The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall rocks. And quite a bit. And much more than on the Ionian classic, the concept album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which Genesis released in 1974, with Steve Hackett on guitar. For the almost two and a half hour concert recording of Hackett's latest album from the legendary Royal Albert Hall, the former Genesis guitarist has therefore borrowed a number of tracks from the original album and added his own more recent tracks.
What is immediately noticeable is that it is no longer so 70s lyrically delicate. Guitarist and singer Hackett and his backing band go straight for the jugular, if you like. And whoever goes along with them are singer Nad Sylvan, Roger King on keyboards, drummer Craig Blundell, Rob Townsend, who also plays keyboards and bass pedals in addition to saxophone, woodwinds, percussion and vocals, and bassist Jonas Reingold, who also takes care of the twelve-string and Variax guitars as well as additional vocals. The Klangboots also include additional musicians Ray Wilson (vocals), Amanda Lehmann (vocals, guitar), Steve Rothery (guitar) and Steve's younger brother John Hackett (flute).
Together, the ten musicians bring the time-honoured Royal Albert Hall in London to life for almost two and a half hours. And the listening room too, if you dare. The opening People of the Smoke is already a statement: rocky, crisp and robust. This sets the tone, but not as an obligatory behavioural pattern. The equally pleasing alt-rock Every Day is followed by the gentle Hands of the Priestess, for example. And Shadow of the Hierophant, with Amanda Lehmann's vocals, is conceivably lyrical over long passages of its 10:58 minute playing time. And the supporting classics such as Cinema Show could almost have come from the original album if it weren't for the slightly more swinging groove and the somewhat more compelling sound.
The integration of typical instruments from the early days of prog rock is also a success. As the best-known representative of almost extinct sound generators, the Mellotron is allowed to characterise the mood more than once, which, in combination with today's sound finesse and the more modern conception of musical performance, results in a captivating melange.
The very clear stage is pleasing for a live recording. The instruments are easy to locate, the sound is well separated and clearly definable without the live character being lost. It remains gripping, not least because the applause spills out of the loudspeakers and contributes to the genuine live atmosphere.
The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall is without question one of the best live albums and is a successful revival of well-known classics, a kind of egg-laying wool-milk sow among the releases. And as such, it is not only almost 150 minutes of fun, it also belongs in your music collection. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)
Steve Hackett, vocals, guitar
Roger King, keyboards
Nad Sylvan, vocals
Craig Blundell, drums
Rob Townsend, saxophone, woodwind, percussion, vocals, keyboards, bass pedals
Jonas Reingold, bass, variax, twelve string guitar, vocals
Additional musicians:
Amanda Lehmann, vocals, guitar
John Hackett, flute
Steve Rothery, guitar
Ray Wilson, vocals
Photo: Tina Korhonen