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Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (50th Anniversary Boxset)
After some delay, the two box sets commemorating the 50th anniversary of Genesis’ album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway are finally out!
For about 10 years, there have been rumours of a possible box set to mark the anniversary of the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which was first released on 22 November 1974. At the latest since a mention in Record Collector in the summer of 2024, it was clear that these rumours had taken shape. There was some surprise that no immediate official announcement followed.
It became official on 20 November 2024. However, the release was postponed twice. The box set was originally scheduled for 28 March before being postponed to 13 June. But that didn’t happen either, and now the box set has finally been confirmed for 26 September 2025. Reason for this was the Atmos mix, which was finally finished this summer.
Content
The album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is of course included – remastered from the original tapes from 1974 (on 2LP or 2CD). So it’s the original mix, remastered in 2024 by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios!
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Live At The Shrine Auditorium: the complete live show from 24 January 1975, including the two encores Watcher of the Skies and The Musical Box (on 3 LPs or 2 CDs). The recordings of the show were already used for the Archive 1967-1975 box set. However, several overdubs were recorded for this purpose (mainly vocals but also some guitars). Some vocals were not audible in places on the recording. The last song on the album (it) was actually a kind of new studio version, as there was no live recording of it. Now, additional recordings of the encores from the show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles have been found. This recording contains the encores.
In summary: The Shrine concert is a remaster based on the release in the first Archive Box Set. The encores Watcher Of The Skies and The Musical Box have not been reworked. Despite some info that circulated earlier, it is not a new live version, but the same version as on Archive.
A small selection of demos
There are only selected (three) demos and outtakes from the legendary Headley Grange sessions. And these are not part of the set, but are on a digital download card. This also includes a download link for all other audio material in the set (high-resolution quality).
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway / Fly On A Windshield (take 1)
The Chamber of 32 Doors / The Lamia (takes 1-2)
In The Cage (strange vocals) take 1
The Blu-ray
This is a Blu-ray Audio disc. It contains only the studio album in high-resolution stereo and a newly created Dolby ATMOS mix by Bob Mackenzie. The new mix was created at Real World Studios and approved by Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks.
As this is a Blu-ray Audio disc, it does not contain any video material.
The book
Originally, a hardcover book was planned. However, the 60-page book will have a softcover. The book comes in LP format and contains liner notes by Alexis Petridis. He recounts the story of The Lamb from the writing sessions to the live performances. There are also comments from the band members. The book also includes pictures by Armando Gallo and other well-known photographers and memorabilia.
Replica
Gimmicks are a must in box sets like this. Unlike Pink Floyd, however, these are included in manageable quantities. We get a reprint of the tour programme, plus a ticket and the poster for the show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The replica ticket is also the place where you find the download code!
Feel of the set and overall impression
Details will be added as soon as we have the set.
Comparison with other versions of the album
Details will be added as soon as we have the set.
The new Dolby ATMOS Mix
Details will be added as soon as we have the set.
All in all
will be added as soon as we have the set
Order options
There are two physical formats. A vinyl box set (5LP/Blu-ray) and a CD box set (4CD/Blu-ray) – see above.
5LP/Blu-ray Boxset: AmazonUK | Amazon (FR) | Burningshed
4CD/Blu-ray Boxset: AmazonUK | Amazon (FR) | Burningshed
Digital Album: AmazonUK | AmazonFR | AmazonDE
* These links are affiliate links. By using these links, we receive advertising reimbursement, which is used to finance our website.
Peter Gabriel said when the set was announced:
“Perhaps it makes sense that an album as complex as The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway has an equally complex history. The saga of its making is a strange and lengthy one, involving rat-infested country houses, uncanny presentiments of the future – or at least the future of rock music – Hollywood directors, personality clashes and inflatable penises. It’s also occasionally controversial: Talking to the former members of Genesis about The Lamb…nearly half a century on, it’s hard not to be struck by the fact that they seldom agree about it. Some members of the band have said they think it’s the best album of their career. Others think of it as a brave but flawed experiment.
Some people view it as the absolute apotheosis of early-’70s progressive rock: a double concept album filled with dense, intricate, ever-shifting music, featuring a plot so knotty and strange even some members of the band didn’t understand it (“Ask Peter – I’m just the drummer,” shrugged Phil Collins when a journalist quizzed him about it shortly after release) and subject to one of the most famously theatrical live presentations in rock history. Some people think it presages the arrival of punk rock. In fact, there’s every chance that The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is all those things—flawed experiment, career highlight, prog masterpiece, weirdly prescient precursor of punk—at once, which might account for its longevity.”
Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel after overseeing the Dolby ATMOS Mix:
Peter Gabriel:
It was an interesting experience to be back again inside the world we built 50 years ago for The Lamb…Bob (Mackenzie) did a brilliant job bringing it into Atmos and it was good to be back in the mixing chairs with Tony. It brought back many good memories of being in a band. We were still wearing our ‘More Me’ T-shirts. However, we have both matured enough to (very) occasionally ask for ‘Less Me’. Would never have happened 50 years ago
Tony Banks:
Great to have a chance to work with my old friend on something from our youth, and relive some of the moments we had when recording these pieces. Still sound fresh to me!