Review of Kevin Holm-Hudson, Genesis and "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" (Ashgate, 2008)

Abstract

[1] trajectory of music-theory community's acceptance of rock has been steadily climbing and has recently reached a new stage with arrival of Kevin Holm-Hudson's Genesis and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Two early books on analysis of rock, Understanding Rock (1997) and Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through Anthology (1999), shed light on significance of this moment. Coming after a handful of analytical articles on rock sparsely placed in journals, collections, and on internet, Understanding Rock, a volume of analytical essays edited by John Covach and Graeme Boone (Oxford University Press), firmly established role of rock-music analysis within field of theory. Yet book's preface tells story of first-ever session on rock in either Society for Music Theory or American Musicological Society and ends with a presentation of editors' justification for analyzing rock music (Covach and Boone 1997). Among a handful of other books on topic over next few years was Walter Everett's impressive two-volume treatment of complete oeuvre of Beatles (Oxford University Press). In his preface to first volume, Everett defends idea of applying analytical tools learned in academia to output of musicians who could not read classical western musical notation (Everett 1999). Now Ashgate Press has published Kevin Holm-Hudson's Genesis and The Lamb Lies Down On which, long past days of explanations of and apologies for genre as subject matter, unashamedly offers a book-length treatment of a single album, thereby granting it status of a masterpiece of no less legitimacy and dignity than, say, Rite of Spring or Wozzeck.[2] Holm-Hudson's love for group Genesis, for their milestone album Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and for performance history of this concept-album-as-song-cycle shines through on every page. After a brief description of a live performance of entire double album in Shrine Auditorium in 1975, Holm-Hudson tells us, chapter by chapter, about cultural and economic context of album, its recording history, its musical and narrative structure (with an analysis of each song), album tour and its reception in press, possibilities for its interpretation, and post-album history of both work and band.[3] In presenting historical and social context of album, first chapter runs into a problem as it enters thorny realm of cultural semiotics. That field (especially in relation with rock music) veers between saying one moment that world of meaning is a horizonless plane of personal, situational readings and endless deferral of reference, while claiming in next moment that any given cultural artifact means something quite definite; Edward Macan's claim that improvised solos are universally connected to acid trips comes to mind (Macan 1997).(1) Tellingly, musical semioticians generally disagree with each other concerning these identified meanings. Holm-Hudson cites and quotes Macan along with Allan Moore, Simon Frith, Paul Stump, and others, but does so uncritically for most part, as if what they say about progressive rock is simply true. As a result, first chapter includes a confusing array of assessments that seem at times to contradict each other. On page 13, for instance, money fueled experiments of progressive rock, while on page 15 progressive rock is definitely not a commercial enterprise. On pages 8 and 21 has no roots in or connection with African-American music, yet on page 14 (quoting Macan), Progressive rock is thoroughly grounded in African-American musical concepts. On page 11, progressive rock's multimovement forms, shifting meters, and complex arrangements attempt to bar Establishment conformists from accessing this expression of hippie subculture, although on pages 16 and 17, same intricacies represent (quoting Macan again) the hippies' ultimate accommodation to conventions of industrial society. …