“Muted melodies fill the echoing hall,
But there is no sign of warning in the siren's call”
(Two verses of the lyrics of the song “The Lamia” by the Genesis, taken from the concept album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”, UK 1974)
According to some articles that I’ve read, the album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” is a surreal journey of self-discovery, involving a fictional young man from NYC, named Rael. My opinion is different, because I’m convinced that the content of the album is highly realistic, and that the Genesis were forced to hide it behind complex metaphors, and poetic imagery. Why? Because it’s a criticism against a powerful organization, very influential even in the record industry. The page is about “The Lamia”, a fundamental track of the album, whose comprehension can enlighten the entire, rather obscure, story of Rael. First of all, I refer some theories in the matter of the source of inspiration of the monster named Lamia. The first theory is based on Greek mythology, in which the Lamia is a female demon, who seduces and kills young men. The second theory cites a narrative poem by John Keats, deeply influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, published in the year 1820, and titled “The Lamia”, who is a beautiful nymph trapped in the form of a serpent. The demi-god Hermes gives her back the female appearance, but her successive love story with a common man has a grief conclusion. The implicit object of the narrative poem is the relationship between science and nature. The third theory is related to a Mexican film of 1970, titled “El Topo”, that contains a surreal fantasy, bound to unpredictable consequences of the rape of a woman. The fourth theory talks about an episode of 1987 of the TV series Star Trek, including the Aldebaran serpent, that is imagined as three-headed. Before coming to my observations, I remember that multiple-headed entities are present in various mythologies, and various ancient cultures. Some examples: in Hindu religion there’s the Trimurti, inclusive of the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; in Christianism there’s the Holy Trinity; in Greek Mythology, Cerberus is a three-headed supernatural dog, who is the guardian of the underworld; a similar entity is contained in Etruscan Mythology, and is a three-headed serpent; even the Mayan Vision Serpent is three-headed. Despite of some discussable citations, in Egyptian Mythology there’s the uroboros, a serpent with a single head that bites its own tail, and symbolize the eternal repetition of the cycle of life.
In the song “The Lamia”, the Lamia is made of three vermillion snakes, each one with a female face. The creature says “We are the Lamia of the pool”. It’s a precise information, but lacking of clarity. The Lamia is a collective organization, made of three different groups, that offers to young men, like Rael, the muted melodies of echoing halls, similar to the dangerous chant of sirens, and something else, desirable but dangerous. Rael is confused by nectar, and by visions of uncommon beauty. Thus, he’s fascinated by the offers of the Lamia, and abandon himself to a bizarre sexual intercourse. How can you decode the metaphor? In case you think that the Genesis have poetically described a true aspect of NYC, and not something unreal, you might agree that the Lamia’s metaphor represents a transfiguration of the earliest discotheques. The Lamia is the local mafia, made of three ethnic groups, Italians, Jews, and Irishmen, that monopolizes the cited discotheques. In effect, the “pool” are gay discotheques, sorts of supermarkets of recreational drugs, and elective places for uncommon sex. The melodies are “muted”, because the approval of local authorities is a hidden pact, derived from the Stonewall riots, and from the activities of Black Panthers. Despite, the popularity of underground discos is large, and the melodies, although muted, are developed by the echoing hall, that’s the resounding center of the Big Apple.
In conclusion, the song the Lamia is a piece of poetry, although grotesque and ironic, because strictly derived from real facts. As it often happens for poetic masterpieces, the Genesis’ track contains a premonition, that’s the anticipation of a new kind of musical genre based on echoing sounds. The genre is disco dub, born in NYC in the early 80’s thanks to some remixes produced by professional nightclub DJs, and occasionally includes a peculiar kind of reggae music. As usual, the mix of the page is an application of the conclusion.
File name is “new sounds from the echoing hall, by Max Look DJ (Aug 2025)”, about 1 hour 21’ and 30” of disco dub music, at rhythms from 78 to 99 BPM.
Echoing tracks, the playlist:
Simply Red - night nurse (Jah Wobble radio mix)
Massive Attack - risingson (otherside)
Death In Vegas - Scorpio rising (the Scientist dub)
Mannasseh meets the Equalizer - one small step
Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey feat. The Flipmode Squad - I know what you want instrumental
Tackhead - don't let me down
Madrak feat. Devon Russell - social living
Burning Spear - holy dub
Microcosm - happy dubcore knights
Unknown Cases - masimbabele (dub)
Snoop Dogg - drop it like it's hot instrumental
Quasamodo - deseo brutal
Groove Armada - tuning in (dub mix)
Les Nubians - I disagree (dub)
Bud Bongo - dub one
Beats International - dub be good to me remix
Kelly Rowland - can't nobody (Silkmix.com 80s hip hop flava 12")
Dubtractor - W30
Jah Wobble & Temple of Sound - once upon a time in the east
Charlotte - queen of hearts (Masters at Work dub)
