The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (sometimes called simply The Lamb) is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British progressive rock band Genesis. It was their sixth studio album and the last album by the group to feature the involvement of lead singer Peter Gabriel

The album tells the surreal story of a half-Puerto Rican juvenile delinquent named Rael living in New York City, who is swept underground to face bizarre creatures and nightmarish dangers in order to rescue his brother John. Several of the story’s occurrences and places were derived from Peter Gabriel’s dreams, and the protagonist’s name is a play on his surname. It should be noted that in an interview Phil Collins remarked, “It’s about a “split personality”. In this context, Rael would believe he is looking for John but is actually looking for a missing part of himself. The individual songs also make satirical allusions to everything from mythology to the sexual revolution to advertising and consumerism. The title track, as well as The Carpet Crawlers and In The Cage, are live favourites for the band and both have been included in 2007’s Turn it on Again tour, with The Carpet Crawlers played as the closing number.

Most of the music on the album was written by band members Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford, without Peter Gabriel’s participation and with little participation from Steve Hackett as well.