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Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel Audio CD

A fair review of the Peter Gabriel "Peter Gabriel" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Peter Gabriel reviews here, or go back to the Peter Gabriel tabs.

Band: Peter Gabriel
Title: Peter Gabriel
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-05-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: On the Air 2: D.I.Y. 3: Mother of Violence 4: Wonderful Day in a One-Way World 5: White Shadow 6: Indigo 7: Animal Magic 8: Exposure 9: Flotsam and Jetsam 10: Perspective 11: Home Sweet Home

Peter Gabriel
Allmusic gave it 4. Peter Gabriel or Scratch is Gabriel's second and was met with mixed reviews. 5 stars, whilst Rolling Stone and Robert Christgau gave it around 3-3. 5 stars. I give it 3 since if one compares it to Gabriel's other works it seems a bit rushed. All the lyrics are included in the booklet and we get some shoddy photographs of Gabriel in different odd poses. 3/5.

A Deluge of Paranoia, Claiming the Birthright...and stumbling grinning ear to ear into life.
Mr. It's difficult to assertain the amount of creativity that frees oneself from onself. Gabriel has always been a unique figure on the musical landscape, and this offering is indeed telling of his triumphs and disdain towards and existence fabricated and seemingly preordained. To me, his creativity speaks of gentle innocence standing two-fold against the backdrop of male aggression. While taking neither stance, it is here that Mr. Gabriel explores and conceptualizes the very fabric of his adulthood. If the cover art is any indication one is in for a scathing cataclysm of overt cynicysm towards those most human conditions. Yet seen through Peters eyes, we find ourselves marveling at the mundane and horrified at the divine. An albums worth of solid tracks, "Scratch" is infalliable in its execution, seemingly devoid of the pamposity that seems to plague later efforts from this fascinating artist. "D. I. Y" is a thumper of a track, lost to time it seems. "White Shadow", with its transcendental inclinations and subversive lyrics, provides one of the strongest examples of Mr. Gabriels flourishing confidence. . . and yet he still seems so gloriously ill at ease. A man at his prime, and capable of sharing more of himself than most of his era, "Scratch" stands the test of time providing a stark and subtle exploitation of early 80's pop sensabilities while suplanting the seeds for Mr. Gabriels future self-desctruction and undoubted ascension towards a higher plane of creative output. .

Peter Gabriel's sadly overlooked solo effort (and his second best overall)

At the time Peter made his second solo album, he decided to do an about face from his first self titled solo album from a year earlier (apart from bass player Tony Levin and synthesizer expert Larry Fast). Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel's second solo album which was another self-titled effort (now nicknamed Scratch) was released in June of 1978. Instead of Bob Ezrin, Peter Gabriel now had famed King Crimson guitarist/mastermind Robert Fripp producing the album and playing guitar on a few tracks plus guitarist Sidney McGuiness, drummer Jerry Marotta and saxophonist Timothy Capallo and pianist Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band (Roy plays on much of the album) helping him on the album.
The opening "On the Air" is a superb rocker about Mozo the pirate radio DJ broadcasting from his amateur radio station in a cabin by the river and this song is just incredible. "DIY" is next and was Gabriel's homage to the punk ethos and punk rock scene that prevailed in the late '70s and another great song. Next is the ballad "Mother of Violence" which is a great song. This track is just phenomenal even if it's just acoustic guitar, piano and vocals. Next is the pop-reggae track "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World" and a great song. The first half closed with the phenomenal "White Shadow". Gabriel's synthesizer drones on this track is phenomenal and features Fripp on lead guitar and classical guitar and his solos on this track are phenomenal. The last note at the end of the song went on and on if you had the original vinyl LP. When I first heard the track on LP, I thought was a defect but it wasn't (you had to manually lift the stylus from LP to stop). On the CD they fixed it so it would fade after awhile.
The second half begins with the exquisitely beautiful "Indigo" which is one of Gabriel's most overlooked tracks ever. Next is the jazzy "Animal Magic" which is another great track and one that will have yup tapping along. Next is the rocker "Exposure" which was another great track and one I can play over again. "Flotsam and Jetsam" is next and is another heartfelt track on the album's more sensitive second half but a great song. Next we rock out with the rocker "Perspective" which is another great song with some unique sax solos from Tim Capello. The album closes with the fitting "Home Sweet Home" which is a jazzy sounding ballad with Peter exploring all avenues of his voice and Tim's sax work again is just incredible.
Peter Gabriel's second solo album also has a great album design from Hipgnosis and one of the better album covers you'll see. The album didn't do as well as debut (missed the US Top 50 in 1978) but has held up well as opposed to lots of music made in 1978.
Recommended!.

A Twist Of Fripp
Fripp was taking a rather long hiatus from King Crimson at this time; English "Punk" was establishing some roots and proclaiming Yes and other "progressive Rock" bands were dinosaurs. R. Tee hee!

I discovered this PG album by accident. Sometime in 1980 I woke up to "Exposure" being played on the late great NYC WNEW FM. And just like during the mid-Seventies I awoke to a similar existential experience in the morning listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well;" I thought to myself: 'self, what is this?'

I tracked down the vinyl in the cutout bin. Got it at "less than extortionate prices. [PG]" In fact it was dirt cheap. the end groove repeated itself on side one. It would not lift. So the coda to "White Shadow" was endless. An error in pressing or PG planned?

This peculiar PG solo album was(and still is) a personal favorite of mine.
What can you say when every song on this album is truly non-filler? You also have "King's Lead Hat" producing? During the late Seventies there was a Fripp/Bowie/Eno/Gabriel axis fermenting: not to mention one John Cale.

I didn't read the former 40 reviews before writing this(why should I)?
I agree; PG's first 4 albums are A MUST; Just like Brian Eno's first 4 albums.

This album has just about enough eccentricity and half-baked funny/ironic PG writing; Yet it still has chutzpah. Chutzpah. I'm not going to review every song on this album. There's no need. This album beats out PG I(hard to do in and of itself); And lays the ground work for PG III.

And. . .

.

Remastered version sounds worse to me!
True the bass is more present, but things like the guitar riff at the beginning of DIY just sounds burried and all of Pete's rock 'n' roll vocals are squashed away. As a true Gabriel fan, I LOVE this underrated album, but I was doing a side-by-side comparrison of the songs to the original CD (which I bought as an Import several years before it was available in the US), and I don't understand at all this remastered version! It sounds sooo "limited". Same for "Animal Magic". I use a program that levels-out volumes so I get a true comparison. My original version is even at 128 kbps at the new one at 192 kbps. I wish I had not sold that import version back when I needed the cash. "Perspective" is an exception. It sounds better now, and I do believe all the other remastered discs are absolutely excellent (especially Security!) But I might try & find an old copy of Vol. 2 for "On The Air" "DIY" and "Animal Magic".

You can see a complete list of all Peter Gabriel discography, or go back to the Peter Gabriel tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.