By Nick Tate
Steve Hackett’s latest album, “The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall,” marks the end of an era, of sorts, for the legendary ex-Genesis guitarist and prog entrepreneur. Just as the 1974 release of “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” signaled the end of Genesis Mach I — with Peter Gabriel departing the band afterward — Hackett’s new live recording of highlights from “The Lamb” completes his set of Genesis Revisited releases, showcasing the seven albums he recorded with Genesis from 1971 to 1977.
Since his first Genesis Revisited studio album, released in 1996, Hackett has performed and recorded a series of live shows featuring classic tracks from the legendary band’s 1970s heyday. Tapping a band of talented musicians, Hackett has reprised and updated nearly all of the band’s works from that era, reproducing in their entirety such albums as “Foxtrot,” “Selling England by the Pound,” “Wind and Wuthering” and “Seconds Out” (his last with Genesis).
Until now, Hackett has not delivered “The Lamb” live, performing only a few tracks from the album that many fans and critics regard as the finest studio effort of Gabriel-era Genesis. That’s why this release is so special. It features nine tracks from “The Lamb,” alongside other Genesis fan favorites and Hackett’s own solo material. Hackett’s exacting attention to detail, his supporting players’ extraordinary contributions and performances from a handful of guest artists make “The Lamb Stands Up” a standout in the Genesis Revisited series — a crowning achievement that caps the two-decade-long project.
There’s little point in analyzing what made “The Lamb” such a high-water mark for the band and progressive rock in general. Fans already know every line, note and nuance of the original 23 tracks on the album, which chronicles the surrealistic adventures of a Puerto Rican street punk (Rael) as he navigates the seedy underbelly of New York City. But a few highlights make “The Lamb Stands Up” — recorded live at the iconic London concert venue in October 2024 — a must-have collectible for Genesis fans, including a handful of savory surprises that give the material a sparkling new cast.
The album is divided into two sets — the first showcasing Hackett’s solo works and the second featuring “The Lamb” tracks, many of which have been reworked and reinvented. Hackett opens the show with three pieces from his latest studio album — “People of the Smoke,” “Circus Inferno” and “These Passing Clouds” from 2023’s “The Circus and the Nightwhale.” He then works backward in time, leading the band through a career-spanning set of his own compositions. The set includes “The Devil’s Cathedral,” “Everyday,” “Camino Royale,” “Hands of the High Priestess,” “A Tower Struck Down” and “Shadow of the Hierophant.”
The last three tracks first appeared on “Voyage of the Acolyte,” recorded in 1975 while Hackett was still on the Genesis payroll. They are the most Genesis-like of Hackett’s own material (in fact, his Genesis bandmates Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford make guest appearances on the album). As a result, they set the stage for “The Lamb” highlights that form the core of the second set that follows.
The set opens, naturally, with the “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” then segues into “Fly On a Windshield/Broadway Melody Of 1974,” “Hairless Heart,” “Carpet Crawlers,” “The Chamber Of 32 Doors,” “Lilywhite Lilith,” “The Lamia” and “It.” The band completes this second set with four tracks from 1973’s “Selling England by the Pound” — “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight,” “The Cinema Show,” “Aisle of Plenty” and “Firth of Fifth” — before closing out the proceedings with “Los Endos” (from 1975’s “A Trick of the Tail”).
Throughout, Hackett is (as ever) the master of ceremonies and his talented band delivers masterful performances of these classic pieces that manage to be both loyal to the originals and yet also take the material in surprising new directions. The musical interplay between Hackett and his bandmates is nearly as tight and interesting as with his former Genesis mates. And hearing these old Genesis classics side-by-side with Hackett’s solo material makes abundantly clear the significant contribution he made to the distinctive early Genesis sound.
A few highpoints of “The Lamb Stands Up” deserve special mention:
“Fly on a Windshield.” This haunting track on “The Lamb” — the second song on the album — showcased Hackett’s darker, ghostly fretwork with Genesis. But the piece is reimagined here as a twin-guitar duet, with Hackett welcoming Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery to join him on stage for an electric-guitar workout that captures the two distinctive soloists trading licks in a series of stirring call-and-response musical volleys.
“The Carpet Crawlers.” Perhaps the prettiest song in the entire Genesis canon, this track gets a shimmering new retread featuring ex-Genesis vocalist Ray Wilson, whose theatrical take here makes it one of the standout performances of the album.
“The Chamber of 32 Doors” and “The Lamia.” From start to finish, vocalist Nad Sylvan does a remarkable job channeling Peter Gabriel’s ancient mariner croon and Phil Collins’ airy elfin tenor yet still managing to bring his own style to the material. But these two tracks best exemplify Sylvan’s extraordinary range and versatility, as well as the yearning, soul-stirring approach that prompted Hackett to recruit him for Genesis Revisited.
“It.” This rousing jazz-inflected romp gets a rowdy reading here, emphasizing the upbeat musical direction that Genesis — and Hackett — would eventually pursue after Gabriel’s departure.
“Selling England by the Pound” Redux. For pure nostalgic bliss, the band’s delivery of four tracks from this landmark 1973 Genesis album showcase each of the players’ stunning talents. Roger King on keyboards gamely handles Tony Banks’ original classically-inspired piano lines and speedy synth runs. Reedman Rob adds new musical textures to the proceedings, frequently delivering triple-attack melody lines with Hackett and King, and providing a terrific foil for Sylvan’s skyscraping vocals. And bassist Jonas Reingold manages to make some of the instrumental breaks positively swing with a jazzy, melodic approach — think: Jaco Pastorius channeling Chris Squire — that perfectly melds with Craig Blundell’s athletic, galloping drum lines.
“Shadow of the Hierophant.” Amanda Lehman’s honey-sweet, whiskey strong soprano elevates this stellar track from Hackett’s “Voyage of the Acolyte” — a piece Hackett initially pitched to his Genesis bandmates for inclusion on “A Trick of the Tail.” Two other tracks from “Acolyte” — “Hands of the Priestess” and “A Tower Struck Down” — feature Hackett’s brother John on flute, with the two performing perhaps the most gorgeous melody the guitarist ever produced.
For Genesis fans, “The Lamb Stands Up” delivers the next best thing to hearing the band perform the album live back in the day. It’s also a timely revisiting of the original record (which is slated for re-release next month in a remixed, remastered and expanded 50th anniversary edition, containing live recordings, demos and other extras).
But it begs the question: What’s next, Mr. Hackett? Another Genesis Revisited offering? Perhaps a new studio album? Or maybe live reprisals of those early Hackett solo works — “Voyage of the Acolyte,” “Please Don’t Touch,” “Defector” and “Spectral Mornings” — that kept the prog flame alive after Collins, Banks and Rutherford moved on to reinvent Genesis as a global pop hit-making factory?
Regardless of the answer to the question, this much seems clear: Whatever direction Hackett chooses to pursue next will bear watching — and hearing.
Released on July 11th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Pre-order now here: https://stevehackett.lnk.to/TheLambStandsUpLive-Album
The full track-listing is as follows:
1. People of the Smoke
2. Circo Inferno
3. These Passing Clouds
4. The Devil’s Cathedral
5. Every Day
6. Hands Of the Priestess
7. A Tower Struck Down
8. Low Notes And High Hopes
9. Camino Royale
10. Shadow Of The Hierophant
11. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
12. Fly On A Windshield
13. Broadway Melody Of 1974
14. Hairless Heart
15. Carpet Crawlers
16. The Chamber Of 32 Doors
17. Lilywhite Lilith
18. The Lamia
19. It
20. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
21. The Cinema Show
22. Aisle Of Plenty
23. Firth Of Fifth
24. Los Endos
25. An Interview with Steve Hackett
Personnel:
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, 12-string guitar, vocals
With:
Amanda Lehmann – vocals, guitar
John Hackett – flute
Steve Rothery – guitar
Ray Wilson – vocals
