The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Turns 50 With a New Deluxe Box Set
The original album and the Shrine Auditorium show in L.A. are remastered in pristine glory, but the Dolby Atmos mix is a revelation
The new 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a must-buy for Genesis fans. The 2025 remaster of the original album sounds excellent, and the Dolby Atmos mix—heard as a 5.1 downmix on my system (I haven’t sprung for an Atmos setup yet)—is spectacular, far better than the earlier surround mix by Nick Davis.
The packaging is very nice, befitting the stature of the album in the world of prog, and includes an enjoyable table-top book with lots of information and behind-the-scenes pics at rehearsals, during the recording, and at some of the shows.
And now, some nerdy notes.
The 2025 remaster still differs from the original vinyl mix—Tony Banks’ keyboard intro faded in on the LP, but here it starts cold. Otherwise, The Lamb is presented much as it was first heard, with a stronger bottom end and clearer vocals.
The remaster of the Shrine Auditorium live show still includes a few spots where Peter Gabriel’s vocals were re-recorded for the 1990s Genesis Archive 1967–75 box set, but far fewer than before. In this new remaster, you hear more of Gabriel’s original live vocals—missed lyrics, cracking voice, and all. Steve Hackett’s solos are also untouched this time, preserving the genuine live performance.
I liked Hackett’s re-recorded solos on the Archive set; they showed off his more advanced technique. But they also sounded too modern and broke the illusion of 1974-75. In this edition, his guitar work belongs to its moment, and that feels right.
However, “It,” the closing section of The Lamb, remains a studio re-recording with what still sounds like Gabriel’s 1990s vocals. That’s because the multitrack tape apparently ran out during the song, leaving nothing to remix.
The good news: the complete encores—“Watcher of the Skies” and “The Musical Box”—are included here in fully remastered form.
The download-only Headley Grange rehearsal tracks are interesting only for historical reasons. The deluxe edition stands fine without them if you don’t feel like typing in the URL to get them.