Steve Hackett Names The Genesis Album He Won’t Play Live

During a recent interview with Rock History Music, former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett was asked about the band’s sixth studio album, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ and he revealed the reason why he wouldn’t prefer playing it live.

Genesis album, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ was released on a double album on November 18, 1974. It is the band’s last album featuring original frontman Peter Gabriel. After finishing their 1973–1974 tour of Europe and North America, they decided to settle in Headley Grange, which is a former poorhouse used as a recording and rehearsal venue by some bands, to produce new material for their next album.

However, at the time, everyone in the band had their own personal problems in their private lives, which made the recording process difficult. Besides that, the band members also started to have creative differences. Peter Gabriel suggested producing a concept album but he insisted on writing all of the lyrics by himself. Since it was not the band’s usual method of songwriting, it caused tension between him and the remaining members. Then, Gabriel left the place at some point and returned occasionally. The rest of the band members developed most of the songs. 

The interviewer asked Steve Hackett about this painful process of making the album. Hackett said it was very difficult for all of them. He understood that Peter Gabriel was under pressure as he had other personal issues to deal with but they eventually managed to come together so the album turned into a double album. For Hackett, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ is a very intense album but he really likes the dramatic effect it has on him. When asked if he would consider doing it live, Steve Hackett replied that he would prefer to leave it to others since it doesn’t have more room for the guitar parts.

Steve Hackett speaking on the making process of the album:

“It turned into a double album. There are those who say it may have been stronger as a single album but then again what would you leave on and what would you leave off. It is what it is and if anyone wants to have their favorites, it’s fine, exquisitely beautiful.

The other aspects to it I think there is a claustrophobic feeling that I get when I listen to it in its entirety but I love the individual parts that go with it and here’s me thinking, of course, densely packed lyrics, beats trying to get the story over, densely packed keyboard parts. The irresistible force meets the immovable object and there’s this huge collision. If the collision was ever used to describe one piece of music, it would be this one. Different schools of thought, individuals pulling in different directions.

When asked about whether he would consider playing it live, Hackett replied:

“I think that I would probably leave it to others to do live. I know that other people have done it live. I took it around the world myself first time out and for me, there are some guitar moments on it which are lovely but I feel in the main, its predecessor and successors had more room for the guitar to move as I say very hard to get a look in through the lyrics and vocals and the keyboards very densely packed. I can’t play a guitar solo over that, just can’t do it.”

You can watch the full interview below.