GENESIS "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" UK 1st PRESS

	£		169
	$		223

 
GENESIS "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" UK 1st PRESS B&C LABELS & B&C ROBOR GF w/INNERS - SENSATIONAL AUDIO

GENESIS
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

ORIGINAL UK CHARISMA (CGS 101) FIRST PRESSING (November 1974) OF GENESIS' CLASSIC DOUBLE LP SET, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" IN SUPERB CONDITION (record one has seen a few spins but record two is virtually unplayed) DELIVERING PRACTICALLY FLAWLESS AUDIO (ON MY STYTEM - AT A LOUD VOLUME!) WITH A SUPERB CRYSTAL CLEAR, CLEAN, BRIGHT AND POWERFUL SOUND AND A FANTASTIC BASS RESPONSE - GREAT COPY

THE CHARISMA 'MAD HATTER' LABELS CARRY THE FIRST 'MARKETED BY B&C RECORDS' CREDIT ON BOTH RECORDS (this text was later changed to 'MARKETED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PHONOGRAM RECORDS LTD') AND ARE HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE BLACK & WHITE MATT GATEFOLD SLEEVE (“Printed in England by Robor Limited.” and also crediting B&C), COMPLETE WITH THE TWO ORIGINAL LYRIC INNER SLEEVES (numbered CG1 & CG2)
MATRIX NUMBERS:
RECORD ONE: CG 1 A-2U (etched "PORKY + JOHNNIE") / CG 1 B-3U (etched "PECKO")
RECORD TWO: CG 2 A-2U (etched "PECKO") / CG 2 B-2U (etched "PORKY")
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 2/PA, 1/TL (record one) and 3/GGR, 3/GDD (record two)

TECHNICALLY THIS IS THE SECOND PRESSING AS THE FIRST WAS RECALLED DUE TO A PRESSING FAULT (SEE NOTE BELOW)
NOTE: WHEN THIS LP WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN NOVEMBER 1974 IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A PRESSING FAULT WHICH RESULTED IN SKIPPING AT THE BEGINNING OF SIDE TWO (on “Back in the NYC”). THESE COPIES WERE QUICKLY RECALLED (i know this to be the case from personal experience as I had to return several copies to Boots in Manchester (back in the days when they sold records) before, several weeks later, I actually got a copy which did not skip)

Given all the overt literary references of Selling England by the Pound, along with their taste for epic suites such as "Supper's Ready," it was only a matter of time before Genesis attempted a full-fledged concept album, and 1974's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was a massive rock opera: the winding, wielding story of a Puerto Rican hustler name Rael making his way in New York City.
Peter Gabriel made some tentative moves toward developing this story into a movie with William Friedkin but it never took off, perhaps it's just as well; even with the lengthy libretto included with the album, the story never makes sense.
But just because the story is rather impenetrable doesn't mean that the album is as well, because it is a forceful, imaginative piece of work that showcases the original Genesis lineup at a peak.
Even if the story is rather hard to piece together, the album is set up in a remarkable fashion, with the first LP being devoted to pop-oriented rock songs and the second being largely devoted to instrumentals.
This means that The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway contains both Genesis' most immediate music to date and its most elliptical. Depending on a listener's taste, they may gravitate toward the first LP with its tight collection of ten rock songs, or the nightmarish landscapes of the second, where Rael descends into darkness and ultimately redemption (or so it would seem), but there's little question that the first album is far more direct than the second and it contains a number of masterpieces, from the opening fanfare of the title song, to the surging "In the Cage," from the frightening "Back in NYC" to the soothing conclusion "The Carpet Crawlers."
In retrospect, this first LP plays a bit more like the first Gabriel solo album than the final Genesis album, but there's also little question that the band helps form and shape this music (with Brian Eno adding extra colouring on occasion), while Genesis shines as a group shines on the impressionistic second half.
In every way, it's a considerable, lasting achievement and it's little wonder that Peter Gabriel had to leave the band after this record: they had gone as far as they could go together, and could never top this extraordinary album.

SIDE 1: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway / Fly on a Windshield / Broadway Melody of 1974 / Cuckoo Cocoon / In the Cage / The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging
SIDE 2: Back in the NYC / Hairless Heart / Counting Out Time / Carpet Crawl / The Chamber Of 32 Doors
SIDE 3: Lilywhite Lilith / The Waiting Room / Anyway / Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist / The Lamia / Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats
SIDE 4: The Colony of Slippermen / Ravine / The Light Dies Down on Broadway / Riding the Scree / In the Rapids / IT

LABELS: All four labels are clean, bright and unmarked. Record One has has been played more frequently than Record Two and has some spindle traces on both labels. Record two however, has seen little play and has one, or possibly two light spindle traces only
VINYL Visual: Both records retain their original deep, glossy sheen and they are practically unmarked - there are some light sleeve hairlines but these have no audio consequence - two beautiful records
VINYL Audio: The audio delivery on this first pressing is absolutely sensational with a crystal clear, deep, rich, warm and detailed sound. This B&C first pressing was never the cleanest (in fact, in my experience, the later "Phonogram' press generally delivers a much cleaner sound) but this copy is one of the finest first B&C issues I have heard as it plays with practically no surface noise throughout all four sides (which in my experience is pretty exceptional) with the many quieter, gentle sections playing just about as silently as vinyl possibly can. This is a great copy and when play-graded at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my records prior to listing and it's always a real pleasure to return to this one) Record One plays beautifully with just three tiny 'pops' which rise above background level (no other imperfections whatsoever) and is critically graded EXCELLENT++ for audio quality (if not better really, as apart from the aforementioned minor 'pops' it's pretty much flawless). Record Two has seen one or two careful plays only and apart from a couple of very brief patches of interference, a couple of light 'ticks' and one 'pop' which rises above background (which need to be mentioned but are nothing that I found at all intrusive as they are so quickly passed over) it sounds superb with again, no surface noise and nothing else to fault it and is graded as EXCELLENT
This is my extremely critical audio assessment, and in many ways you could say I am too critical as I am sure many sellers would just list this copy as NEAR MINT with no detailed analysis, but that's not the way I operate (as my regular buyers and my feedback testify). Overall, I would say that this is an exceptional first press copy, as it's certainly one of the finest I have heard and it's one I would, without hesitation, very highly recommend
SLEEVE: The matte gatefold cover is crisp, sharp and fresh with very, very little of the grubbiness so often found on this white sleeve and the edges are sharp and crisp with no storage wear to speak of. The thick spine is straight and true with all text clear and bold - Overall, an EXCELLENT+ example of this incredibly easily worn, untreated gatefold
INNERS: The 2 lyric inner sleeves (printed on quite thick card ) are also in EXCELLENT+ condition. Very clean with no wear or creases and no splits to any of the edges (which is rare for these inners). The LPs are now housed - and will be posted in - 2 new inner sleeves to prevent any 'knifing' damage to the originals during transit

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
IN SUMMARY, A SUPERB UK FIRST PRESSING OF GENESIS'S MASTERPIECE WHICH SOUNDS SENSATIONAL - THEY REALLY DON'T COME THAT MUCH BETTER THAN THIS
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS

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POST & PACKING
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REDUCED POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS (EACH ADDITIONAL LP: EUROPE & INTERNATIONAL £2.00)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
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ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT
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 331 (GS 5.4 (331))