Is revisiting Genesis a good idea?

When, in 1974, i Genesis they published “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway“, took rock into an ambitious and unsettling narrative and sound territory: a double concept album that recounts Rael’s dreamlike journey through New York, in an undergrowth of mythical and urban images. Over 50 years later, that album has remained a unique — as venerated as it is difficult to re-stage without lapsing into reverential. This is where the project comes in Nick D’Virgiliodrummer and singer known in the progressive world for his militancy in Spock’s Beard, as well as a permanent member of Big Big Train: a reinterpretation which, with the spirit of the “fan” tribute, tries to give new life to Peter Gabriel’s swan song, reinterpreting it with contemporary instruments and sensibilities.

From the first release to the new relaunch

The original version of D’Virgilio’s tribute, entitled “Rewiring Genesis – A Tribute to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”, appeared in 2008 as a work that attempted to reproduce and at the same time reassemble the fragments of Gabriel’s masterpiece. The album has received mixed reviews over the years, but at the same time it has built a small community of curious listeners around itself, thanks also to non-obvious arrangements.

In 2025 D’Virgilio decided to return to the project with one remastering and new overdubstransforming the album into an “updated” version, with new mixes, recorded parts ex novo and prestigious guests. The relaunch is not a simple one restyling, but it is designed to dialogue with the fiftieth anniversary of the original.

Steve Hackett and Abbey Road

The new edition stands out for some pieces which, on paper, undoubtedly give it a certain authority: among these the contribution of Steve Hackettwho recorded new guitar parts for the project, and a string section recorded ad Abbey Roadplacing the tribute on a broader and more iconic sonic terrain. The revamped tracks also include new horn and vocal arrangements orchestral sections which aim to enhance more stifled melodic aspects in the original; in fact, the rhythmic choices have been rethought to give more breathing space to certain passages.

The approach, between loyalty and novelty

D’Virgilio does not choose the path of slavish tribute. His approach is openly interpretative: maintains the narrative plot and main themesbut revisits them through modern timbres and arrangements that sometimes accentuate the grotesque or cinematic aspect of the story. Songs like “Counting Out Time”, which D’Virgilio himself indicates as one of his favorite pieces to work on – and which was given a New Orleans jazz touch – show how the operation shifts the focus from mere re-presentation to reinvention.

This approach creates successful moments – where the attention to orchestral details is truly appreciable – and less convincing ones, in which the personality of the performer overwhelms the delirious ambiguity of the original. It’s a calculated risk: D’Virgilio tends to favor narrative-musical clarity over Gabriel’s dense symbolic stratification. The result is a more immediate “Lamb”, but consequently devoid of the charm of mystery.

Why D’Virgilio?

Does Nick D’Virgilio have broad enough shoulders to be able to get his hands on Genesis’ repertoire? The answer is: yes. D’Virgilio was one of two drummers chosen to replace Phil Collins in the recording of “Calling All Stations”, in 1997. He has the respect of long-time fans and a great talent recognized by the band itself. Of course, his voice is not that of Gabriel: it has a cleaner, less theatrical tone, and this inevitably changes the emotional tone of the work; from a rhythmic point of view, however, the drummer’s work is technically impeccable, and he reinterprets some sections with different grooves, untangling passages that in 1974 were (deliberately) ambiguous.

The new mixes and the remastering aim to give greater definition to the orchestral inserts and make the overall listening experience more contemporary. The desire to celebrate what is in a certain sense Genesis’ most important album is absolutely acceptable, and if it is a talented musician like Nick D’Virgilio who does it – aided by Hackett – the result still deserves to be explored further. The beauty of masterpieces is that they keep the soil fertile and aliveeven after half a century.