Peter Gabriel got his start as the front man for UK prog-rockers Genesis. He split from Genesis after their landmark prog-rock album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but he needed more than half a decade, past a couple albums, to truly establish himself as a solo artist. (Likewise, Genesis took about the same amount of time to establish a new identity.) On his third album, Gabriel emerged as a cerebral art-rock sound explorer; he later incorporated world music for his fourth album and scored a commercial breakthrough on So.
Pre-Requisite Listening
A taste of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis is a must for any retrospective of Gabriel’s music. Playlist One and Two of my Genesis Artist Spotlight feature Gabriel’s strongest moments with the band.
Playlist 1
Playlist One chronicles Gabriel’s early development toward his breakthrough third album. His first four albums were all originally self-titled, although many are now known by nicknames). I remember always calling his third album “Melting Face,” but it seems the official nickname nowadays in Melt. Whatever the name, it’s an art-rock landmark.
Playlist 2
Gabriel’s excellent fourth album, again self-titled but commonly known as Security, was another career highlight, and explored world music influences. The more mainstream So is another gem. Both are featured on Playlist Two.
Playlist 3
On the Playlist Three, I’ve chosen to highlight some of Gabriel’s soundtrack music, from the films Birdy and The Last Temptation of Christ. I really dug both these albums back in the day, and still find them haunting. The music here works more along the lines of Brian Eno’s ambient works, incorporating some of Gabriel’s earlier music (on Birdy) and other world music sources (for Passion). Listening to these again, especially Birdy, I’m also reminded of the more recent spooky atmospherics of Burial.
Cover Art:
- Peter Gabriel (1980): Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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