Lamb in the Down Right Corner

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released as a double album on 22 November 1974 by Charisma Records. It is the group's final studio recording to feature founding lead vocalist Peter Gabriel, who departed following the conclusion of the album's promotional tour. Conceived as a rock opera, the album follows Rael, a rebellious youth living in New York City, who is drawn into a subterranean underworld. His journey serves as a psychological allegory of self-discovery, wherein he encounters bizarre, symbolic characters and challenges before achieving a spiritual awakening. The album's creation was marked by internal tensions. Gabriel insisted on devising the overarching concept and writing all the lyrics, breaking the band's established collaborative approach. Writing and recording sessions at Headley Grange and Glaspant Manor in Wales were further strained by Gabriel's brief departure to work with filmmaker William Friedkin, and by his frequent travel to be with his wife during a difficult first pregnancy. Consequently, the instrumental backing tracks were largely composed through jam sessions by the remaining members. Musically, the album marked a departure from the pastoral, British-centric mythology of the band's previous work, opting instead for contemporary American imagery, experimental instrumentation, and shorter song structures. This shift was reflected in the stark, black-and-white photographic cover art designed by Hipgnosis. Upon release, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway received mixed reviews from contemporary critics and initially failed to match the commercial sales of its predecessors, peaking at No. 10 in the UK and No. 41 in the US. Its three singles–"Counting Out Time", "The Carpet Crawlers", and the title track–failed to achieve significant chart success. Genesis supported the album with a 102-date tour across North America and Europe between 1974 and 1975, performing the double album in its entirety alongside an elaborate multimedia stage production that featured multi-screen slide projections and Gabriel portraying various characters in different costumes. The album was remastered in 1994, 2008, and most recently in 2025 for its 50th anniversary. In retrospect, the album has received widespread critical acclaim, with commentators frequently ranking it as a definitive work of the progressive rock genre.