OK, a bit of a cheat here. This one wasn't on the list to be done, but I wanted an album that lasted for more than an hour to listen to on my bike ride this morning, so put this on, and I'm listening to the last quarter as I write.
At the time, this wasn't one of my Genesis favorites, but I've had nearly half a century to ponder on this. As a teen, I preferred Foxtrot, and enjoyed Trick of The Tail more, and my theory that Genesis became unlistenable after the departure of Hackett, rather than Gabriel has already been mooted, but this last Genesis album with Peter Gabriel has, I think, held up better than most.
It's allegedly a concept album, although that concept seems to be a Gabriel short story, much of which I suspect was back-constructed to go alongside the songs as presented. But there are some great songs. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway kicks the album off, and the first quarter continues strongly with Broadway Melody of 1974 and Fly On a Windshield. Perhaps there's a dip in the middle, although Back In NYC and Carpet Crawlers are good songs, and Counting Out Time appealed to a teenage me (but sounds a bit trite, and feels like it's an old song Gabriel was desperate to use and shoehorned in). But it's still a good listen and ends well with Light Dies Down On Broadway, reprising the original theme, and the rocking It.
4* - this is still a great album, with its weaker moments, but a fine listen
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