IT's all over for me.

Under such circumstances as this, I am probably not fully equipped to discuss this exquisite prog-rock commodity since I, myself have only very recently stumbled upon the wondrous songscapes of a genre( I.e Progressive rock, dummies-haha ) that thrived several decades past that I . Nor am I going to discuss the Lamb's multifaceted symbolism, Peter Gabriel's Mad genius or even try to come up with adjectives that can fully describe the experience that this magnificent double album can bring the open minded listener.

In fact I admit that I really don't have much to offer you in this review that hasn't already been discussed in depth, many times over. But I feel that my opinion nonetheless is worth more than my silence, even if I do end up rambling on and am not helpful at all.

I was only born a full decade after this concept album was released and nearly the legal drinking age before I began to take the plunge into this so-called `Gabriel Era' of Genesis. I had always known that it had existed--it was out there somewhere and had quite a loyal following of fans. But what was the use? These same people also usually despised the Phil Collins 80's Genesis that I knew and loved. I grew up on "Land of Confusion" , "Jesus, he knows me" and an endless barrage of Phil Collins solo material. If this alien form of Genesis was so different from what I was so accustomed to then surely it was not for me and that was that. But still, I tended to gravitate towards the longer and more lyrically demented songs such as "Dodo", "Home by the Sea", and "Me and Sarah Jane" and sometimes when reading reviews that mentioned these songs the word `Prog' would pop up and hint at a fabled past that had occurred much earlier in the band`s career.

But it wasn't until a friend of mine( who happened to be quite the prog enthusiast ) convinced me to give the early Genesis a try( "Foxtrot", which was released before the Lamb, in 1972 ) that I began to realize that I had been too hasty in my decision to dismiss this material. Although it took a few listens to adjust to such a rich and unique sound that I had never heard before, one purchase inevitably turned into another( "Selling England by the Pound"--at this point I knew it was over for me, I was hooked ) and now "The Lamb", which is definitely the best so far and is destined to become an alltime favorite in my entire music collection. What I admire so much about Peter is his storytelling ability that lyricly turns almost every song into an epic in and itself, but here he takes this innovative idea yet another step further and builds an idea into a story and a story into an entire concept album, which I am quite certain is no feat for the light hearted since we so very rarely get them and certainly not to the scale of a double album.

It is not merely the twisted brilliance apparent when reading the story of "Rael"( I wont elaborate because I'm sure you must know it by now if you're reading this ) or hearing it interpreted into songs that all fit together but are quite strong even by themselves, or even just how great the songs are to listen to... It's the entire aural experience. You can actually FEEL the music, every sound, every instrument, every change in tempo. Perhaps this is what is supposed to happen but up until now I usually simply listen to music, but not HEAR it the way I do with LAMB and with other early Genesis albums. This is not to say that all other music must then be inferior or to demean other bands in any way, I just think that Peter and the boys probably had this in mind all along, although I must also give so much credit to Phil and Mike, Tony and Steve for absolutely Godlike musicianship both separately and as a whole. LAMB is the type of quality album that will be a classic staple of our rich music culture forever.



What baffles me is why these songs don't get radio play the way many other popular bands( prog rock, or not ) do on classic rock stations today. Surely "The Chamber of 32 Doors", "The lamb lies down on Broadway" and "Lilywhite Lilith" are lively enough to fit in. But for now I guess we should all feel privileged to have discovered this rare gem. I'm glad I gave Peter Gabriel's brainchild a chance and I hope others from the newest generation will too. I don't hate the newer Genesis now, far from it. I don't have to dislike one to enjoy the other. I view them as two separate endevours that went down different musical paths with the same band. I will continue down this enlightening and unlikely journey into the depths of this great genre and hope that if nothing else, this review helped inspire another young Phil Collins afficianado to give THE LAMB a try. There's more beyond your copies of Duke and Abacab. Much, much more.

It's hard to think of a title for this one!

A few things. 1, I thought amongst the best songs on this album were the instrumentals. The instrumental work is just breath-taking on this album. Tony/Mike/Steve came up with some really unusual sounscapes. 'Silent sorrow in empty boats' is one of the best Genesis songs ever and is unfortunately titled because it's quite an uplifting piece. The waiting room is also an awesome song. Then there's songs like 'Riding the scree' and 'The supernatural anaethetist' that have a few lines but are 90% instrumental. They are terrific too. I was surprised that the other Genesis album this would most closely resemble is 'Abacab', seen in songs like 'Back in NYC', the title track and 'Colony of Slippermen'. This is due to the albums electronic, hi-tech sounding production and both albums experimentation with odd synth sounds [taken to a greater extreme here]



Actually, there are only three songs I don't like, and that's amazing given this is a very Avante-garde double album set. I do like the first disc better. Gabriel an co. tended towards slow-build-up ballads a bit too much, in my opinion, and although there are some breath-taking ones, like 'in the rapids', some of them are just a bit too much like previous songs to be all that interesting, like 'Awaken'. But that's very minor, considering the sound-scapes, the sheer originality and the story-line. There are also some good melodies.



Best part of the album? Tracks 6-10 on disc one. Incredible. My favourite track, 'The grand parade of lifeless packaging', should have been a huge hit.

Wow

I own this album on vinyl and have it on tape as well. I just heard a cover of Back in NYC by Jeff Buckley from Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk. It reminded me of how great this album really is. I must own it on CD and so must you. No time for romantic escape...buy it now...