Band: Rewiring Genesis

CD Title: “A Tribute to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”

Label: ProgRock Records

Label Website: www.progrockrecords.com

Release Date: 2008

I remember during the eighties progressive rock revival, there was a certain badge of honor bestowed on a band who could faithfully reproduce the Genesis song “Suppers Ready.” Times change and today the focus has shifted more to The Lamb Lies Down of Broadway. This perhaps is a tougher act to bring about, after all this is a double-disc work that has a lot of music. Enter Mark Hornsby and Nick D’Virgillio. Under the name Rewiring Genesis these two have assembled quite a cast of musicians to literally re-interpret this classic album. The core band consists of D’Virgillio (vocals, drums), Dave Martin (bass), Jeff Taylor (keyboards), Don Carr (guitars) and Hornsby’s production skills. In addition there are some 18 musicians from the Nashville area that contribute their musical talents on all sorts of string, reed and woodwind instruments. As you might imagine this brings a very different vibe to the “lamb.”

Fundamentally everything that is familiar about these 23 compositions is here. There is a core sincerity in reproducing these very well known pieces and yet, fans will notice many subtle differences, especially in the use of those other instruments. Where we’re all used to hearing Tony Bank’s keyboards, instead we hear real strings performing runs and horns creating the staccato musical stabs. This becomes really obvious as one listens to the very familiar “In the Cage” [8:35] where the strings and horns are everywhere. In a very subtle way, what this does is change the general feel of the song, taking it from a straight-forward complex progressive rock number and turning it into a piece that sounds more like musical theatre. It sounds like the Lamb re-done for Broadway or the West End. Now this isn’t a bad thing. The Lamb is nothing if not musical theatre set in the prog-rock idiom. The proof of the strength of these compositions is that they translate themselves so well into another musical style. But it’s jarring none-the-less to take a piece which is so familiar and change it up in this way. And I think the project might have generated more negative reaction if the core intent hadn’t been so faithful. These guys love the original and are simply looking to ‘re-wire’ the project. Changing up the music in this fashion makes certain musical elements stand out more than on the original and brings to light other subtle motifs that were buried in the mix. I’m amazed at the vocal variety employed by D’Virgillio. While not sounding at all like Peter Gabriel he manages to infuse an amazing tonal range to this varied character-landscape.

A Tribute to the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is one of those records that’s bound to both please and anger. Some will see the work as an honest modern take on a classic progressive rock recording and others will be offended at the subtle but distinct changes in instrumentation. I’m in the former category. After repeated listens this record really stands out as a quality musical effort. The sincerity and faithfulness to the original is more than obvious and yet they’ve been able to put their own spin on it. Check it out, Rewiring Genesis gets my recommendation.