Dispatches from the Real World: A Peter Gabriel Thread

[wease]

Should I include any solo stuff? I’m familiar enough with Collins’s 80s and 90s output and some of Gabriel’s. I really don’t want to get into any Mike + The Mechanics or shit like that.

[tragabigzanda]

[E.H. Ruddock]

Here's a Genesis thread:

http://forums.theskyiscrape.com/viewtop ... it=genisys

[wease]

From Genesis to Revelation- wow. Just wow. I’m going to admit right off the bat I don’t really know a lot about progressive music. Other than 2-3 Yes tunes and going thru Rush’s discography, I’m pretty much in the dark on it. And if it’s like this first Genesis album, count me out. Thirteen tracks of acoustic guitar and/or piano panned hard left or right with strings/orchestra on the opposite side and the lead vocal 2/3 left or right with background vocals on the other side’s 2/3 and all vocals all but buried in the mix. Combine that with bass and drums that may be on 4-5 of these songs and you really start to wonder just why the fuck they recorded this. In Limbo is about the only track on there I even remotely enjoyed while the opening track started off ok but I ended up being quite impatient and wanting it to be over. The whole thing is like a badly recorded post-Sgt Pepper attempt at some sort of psychedelic mind trip. With the dude from Oasis singing. If things don’t get better, I’m going to have to skip this Gabriel stuff.

[AndySlash]

so i went to the show here last night, which ended up maaaybe half full, and a crowd mostly older than me, and i'm not young. setlist was pretty much the same as the first show on the tour. i enjoyed the show fine but not as much as the one here in 2002. i can appreciate showcasing new material, but 11 songs barely anyone in the arena has heard, let alone a majority of them being low to mid-tempo, is going to challenge any audience and bring any momentum down. the sudden excitement the crowd brought when 'digging in the dirt' hit mid-first set shows that people were willing to get up and have fun, but then it was back to a bunch of new stuff. at least the crowd was generally polite and attentive during the unfamiliar stuff, for the most part. actually, my favorite moment of the night might have been when peter was introducing one of the new songs during the early part of the first set, and a couple bros yelled 'SLEDGEHAMMER!!!1'. peter continued his intro, talking about how way back when, there were people who believed the sun went around the earth, and that there are some people who believe that today. he then added, 'and a couple of them are here tonight.' the staging and visuals are top notch, the band is very good (i loved the horns and how they were integrated in the old songs), and for the most part peter sounded good, but definitely has lost a bit of vocal prowess and had backup singers fill out some of the high parts. dude is 70+, though, so...

song highlight for me was 'don't give up', that shit still packs an emotional punch. it was nice to finally hear biko live, too.

[tragabigzanda]

[wease]

Trespass- this is more like what I was expecting. Leagues above what was accomplished with the first album both in production and songwriting. The timbre of Gabriel’s voice actually reminded me of Collins and from that it’s not hard to imagine Phil singing these tunes after Peter’s departure. Overall, it’s probably not something I’d search out to listen to again but there were a couple of tracks I thought were ok in The Knife and Stagnation.

[AndySlash]

Awesome review, because I was all “Ehhhh” until the end when you said “Don’t Give Up” and “Biko,” and I was like “ok I bet that was worth the price of admission.”

yes, i don't regret going/paying one bit, it just wasn't the most exciting of shows. i'm not sure being familiar with the new songs would have helped any, they're just isn't many highs there. the old stuff played was mostly songs he's been touring with for a long while, but they're great songs. and biko closing, with the band shuffling off one by one as the circular screen with steve biko's face lowered and obscured the stage was as poignant as it ever was, 'what happens next is up to you...'

[wease]

Nursery Cryme- Phillips and Mayhew are out and Hackett and Collins. From the start you can tell this is a renewed hand. The Musical Box opens and already the drumming from Collins is about 37 notches above what’s been recorded for the band up to this point. And sonically, they sound fucking huge. This album is more along the lines of what I expected out of prog-PG-Genesis. Is does a nice job of blending the longer, more experimental tracks with more pop-oriented, shorter ones. It even has Phil on lead vocals on one and co-lead on another, coming on as a vocalist from the get go. Unfortunately, what this album also does is verify that I’m probably not going to get very much into the progressive stuff. I appreciate what goes into it, but it’s really not for me. Sure, I like things here and there, but overall progressive rock doesn’t seem to click for me.

[Higgs]

Yeah, prog rock is generally a big "nope" from me.

[wease]

Foxtrot- so far, this is my favorite. The opener, Watcher of the Skies is bloody brilliant. My favorite of these Gabriel tracks up to this point. Odd time signature, cool riffs. Yes please. The rest of the album is ok. Nothing else really stands out begging me to listen again, but I did really like the section in Supper’s Ready that was in 9/8 time going into the last section. That was way cool. I know it’s a conceit of the genre, but I don’t understand why they cram individual songs together and then call that just one song. This one tune was 23 minutes long. Now, I’m not averse to long songs. I do like some jam bands after all. I just don’t get the thinking behind tracks like that. Especially when I REALLY like parts of it and don’t care one way or the other about other parts.

[wease]

It’s been a bit since I last posted. I haven’t given up on my journey, but my
got it’s a slow ride. I’m about 2/3 thru THE LION LIES DOWN ON
BROADWAY and to say it’s a struggle is an understatement. One thing is for
sure after getting this far: prog rock Genesis is not my bag, baby.

Reviews:
Genesis Live- probably the most enjoyable overall album for me thus far. As
I mentioned before, I REALLY liked Watcher of the Skies and the live version
didn’t change that at all. The other two tracks on Side 1 were ok. Side 2
gets the interesting. The Musical Box and The Knife both have an energy
that (for me) just wasn’t captured on the studio versions. I did listen to the
2009 re-issue and which has 5 more bonus tracks. As I listen, I’m thinking
“this is pretty cool, but I don’t remember it at all.” Well, that’s because they
were 2 years later during the LAMB tour. Again, I actually enjoyed these live
versions, but when listening to the tracks on the LAMB album proper, they
didn’t really have that same magic.

Selling England By The Pound- I quite enjoyed I Know What I Like (In Your
Wardrobe). The rest was just more of the same for me. Cool time
signatures, excellent instrumentation. Just becoming more evident this isn’t
for me. I had to go back and listen to More Fool Me again after I discovered
Collins sang the lead on it. I’m still just amazed at how similar his voice is to
Gabriel’s.

The Lamb Lies On Broadway- as I stated before, I’m about 2/3 thru it. I’m
struggling to muster the motivation to finish it. That’s not to say I haven’t
enjoyed some of the songs. I’ve just grown immensely tired of the form. I’m
ready for something different. I know this is the last to feature Gabriel, so
I’m hoping something happens with the next one.

[tragabigzanda]

[AndySlash]

i'm still into four kinds of horses as an album highlight but otherwise that's pretty spot on with my assessment. at this point i think i'm glad this came out as a trickle because if i was listening to these all for the first time i think i'd be more disappointed.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[tragabigzanda]