The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Seventh album by Genesis, released November 1974. A double concept album, mostly the work of Peter Gabriel. The album's cover was by Hipgnosis (noted for their work with Pink Floyd). The accompanying concert tour was a rock opera extravaganza, featuring elaborate costumes, special effects, and three slide projectors running constantly behind the band; the production was so complex that there were only about half a dozen performances where everything went completely right. The album reached #10 in England, but only reached #41 on the American charts. (The concert tour actually reached America before the album did, leaving audiences very confused.) Following this album, Peter Gabriel left the band to pursue a solo career.

The album contains the following tracks:

Disc 1

1. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway *
2. Fly On A Windshield
3. Broadway Melody of 1974
4. Cuckoo Cocoon
5. In The Cage
6. The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging
7. Back In N.Y.C.
8. Hairless Heart
9. Counting Out Time *
10. The Carpet Crawlers *
11. The Chamber of 32 Doors

Disc 2

1. Lilywhite Lilith
2. The Waiting Room
3. Anyway
4. Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist
5. The Lamia
6. Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats
7. The Colony of Slippermen (The Arrival - A Visit To The Doktor - The Raven)
8. Ravine
9. The Light Dies Down On Broadway
10. Riding The Scree
11. In The Rapids
12. It

* - Indicates tracks released as singles.

Also the first track from Disc 1 of this album, which opens the album's story by introducing Rael, the young Puerto Rican tagger. Released as a single in the United States in November 1974; this single failed to make the charts.

Lyrics by Peter Gabriel; music by Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford.

(The song was to survive as part of Genesis' live set for many years, even playing a part in the "Old Medley" from the We Can't Dance tour. The last couple of lines are apparently lifted from The Drifters' 1963 hit, "On Broadway.")

Sources: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway jacket and insert; chart information from http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1478/genesis.htm; additional information from Chris Welch, The Complete Guide To The Music of Genesis (Omnibus Press, 1995)