On Friday 19 September, London played host to a rare Genesis reunion when Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford gathered at the Dolby Screening Rooms for an exclusive Dolby ATMOS playback of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. The four original members (with Phil Collins absent due to health reasons) reflected on the band’s most ambitious work, which marks its 50th anniversary this year.
The playback comes ahead of the release of the Super Deluxe Edition of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, arriving 12 September 2025. It is a lavish box set in multiple formats – 5LP + Blu-ray Audio, 4CD + Blu-ray Audio and digital editions – featuring a remaster of the original album, ATMOS mixes supervised by Gabriel and Banks, rare demos from Headley Grange and, for the first time, the complete live recording of the January 1975 Shrine Auditorium performance.
The event also featured a Q&A session hosted by Alexis Petridis, who wrote the liner notes for the reissue. Petridis guided the four through memories of the turbulent recording sessions, life on the road, and the creative friction that ultimately ended Genesis’ first era with Peter Gabriel.
Steve Hackett admitted, “The Lamb sounds a little sweeter with the passing of time. When you’re in the thick of it, it wasn’t the easiest of Genesis albums to make, but I think it sounds pretty damn wonderful.”
Tony Banks reflected on its scale, saying, “I think we felt that we went as far as we could with The Lamb – some people might say we went too far! …I love The Lamb. It would have made a fantastic single-album, but no one would agree on the tracks!”
Peter Gabriel recalled the perfectionism that fuelled both brilliance and division. “We were obsessing about every little detail – and often not getting it to where we wanted. But the imperfections that irritated you hugely at the time, sometimes I think they give it a bit of charm.”
Mike Rutherford, meanwhile, acknowledged the record’s pivotal role in closing one chapter and opening another: “Was The Lamb the culmination of everything in Genesis? I don’t know. It was the end of a certain moment, which is fine.”
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- Genesis ,The Lamb lies down on Broadway anniverary with Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford.
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- Genesis ,The Lamb lies down on Broadway anniverary with Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, and Mike Rutherford.
Released 22 November 1974, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway was the final Genesis studio album with Gabriel before Phil Collins stepped forward as lead vocalist. A sprawling double concept album, it told the surreal story of Rael, a Puerto Rican youth on a journey of self-discovery. Gabriel wrote the lyrics alone while the rest of the band crafted the music – a departure from their usual collaborative approach, and a decision that created tensions that never healed.
Commercially, it was not the immediate triumph Genesis hoped for. While it reached no.10 in the UK, it fell short compared to its predecessors and successors, Selling England By The Pound (no.3) and A Trick of the Tail (no.3), the latter being the first Genesis record with Collins as frontman. In the US it peaked at no.41, while in Australia it reached no.80 after finding an audience on Sydney’s fledgling Double J radio station.
Despite a muted reception, the album grew into a cornerstone of the Genesis story. Its best-known song, Carpet Crawlers, became a live staple and a fan favourite. Over time, The Lamb was reassessed as one of the boldest rock operas of its era – a creative gamble that set the stage for both Gabriel’s solo career and Genesis’ second act.
The Anniversary Box
The 50th anniversary edition is designed to be the definitive word on The Lamb. It includes:
– Remastered Original Album from the 1974 analogue tapes by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios
– Dolby ATMOS Mix by Bob Mackenzie at Real World Studios, overseen by Gabriel and Banks
– Live at The Shrine Auditorium, 1975, with encore tracks Watcher of the Skies and The Musical Box, finally released in full
– Headley Grange Demos (three tracks, digital download)
– 5LP & 4CD sets, vinyl cut by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios
– 60-page coffee table book with new interviews, rare photos, and memorabilia reproductions
The new edition also acknowledges the lasting impact of Genesis’ live shows. The original Lamb tour featured 102 performances across America and Europe, with the album played in its entirety – a theatrical marathon that cemented Genesis’ reputation as one of the most ambitious live acts of the 1970s.
The reunion in London was a poignant moment. Genesis had officially played their final show in 2022 at London’s O2, with Collins, Banks and Rutherford on stage. Rutherford later described the night as “bizarre and emotional”, particularly when he saw the setlist winding down. Seeing Gabriel and Hackett once again alongside Banks and Rutherford for The Lamb’s 50th brought a sense of closure, not only for the band but also for fans who have lived with the record for half a century.
For a work that divided its creators, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway has stood the test of time, an audacious, flawed, magnificent piece of art that could only have come from Genesis.
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