Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
To reach such an immense, magnificent, anniversary as a golden celebration, one steeped in memory that has a collective following almost chomping at the bit, awaiting it seems interminably for any sign of life from the artist that might sweep the multitude off their feet as the salute to the past is garnered with extra meaning, satisfaction, almost carnival like appreciation for memorial of how dear the memory remains.
With Genesis putting back their own tribute to the classic The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album twice, it falls, as it often does, to the man, to the musician who has kept the older material from the band living and breathing, preforming a sizeable array of songs from the albums Foxtrot through to Wind and Wuthering along the way; it is no wonder that the dynamic and huge release that encompasses The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall is as incredible, as infinite as it is, and one truly for the fans and devotees alike.
Embracing a range of tracks from his abundant solo career, a selection of cuts from his time as Genesis guitarist, and a fantastic showcase of high intensity songs from the ‘Lamb’ album, Steve Hackett has produced a double album worthy in every way of the original, and of his own long-standing time at the helm of British guitarists.
It was always a dream of the artist that he should perform at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, and with the ever-dedicated support of Nad Sylvan on vocals, Roger King, Rob Townend, Jonas Reingold, Craig Blundell, the sublime Amanda Lehmann, John Hackett, and special guests Ray Wilson and Steve Rothery, that dream, that vision is breathtakingly, impressively, realised.
Across tracks such as The Devil’s Cathedral, Hands Of The Priestess, the fantastic Camino Royale, the classic Shadow Of The Hierophant, Hands Of The Priestess, The Cinema Show, the relaxed beauty of Firth Of Fifth, and then the dramatic upsurge of arguably one of the greatest concepts of all time as the scene shifts to 1970s New York in Fly On A Windshield, Broadway Melody of 1974, Carpet Crawlers, Lilywhite Lilith, and The Lamia, what is shown, what is openly displayed is just how much Steve Hackett has kept that large portion of Genesis work in the public eye and is willing to share the limelight with his own prodigious and solo seismic offerings.
The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall is excellence, it is the moment where the 50th anniversary of a classic album meets modern day expectations; and one that the Lamb’s heartbeat is felt across time.
Ian D. Hall