GENESIS "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" UK 1st PRESS
  £   53
  $   70

 


£ 53 Sold For
Apr 11, 2011 Sold Date
Apr 1, 2011 Start Date
£   22 Start price
7   Number Of Bids
  Great Britain Country Of Seller
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Description


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

B&C LABELS, SOFT MATT GF w/INNERS, SUPERB EX++ SOUND

GENESIS
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

ORIGINAL UK CHARISMA (CGS 101) DEFINITIVE FIRST PRESSING (November 1974) OF GENESIS' CLASSIC DOUBLE LP SET, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" DELIVERING BEAUTIFUL AUDIO THROUGHOUT (ON MY SYSTEM - AT A LOUD VOLUME!) WITH A SUPERB CRYSTAL CLEAR, CLEAN, BRIGHT AND POWERFUL CUT  - GREAT COPY

THE CHARISMA 'SMALL HATTER' (SH2) LABELS CARRY THE FIRST 'MARKETED BY B&C RECORDS' CREDIT ON BOTH RECORDS (the timeline for Charisma label text changes is complicated during this period but goes:
SMALL HATTER 1 (SH1): with 'MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY B&C RECORDS LTD' bottom rim credit - used in 8/74 then SH2 used between 9/74 - 2/75 then SH1 reinstated 2/75 - 7/75
SMALL HATTER 2 (SH2): with 'MARKETED BY B&C RECORDS' bottom rim credit - used for 5 months only between 9/74 - 2/75 (ie for first edition of Lamb Lies Down)

MATRIX NUMBERS:
RECORD ONE: CG 1 A-2U (etched "PORKY + JOHNNIE") / CG 1 B-2U (etched "PECKO")
RECORD TWO: CG 2 A-2U (etched "PECKO") / CG 2 B-2U (etched "PORKY")
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1/RG, 1/AM (record one) and 2/OO, 1/AL (record two)

AND BOTH RECORDS ARE HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE SOFT BACKED BLACK & WHITE MATT GATEFOLD SLEEVE - WHICH AGAIN IS A BIT OF A MINEFIELD IN ASCERTAINING WHICH SLEEVE CAME FIRST BUT I AM PRETTY CONVINCED THAT THE "Printed and made by Bruin BV/Zaandam/Holland" (which this one is) PRECEDES THE “Printed in England by Robor Limited.” COVER - WHICH IS CONFIRMED (in my opinion) BY THE LOW MOTHERS AND STAMPERS ON THIS PRESSING WITH THREE OF THE MOTHERS BEING THE FIRST (1) AND WITH ALL STAMPERS HAVING JUST TWO LETTERS (most copies I have seen with the 'Robor' sleeve have Mothers 2 or 3 with Stampers rising to 3 letters)

AND THE SET COMES COMPLETE WITH THE TWO ORIGINAL LYRIC INNER SLEEVES (numbered CG1 & CG2)

ADDITIONAL NOTE: TECHNICALLY THIS IS THE SECOND PRESSING - 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 - of course I have no idea of the Matrix numbers back then as I didn't know what matrix numbers were!! - but they were probably A-1U - I have never seen another one of these since)

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 more spindle traces but both records have been very carefully handled and have clean playing surfaces (see below) - EXCELLENT+
VINYL Visual: All four surfaces retain their original deep, glossy sheen and are practically unmarked - there are some light sleeve hairlines/brush marks but these have no audio consequence - the playback is superb - EXCELLENT++
NOTE: Both records have a shallow undulation when revolving on the turntable but this had absolutely no effect on the playback or the sound on my system
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 issue was never the cleanest pressing - and, in my opinion, the later "Phonogram' press generally delivers a much cleaner (if somewhat sonically reduced) sound - but this copy is one of the finest first B&C issues I have heard as it plays beautifully (with hardly any surface noise) throughout all four sides (which is pretty exceptional) with the many quieter, gentler sections playing just about as silently as you could wish for. 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) there are no major audio issues at all - no scratches and no loud clicks or pops (just the occasional light, intermittent 'tick' (very minor). Overall, a great copy of this definitive UK first pressing, and in my experience they don't come sounding much better than this - critically graded EXCELLENT+ (Record One) / EXCELLENT+++ (Record Two) for audio
SLEEVE: The first issue soft-backed matt cover is in lovely condition - remarkably clean for this soft, untreated and white gatefold. There is some record impression and some very light marks but overall this is a beautifully clean example with practically no edge or spine wear - with all spine text clear and bold - EXCELLENT (+)
INNERS: The two original lyric inner sleeves (printed on thick card ) have some age-related 'foxing' spots but are otherwise unmarked and there are no splits to any of the edges - EXCELLENT (Both records are now housed in new inner sleeves with NAGAOKA anti-static liners)

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
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
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THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS

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POST & PACKING
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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
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, TWO NEW INNER SLEEVE WITH NAGAOKA ANTI-STATIC LINERS, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
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 420 (GS 6.0.8 (420))


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