GENESIS: - (1974) - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - best songs?

Genesis Album Poll: “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974)

The answer to @Mirror Image was that Lamb is clearly one of their best works and essential listening for Genesis fans.

I need to learn about this album more and gain some appreciation. It is true to say that despite my adoration for Trespass has not meant that I explored this period of the band and explains why I am hardly erudite when it comes to Selling England By The Pound, Foxtrot and Nuresey Cryme - no wonder that I don't understand their popularity then,

In this song poll, you can check off any of the tracks and I will today be playing each song in turn. Yesterday may have been Genesis day - in reality this might be Genesis week!

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Released 18 November 1974
Recorded August–October 1974
Studio Glaspant Manor with Island Studiosmobile equipment
(Carmarthenshire, Wales)
Genre

• Progressive rock
• art rock

Length 94:22

Label Charisma

Producer

• John Burns
• Genesis

 

So the best place to start is with the curtain raiser!

 

I picked - in order from favourite to least favourite - “In The Cage”, “Fly On The Windshield/Broadway Melody” (really the same song in my mind), “The Chamber of 32 Doors” and “The Lamia”. Doing the poll brought home to me how comparatively weak the second disc is, although I like it well enough overall.

 

Oh, come on, what's the point? The Colony of Slippermen, of course. Obviously.

I kid but it's definitely my favorite from The Lamb although, luckily for Genesis, the entire album pleases me greatly.

 

Hairless Heart - It sounds like all about the symphonic Hackett!
Carpet Crawlers - it's melancholy is really catchy.
Riding The Scree - it's beautiful symphonic main verse stands out the most.

But this Hackett's own version of Hairless Heart is far more beautiful in my book, his brother's flute lines are a must!

 

So tracks 2 and 3 must interlock - loving the guitars on the way into Fly On A Windshield I have to say!

Rousing chorus-line too - I will note my faves as I venture through and at the end I will know what to vote for!

 

Too many to list, and quite a few from the often maligned second half. Absolute highlights for me are Anyway, Lilywhite Lilith, Grand Parade, Hairless Heart, In The Cage, The Lamia, Broadway Melody of 74, and Riding the Scree. Among others.

 

Love the dreamy ethereal guitars in this and PG's tones - will be voting for this one for sure!

 

Fly on a Windshield
Carpet Crawlers
Back in NYC
Lilywhite Lilith
it

 

Not really taken with this one though with Genesis albums you don't skip anything!

Stalagmites and stalactites are mentioned - I learned early on how to tell the difference as tites come down.

I wonder what the origins are - "Stalag" is Germanic I think?

 

Er... just no!

 

I voted for about half of them.
Too many to bother listing, but for me the two that stand out are Carpet Crawlers and The Lamia. However it is not an album where I would ever listen to any songs without listening to the whole thing.

 

YES! Grand Parade is one of my favorite songs in the album.

 

Oh my. You aren't actually listening to these as separate tracks on YouTube are you? I mean, if that's the only way you can do it, I guess you have no choice. But this is a concept album, not merely a collection of songs. And yes, they all flow in and out of each other.

 

Yes. I don't have it to play in my collection but there's probably the full album on Youtube. I am listening to each individually so I can know what to vote for when finished... whenever that is.

 

Back in N.Y.C. rules over all.

 

... and that's the one I've just listened to...



Decent enough effort, not really for me though so no-vote

 

Heh. I voted for every track but five.

 

Like them all, so checked them all!

 

So far I can give the nod to two from the first seven - Hairless Heart up next - I may end up voting for five - seriously though for me who hasn't really listened to Lamb before it's essential that I do.



Nice - I can live with this one alright.

 

Actually the middle part of Disc 1 is where I think the quality dips a little, and then it basically picks up again from there.

 

I think there are limitations to this kind of poll.
I suppose Carpet Crawlers ended up first because a lot of people only knew that song. (?) (It was in many compilations, Phil sang it live too, etc....)

It's a very good song, but when you look at all the songs on the album it's far from being the best one of the lot. (well, to me anyway).
To reach a decent vote result, people should refrain from voting unless they know all the songs on the album. Don't you think ?

Well...
I voted The lamia, Anyway, the title track and Broadway melody of 1974 (because Peter shines on it ). And of course, n The cage !

 

The Lamia is definitly my favorite song from the album but I love the whole thing. Side 2 is probably the strongest side but hard to argue how amazing side 1 is. I understand how some think that sides 3 and 4 drag a bit but i think some of the albums best moments are there. I also think it. is a great closer.

 

If that's the case, I honestly think you're wasting your time and should give up now.

For me, The Lamb is one of the great albums by anyone: should be heard as a whole...one side at a time.

But it's obviously not hitting the spot with you. Move on. I say.

 

Back In New York City!

An absolute highlight of the live show.