It has been about three months since I concluded the letter F in this vinyl-ripping series. I thought I might whip through the letter G with about a dozen or so selections. For a few of you, this will be a finger across the brow and a "phew". "Could be worse," you may be saying to yourself. "At least it's not something from 'So'. I'll come clean. I have four of the five 12" singles from the 'So' era, and they are those slick '80s extended versions you're fond of spinning. So, count yourself lucky, my friend. And that "so" at the beginning of the sentence was for my pal CC. I still remember his
spirited diatribe from 2016.
These live versions of some earlier hits from Peter Gabriel come from a 12" of "I Don't Remember", circa 1983. I haven't played these in many years, but this trio is sounding great in the headphones tonight. Those first four studio albums have held up quite nicely.
"I Don't Remember" (Live)
"Solsbury Hill" (Live)
Kiss of Life" (Live)
10 comments:
It's tough to know what to do with Peter Gabriel. He was someone I shouldn't have appreciated, coming from a prog (with a small "p") band like Genesis. But when he left to find greener, solo, pastures, he began a period of experimentation with sound and instruments that was difficult to ignore. Those first 4 eponymous albums are classics of Art Rock as it transitioned into the New Wave. Certainly, the first of these albums still had some prog foppery about it, but within a year those prog vestiges would be all but cleared off.
Not sure about the derision for 'So'. It may have been of its time, but even so, there wasn't much around that sounded like it back then. Some great songs too.
The first two albums I can take or leave, the second one in particular, but albuns 3 and 4 were, and remain, superb. He and Kate Bush were doing similar things around the time, but they still managed to keep their own identities and inspire countless other after them.
Echorich, I know what you mean. When I look at my albums, Gabriel has that one of these artists doesn’t belong feel, but here I am saying I was a fan in my youth.
Robster, I liked So too. The production was amazing too. As I wrote to CC at his place, used to sound so good on the car stereo. We used to listen to it in my buddy’s beat up Fiat when we were teenagers.
I agree re lps 3&4. I also like the 2 lps after So alot more.
So thanks for the name check Brian
An artist who despite the odds seems well received round these parts
As I said on CCs post, not a fan of So but some of the stuff prior to that I really liked. The older hippy types I kicked about with when I was 13/14 and Lex in particular kept playing Gabriel. He also had a thing for Kate Bush but I never really go her. Wallflower, today, is my favourite Gabriel track even though it is extremely quiet on the album.
It seems that I may be in the minority here in having been a (prog years) Genesis fan who then followed Gabriel into his solo career. 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway', in particular, is a ridiculously ambitious behemoth of an album, that everyone should hear at least once. Gabriel's mid-career gear-shift came just at the right time for my musical sensibilities. The first four albums, especially 3&4, are terrific, 'So' I liked a lot at the time, but probably overplayed a bit (must revisit it soon) and 'Us' still gets an outing every now and again in this house.
(whispering this to Swede) I was a sucker for some of the prog rock. I bought a copy of TLLDOB a few years ago in Oxfan, as I got rid of my copy in the early 90s. Listened to it not so long ago and I have to admit I enjoyed it. I also quite like Supper's Ready. That's my cred if I had any left further shot
Every time I start a sentence with So on my blog now, I have to go back and edit it so as not to upset CC. And I'm a bleeding English teacher!
I was a big Peter Gabriel fan, who shamelessly came to him via Sledgehammer and Big Time, then worked my way backwards.
My admiration for Peter Gabriel began with '3' and I worked back to '1' and '2' and found sound of it superb and other bits nigh on unlisteanable. I loved '4' and went to see him tour it at the Glasgow Apollo and it was a magnificently stage show.
I can't, however, listen to much of what he did from 'So' onwards.
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