15 Brain-Twisting Concept Albums That Are Endlessly Rewarding
7. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Genesis
During Peter Gabriels tenure with Genesis, the band produced some of the most fully-realised conceptual recordings in all of music. Gabriels flexibility as a vocalist and the bands diverse instrumentals allowed several characters to inhabit a single song, enabling rich emotional complexity and compelling storytelling (see the incredible Get Em Out by Friday from their album Foxtrot). But for the most part, songs stood alone and albums lacked an overarching theme. All that changed with The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the last Genesis album to feature Gabriel. Our star is a young man named Rael, who goes through hell on a quest to find his brother John. Gabriel really stepped up the cryptic imagery much of the time, its not terribly clear whats happening to Rael, but Gabriels descriptive lyrics thrust the hellish images into the mind, particularly on songs like In the Cage where Raels desperation is palpable. As the story progresses we realize Raels real mission is to find himself, with John existing only as a metaphor. It can be a tough nut to crack, but fortunately, in addition to writing highly imaginative lyrics, Gabriel and company tell just as impressive a story through melody and their symphonic instrumentation. This most-ambitious of all Genesis releases is not for the faint of heart, but those willing to brave its 90 minutes will find the time well-spent.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
