Analysis. The second disc of this tribute project comes across as a somewhat stronger creation than the first one, and in this release contrasts with the original production, where many seem to regard the latter half somewhat weaker than the first one. It could be that the musicians recording the project had become more familiar with the music at this point, or that the work with rearranging the original compositions had evolved at this stage, understanding the originals in a better way, or perhaps a combination of these and other elements. Anyhow, as a whole this second CD comes across as better and more interesting overall. Hornsby and D'Virgilio do take many of the same liberties with the compositions as on the first CD; keyboards and mellotrons are still partially replaced by the same instruments performed by the same musicians, and they still try to explore the individual songs in settings somewhat different than the originals. There's more of an emphasis on the symphonic elements now; violins, viola and cello are preferred over reeds and horns in terms of their dominating placement in the mix, and it seems the compositions to a much larger extent manage to maintain the natural flow of the originals, even when exploring slightly different musical landscapes. The Colony of Slippermen, with its eastern tinged touches, is arguably the most experimental of the alternate versions on this disc, and in this case it works like a charm. Inferior to the original to some degree, but this take does add some moods and atmospheres to the song as well that make it an interesting and compelling listen. The first half of Riding the Scree is another good example of an experiment that works, an energetic and heavily jazz-tinged workout where reeds and horns - in a rare occurrence for the second half of this creation - dominate totally, delivering melodic themes and maintaining drive and energy in a skilled, compelling manner. Most of the other songs are less daring in scope, but do come across as quality versions, the main exception being the atmospheric sound exploration in the first half of The Waiting Room. A very good example of the original being better than the modernized version, despite the many possibilities available today that weren't an option to utilize 25 years ago.

Conclusion. "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" is a classic release in rock history, an album that over time has come to be regarded as one of the classic releases of the ‘70s. A re-recording of this release will bring in quite a few automatic sales, and one may question the motives of any artist that chooses to do so. In this case an effort has been made to explore this album and its compositions in a different light though, which is a daring move, and that effort does add artistic and creative value to this release. The songs are proven quality compositions, the musicians participating are skilled, production and mix are of high quality as well, and overall this is a project that deserves some amount of praise instead of scorn. One may ask if there was a great need for this production though, and furthermore how interesting a purchase this creation really is. Personally I'd recommend this album to people familiar with the original who find the thought of an alternate take on these songs interesting, and those who didn't enjoy the original but would like to give it a second chance might also find this release to be of interest. Others should seek out Genesis' 1974 creation prior to this one.