Peter Gabriel - US (1992) - Is it ani good?

I mean it seems like another "So" so the question is wh listen to US when u've got SO?

What ur opinions on this album, is it past his prime or is it worth checking out?

 

I enjoy more Us than So.

 

The only album I really like by Gabriel is "So". I bought "Us" but found it boring and dreary in comparison.

 

I like it more than "So". It's more mature, the sound and the arrangements are way more refined and creative IMO.
"Come Talk to Me", "Secret World", "Digging in the Dirt" and especially "Blood of Eden" are all excellent tracks.

 

Us is Gabriel on the one hand doubling down on the pop sound that helped make So so huge. "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" are like "Sledgehammer 2" and "3". That said, he's got some interesting variants on his So sound, working more in an ambient realm. It's engaging and rich material, if not as buoyant as So fans might have liked.

 

Hmm, as a fan of Peter Gabriels Pre-So era, would US be just too far from the taste buds?

 

Definitely worth checking out. It's a progression bast the commercial sound is "So", similar to So perhaps but the t's tires are more dense.

Check out the songs Come Talk to Me, Digging in the Dirt and Steam.

 

I see two main eras of Gabriel's music: the non-commercial one (1-4) and the commercial one (So - Up). Actually, there's the third stage when Gabriel started doing something really weird and not particularly interesting.
"Melt" is the masterpiece of his non-commercial era, while "Up" is my favorite among his commercial albums. But these two albums are so different as if they were recorded by different artists.

Since "Genesis" is one of my favorite bands (if not my favorite), I was a huge fan of Gabriel until I saw "Live in Athens". I haven't been to a Gabriel gig but I certainly don't like his approach of editing / re-recording bits and pieces of live performances. In fact, "raw" recordings that I've seen demonstrate that nowadays he's not particularly good live. He used to be very good, though. His 1978 Rockpalast performance is one of the best concert videos I've ever seen.

 

Great album----very much as good as So. I was surprised by the half-assed rolling stone review when the album came out.

His 3rd album is still his best.

 

Great album, if you avoid Kiss that Frog and Steam which are just Sledgehammer knock-offs. The rest of it is excellent. Very much informed by Gabriel's long term therapy sessions, Love to Be Loved, Come Talk to Me, Digging in the Dirt. would love this to get the His Res treatment.

 

Washing of the Water is a standout on Us for me. I liked the album a lot at the time, but I've not really listened to it properly for ages.
Having said that, his performances of Digging in the Dirt and Secret World on the recent Back to Front tour were superb.

 

Really? Would you advise me to see "Back to Front"?

 

I listen to ''So'', ''Us'' & ''Up'' a lot. Those three albums are all masterpieces in my book. ''Us'' is my personal favourite!

 

It's a bit inconsistent, but I think overall it's very good. "Come Talk To Me", "Love To Be Loved", "Blood Of Eden", "Washing Of The Water", "Digging In The Dirt" and "Secret World" are all among my favourite Peter Gabriel songs. PG3 is my favourite Peter Gabriel album, but it's close between So and this one for the second place.

 

I think it's his best album. Other albums have higher moments and the first half of 3 is probably his most consistent side, but Us is a wonderful album from start to finish. Steam is possibly the weakest track on it if that's the only one you've heard.

 

Interesting, i'll think about checking it out

 

I agree that it is the weakest track. There are some sublime songs on "Us" and I rate it very high in the Gabriel canon.

 

It's my favorite set of PG songs, although I generally prefer the versions on Secret World Live for most of them. Take out "Kiss That Frog" and you've got one of the best breakup albums of all time.

 

What do u Gabriel fans think of Waiting for the Big One on his first album? I'm I right in saing it would be a better album without that track? It sounds like a Rand Newman outtake.

 

To answer your fractured query "US" is a worthy follow up and while it might lack the highs of "So", it's more consistent to me. I like the album a lot but it stiffed because it didn't quite have quite the same strong commercial singles.

Sinead O'Conner does a fine job on the album as well.

 

Actually you would be incorrect on that. But it is what it is. You probably have the means to never listen to the track should you so desire.

 

Yes. It's well worth watching. Those two songs in particular (Digging in the Dirt and Secret World) are full of energy.
There's a great onstage dynamic between Gabriel, Tony Levin and David Rhodes.

 

Is it also full of noticeable re-recordings and overdubs?
Anyway, I'll check it out. Thanks for advice.

 

I think it's would agree that the live versions are generally superior. It's one of those gigs where the visuals work so well too. The phone booth during come talk to me is a fabulous idea I saw that tour at Earls Court and it remains one of the best gigs I've ever experienced.

 

It's a wonderful album, I like it ten times more than So!! I'd only leave Steam off the record, and it'd be perfect...
It's got my three favourite Peter Gabriel songs ever:
Blood of Eden
Love To be Loved
Come Talk To Me
Wonderful Lanois production too... My favourite PG album.