Genesis "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" [1974]

In this reviewer's opinion, it was a very good idea for Peter Gabriel and Genesis, his band of faceless art-wank peons, to combine the pinheadedness of prog rock with elfin Hobbit music -- this makes it much easier to dispose of in a single flush. Gabriel's descent into inscrutable madness is on full display here, all the more pathetic for him to be proudly flaunting his weird derangements -- you'd think somebody with this many mental problems would rather try to downplay what an embarrassing spectacle he's likely to become rather than write and record a double album of material dedicated to it. That his voice sounds like it resides in a decrepit octogenarian only heightens the sensation that you're witnessing something you know you shouldn't, and that it's likely to end gruesomely any second now. And all this before the introduction of those fucked up ELP synth solos -- good god. I mean, I know the 60s were terrible, but at least they didn't allow for impulsive baroque grandstanding by way of the sonic equivalent of marshmallow fluff. And no mistaking it -- every half-baked, dubious twist and key change came from Gabriel himself; it's quite obvious his band lacked enough spine to stand up to this lunatic's skewed visions. If anyone truly wanted to honestly assess "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," they'd do well to rename it something like "Somebody Tell Grandpa to Get Off the Roof Before He Fucking Kills Himself."