Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 8, 2025

Enterprising internet sleuths might have a field day (comedic or otherwise) looking into the history of so-called rock operas, an idiom which most folks would probably say began in earnest with The Who: Tommy , but which at least some nooks and crannies of the world wide web have stuffed with (of course questionable) assertions claiming everyone from Frank Zappa to The Beatles may have beaten The Who to the punch, at least in terms of "concept albums" if not with regard to actual "operatic" formulations. That said, after both Tommy and then Jesus Christ Superstar (the link points to the film since an audio Blu-ray isn't out as of the writing of this review) became hits over the course of the late sixties morphing into the early seventies, suddenly seemingly everyone wanted in on the "rock opera" action. That of course included The Who themselves, who returned in 1973 with Quadrophenia, but there are some who also insist David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars should be included in any "rock opera" list (though others would probably argue this might be more of a "concept album"), which arrived in 1972, the year before Quadrophenia. 1974 had its own rock opera, but in the annals of this particular musical subgenre, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway doesn't seem to be as generally well remembered as some of its "siblings".

While it may be a "which came first" conundrum, one of the reasons The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway may be lesser remembered than many of the above linked efforts is that it didn't produce any huge singles. Tommy of course offered "Pinball Wizard", "I'm Free" and "See Me, Feel Me" to help propel its fame, and the original two LP version of Jesus Christ Superstar had a rather interesting history with its own singles, with "Superstar" actually coming out on 45 before the actual album, and getting middling action, but later being re-released to greater acclaim after the album hit the stratosphere. Also kind of interesting is that once Helen Reddy's cover version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" starting getting airplay, Yvonne Elliman's original version was subsequently released, and in a rather rare incidence of two versions of a song charting at the same time, both Reddy's and Elliman's version were substantial hits. (Elliman also got a little airplay with the flip side, "Everything's Alright".) According to the typically authoritative Joel Whitburn and several online databases, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway had no charting singles (it looks like only "Counting Out Time" was released, to absolutely no chart action globally).

Aside and apart from all of the above, another thing that may have subliminally contributed to the relative lack of response to this particular rock opera is that in at least some significant ways it echoes Tommy in particular, if not in general musical style, then certainly with regard to an insular focal male character experiencing considerable trauma. In that regard, the arresting image seen in the upper right section of screenshot 1 above (the image the Blu-ray disc boots to) could have easily served as a poster for Tommy itself in my considered opinion.

While the album ultimately went gold, it just barely cracked the Top 10 in the UK and only made it to Number 41 in the US, which may indicate a certain undeniable baseline of interest (and sales), but nothing that would scream "blockbuster". This 50th anniversary compendium from Rhino will certainly offer longtime fans and new recruits a chance to reassess the album, and as usual Rhino provides not just a fantastic sounding Atmos mix, but a glut of other CD supplements and packaging extras.

The Blu-ray disc's track list can be seen in screenshots 2 through 9. More information on the disc's authoring is included in the video section, below.

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray disc boots very briefly to the image seen in screenshot 1, but then moves on automatically to the track list seen in the subsequent screenshots. The disc defaults to the Atmos mix, but this is commendably a Rhino release where you can toggle between the codecs with the audio button on your remote, and the song does not start over. Screenshots 9 and 10 show how the font / color change if you scroll through tracks without officially selecting them.

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway features Dolby Atmos and LPCM 2.0 options. The enclosed booklet and/or Rhino's website credit the Atmos mix to Bob Mackenzie, overseen by Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks, at Real World Studios. The studio album stereo mix (96/24) is credited to Miles Showell with assistance from Nick Davis at Abbey Road Studios (some "fine print" on the loose back sheet on the release says Showell's efforts are 2025 remasters). I frankly didn't spend a ton of time with the stereo version, but it offers secure fidelity and some nice two channel separation. The Atmos mix announces its immersive capabilities from the get go, with that kind of toy piano opening encircling the listener in an almost round robin way (i.e., you can hear the sound literally circling around you). There are a ton of standout moments sprinkled throughout the album in terms of really nice separation and discrete channelization. The weird calls ending "In the Cage" emanate from the rear speakers, and conversely some of the spacy synth noises in "The Waiting Room" waft in from the front and Atmos speakers. Quite often vocals tend to be splayed evenly between the front and rear channels. There's some peculiar if slight distortion in "The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging" from some of the vocals emanating from the right side.

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

I joked in our recent Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray review of another Rhino outing that one of the salient questions collectors will need to address is whether they have appropriate shelf space for these so-called "Super Deluxe" editions. This is another extravagantly packaged release from Rhino, with an outer slipbox measuring approximately 10" wide by 10 1/4" high by 3/4" deep. The slipbox encloses two gatefolds, the first of which holds the four CDs (see below for contents), and the second of which holds the Blu-ray disc, along with a folded poster reproducing an archival album announcement, a reproduction of the original program accompanying the tour performances, and a kind of cool little reproduction ticket stub that has a download code on the back allowing access to three Headley Grange demo recordings. Also enclosed is a fantastic 60 page softcover book that has a ton of photos and other memorabilia, along with a detailed history of the project by Alexis Petridis. Lyrics and production credits are also included.

The CD contents are as follows:

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Remastered 2024 (from the original 1974 tapes)

CD 1

1. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
2. Fly On A Windshield
3. Broadway Melody of 1974
4. Cuckoo Cocoon
5. In the Cage
6. The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging
7. Back In N.Y.C.
8. Hairless Heart
9. Counting Out Time
10. The Carpet Crawlers
11. The Chamber Of 32 Doors

CD 2

1. Lilywhite Lilith
2. The Waiting Room
3. Anyway
4. Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist
5. The Lamia
6. Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats
7. The Colony Of Slippermen (The Arrival · A Visit To The Doktor · Raven)
8. Ravine
9. The Light Dies down On Broadway
10. Riding The Scree
11. In the Rapids
12. It

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway – Live from the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA (January 24, 1975)
Remastered 2024

CD 3

1. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
2. Fly On A Windshield
3. Broadway Melody of 1974
4. Cuckoo Cocoon
5. In the Cage
6. The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging
7. Back In N.Y.C.
8. Hairless Heart
9. Counting Out Time
10. Carpet Crawlers
11. The Chamber Of 32 Doors

CD 4

1. Lilywhite Lilith
2. The Waiting Room
3. Anyway
4. Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist
5. The Lamia
6. Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats
7. The Colony Of Slippermen (The Arrival · A Visit To The Doktor · Raven)
8. Ravine
9. The Light Dies down On Broadway
10. Riding The Scree
11. In the Rapids
12. It

Encore


13. Watcher Of The Skies
14. The Musical Box

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway may be a bit more of a historical curio than anything, but it has some gorgeously layered production finesse that really gets a chance to shine in the fantastic sounding Atmos version on the Blu-ray disc. As usual, Rhino has assembled an absolutely gobsmacking array of extra material on both CD and the non disc swag. Highly recommended.