown themselves smack dab into the middle of Times Square and the seedy New York City sights that surround it for the latest LP. The right Americana references are all there including Winston cigarettes, Groucho Marx, one-of-the-crowd identity, not to mention blue suede shoes.
Yup, you guessed it, this LP rocks! What a refreshing change it is to follow a band through an actual artistic, musical progression instead of one album cleverly disguised as the other. Genesis take two steps forward every time they enter a studio but this double album is a culmination of past elements injected with present abilities and future directions. Why, you may rightfully wonder, is this album so good? The answers are almost too numerous to mention but we'll offer a brief summary for the dubious. The band have never been recorded so majestically or made such good use of vocal distortions and keyboard electronics: Eno came down to help young master Gabriel with a few tricky vocal effects in and out the resultant product adds greatly to the fantasy. Always a player who exercises taste and restraint, Banks plays supple piano but what's most impressive is his advanced use of synthesisers and mellotrons. Like Steve Hackett, Banks doesn't feel possessed to solo all night long, instead incorporating his playing into the band's sound. Hackett becomes a more dominant member of the group on each recording, his frenetic, choppy style coupled against his ability to melodically stetch out is suberb. While Collins, undoubtedly one of rock's best drummers, proves he's an equally fine high harmony singer. Gabriel's voice has also never sounded better. Which leaves Rutherford to fill in all the holes with thick, foreboding bass chords and gentle acoustics. There are more high moments on this record than any previous Genesis LP while the songs themselves are more melodic, more tuneful, and better constructed.
The album flows beautifully except for a few awkward instrumental moments on side 3. Outstanding tracks include "Cuckoo Cocoon", "In The Cage", "The GrandParade Of Lifeless Packaging", "Back In NYC" and "Lillywhite Lilith". Stop bitching about the demise of rock and roll and the dire lack of anything new. "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" sticks out of the present vinyl rubble like a polished diamond. Oh yeah - it's good value for money too."
