THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY

One of the best prog albums ever! A different, new sound for the Gabriel-era Genesis, and an astounding and mind-bending concept album. The only real comparisons as concept albums are Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and, to a lesser extent, the Who's "Tommy." Simply put: brilliant (and I don't hand out 5 stars lightly).

The true tragedy is that gabriel left after this, and we will never know what other astounding prog rock they may have made. Gabriel went in a very different direction in his solo career, and Genesis put out two more good, but not great, prog rock albums before transforming to a pop band. in other words, it was all downhill from here.

Only one weak point, in my mind. Too bad the album ends with the weakest track. "It" just isn't that great a song, either lyrically or musically, so one of the best albums ever made ends with a wimper rather than a bang. Truly too bad. But does real perfection exist? I doubt it.

Other than that, the album features truly masterful musicianship and real innovation at each position. Every member of Genesis shines on this album, but in true Genesis fashion they manage to wed them into a seamless, coherent whole, rather than succumbing to the dangers of virtuoso solo wankery, which so many other pro rock bands fell into (most guilty: Steve Howe in the post- CTTE era). This is true teamwork, rarely matched in any branch of rock music.

What's not to love?