The Waiting Room (track)
by Genesis
Year: 1974
From the album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (track #13)
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The Waiting Room appears on the following album(s) by Genesis:
- The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (track #13) (this album) (1974)
- 1970-1975 (Box Set) (track #40) (compilation) (2008)
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The Waiting Room ratings
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 179 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 06/21/2026 09:00 |  Squonk007 | 3,312 | 73/100 |
| ! | 04/26/2026 14:29 | Pavloss | 2,378 | 60/100 |
| ! | 03/23/2026 04:42 | Exist-en-ciel | 167,284 | 71/100 |
| ! | 01/19/2026 00:53 | kinginsomniac12 | 6,024 | 100/100 |
| ! | 12/18/2025 00:48 | sunnydhamm | 18,628 | 57/100 |
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This track has a Bayesian average rating of 75.6/100, a mean average of 75.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.6/100. The standard deviation for this track is 14.8.
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Squonk007 06/21/2026 09:01 | #314996
Apparently there was a rainbow and the sun came out during the 'escape' from the waiting room. But the drugs were good too I suspect.
This track is among the (many) best moments of the album.
Certainly unique, but I've just never been a fan of these kinds of wildly experimental songs that lack a true melodic structure (see my 70/100 rating for Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive). It's art, but I'm not sure I'd call it music. I like user teague's description of The Waiting Room as "a panic attack as a song." That's definitely what it feels like. The second half, where Rael escapes the waiting room, is pretty excellent, and it saves this song from getting a truly atrocious score. But it just comes too late. Those first three minutes are tough to wait through... Hey, maybe that's why it's called The Waiting Room. Does that make it any better though? I reckon not.
teague 06/25/2020 23:16 | #254513
I saw this once described as a panic attack as a song. That description is quite accurate.
if you have the patience, after the explosion at 3:04, the music itself explodes into one of my favorite parts of the album.
paladisiac 01/05/2012 21:27 | #34582
Pretty cool Enosified instrumental spazz out. I don't think lillith treated our hero right... I remember playing this song in a tangentially-techno-related segment on my college techno show. Banks & Hackett do well in here.
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