Search - Peter Gabriel :: Peter Gabriel 1

Very good debut album.

Distant Voyageur | Io | 02/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Our beloved British genius Peter Gabriel was on his own for nearly two years after he declared his independence from his former band Genesis and almost thought of quitting music but that was not to be though. He got back into the studio in 1976 and recorded and delivered his first solo album in February of 1977 and what an awesome result. This isn't necessarily his strongest album of his career (Security and SO have that title) but for a debut, it's quite an accomplishment. This is a fantastic outing from the then blossoming talent of Mr. Gabriel. This CD is nothing like the darker and more bleak tones that defined the three albums that followed this debut. In fact, this is probably the happiest record that Gabriel ever made but that doesn't mean it's cheesy. Completely opposite, it's a great and unforgettable classic and with the remastering, the sound quality is vastly improved and the songs all sound so much sharper and clearer and there isn't any need to turn the volume up to deafening levels to hear the songs clearly. The album has a very fleshed out sound in each of the songs, something opposite to the second album that Gabriel released a year later which had a dry and very raw production to it, great CD as well. The album jumps in many styles and it sometimes makes the album have a sense that it'll lose it's cohesiveness. Overall, the album has an orchestral rock sound to it, thanks to the big fat production of Bob Ezrin who did a better job at this than Robert Fripp did with "PG 2". "Excuse Me" gets my nod as the funniest and most hilarious song that Gabriel has ever composed. It's a humorous song with a tuba and barbershop band and hilarious tuba playing and the song is a hilarious barbershop theme and the most charming song that he has ever done and is completely opposite to let's say "Lead A Normal Life" and "Darkness". I often listen to this great song to cheer myself up sometimes when I'm down or induced to tears when listening to "Birdy" soundtrack or "The Drop" from the UP album. The album is best known for Peter's first major solo hit single "Solsbury Hill" with it's acoustic guitar and then building up into an electrifying rocker towards the ending. The song is a personal tale of why he left his band Genesis two years before then. There are other great gems to hear on this album. "Excuse Me" and "Solsbury Hill" are just two of them. A highlight in my opinion is the mini-epic "Humdrum". It starts with haunting keyboards and excellent before becoming a energetic rocker and changing tones, all in less than 3:30! The winner on this CD though is the closing theme entitled "Here Comes The Flood" which paved the way for the dramatic direction that Gabriel would take after this album, being an awesome power ballad and unique chord structures. It makes an absolutely stunning closer to this album but only showcased what was to come later on in his career. There is a gorgeous piano version of this song available on the "Shaking The Tree" album that's just as good as this version too. I just wanted to say this classic album finally has gotten a much needed clean up job on it's recording quality. The remastered edition is an incredible improvement over the older CD and brings out much greater volume and better details in the music to where it's almost like a new Peter Gabriel CD."