Peter Gabriel [3]

by Peter Gabriel

Overview

Generally regarded as Peter Gabriel's finest record, his third eponymous album finds him coming into his own, crafting an album that's artier, stronger, more song-oriented than before. Consider its ominous opener, the controlled menace of "Intruder." He's never found such a scary sound, yet it's a sexy scare, one that is undeniably alluring, and he keeps this going throughout the record. For an album so popular, it's remarkably bleak, chilly, and dark -- even radio favorites like "I Don't Remember" and "Games Without Frontiers" are hardly cheerful, spiked with paranoia and suspicion, insulated in introspection. For the first time, Gabriel has found the sound to match his themes, plus the songs to articulate his themes. Each aspect of the album works, feeding off each other, creating a romantically gloomy, appealingly arty masterpiece. It's the kind of record where you remember the details in the production as much as the hooks or the songs, which isn't to say that it's all surface -- it's just that the surface means as much as the songs, since it articulates the emotions as well as Gabriel's cubist lyrics and impassioned voice. He wound up having albums that sold more, or generated bigger hits, but this third Peter Gabriel album remains his masterpiece. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/2010
Label:	Real World Records
UPC:	0180030000635
Rank:	21655

Tracks

1. Intruder
2. No Self-Control
3. Start
4. I Don't Remember
5. Family Snapshot
6. And Through the Wire
7. Games Without Frontiers
8. Not One of Us
9. Lead a Normal Life
10. Biko

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Peter Gabriel   Primary Artist,Piano,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer,Drum Machine,Vocals,Synthesizer Bass,Vocals (Background)
Paul Weller   Guest Artist,Guitar
Robert Fripp   Guest Artist,Guitar
Kate Bush   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Phil Collins   Guest Artist,Drums,Surdo,Drum Machine,Drums (Snare)
Larry Fast   Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass
John Giblin   Bass
David Rhodes   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Dick Morrissey   Saxophone
Jerry Marotta   Drums,Percussion
David Gregory   Guitar
Tony Levin   Chapman Stick,Stick
Morris Pert   Percussion
Dave Gregory   Guitar

Technical Credits

Larry Fast   Processing,Photography,Producer
Hugh Padgham   Engineer
Richard Chappell   Engineer
Nick Thomas   Assistant
Tony Cousins   Remastering
Marlius Duncklaus   Assistant
Peter Gabriel   Composer
Steve Lillywhite   Producer
Jennifer Hiles   Personal Assistant
Ian Cooper   Mastering
Phil Kamin   Photography
Les Krims   Inspiration
Edel Griffith   Assistant Engineer
Mic Smith   Research,Introduction
Marc Bessant   Graphic Design
Steve Prestage   Assistant
Armando Gallo   Photography
Hipgnosis   Design,Sleeve Art,Photography
Brad Owen   Photography
Dan Roe   Assistant Engineer
Susie Millns   Design Coordinator
Albert Lawrence   Equipment Technician
Dan Blore   Sleeve Restoration
George Chambers   Assistant
Dave Price   Equipment Technician