Help me dive into Peter Gabriel's solo career

Car (1) or Melt (3) then Security (4). If you're still excited at that point, you can go back to Scratch (2), but it's definitely two steps down. I find subsequent works to be of a lesser caliber.

 

That was actually my initiation into PG fandom. I had heard PG's hits over the years and maybe the So album, I'm don't remember the chronology exactly. I was a senior in high school and I was at Best Buy and saw PG's Up and I believe it just happened to be its release day. For some reason I felt compelled to get it. Don't know why. At first I was disappointed with it as it's not as accessible as his earlier stuff, but I stuck with it and came to really like it. Following that, which I believe coincided with the reissuing of his catalog, I started picking up his other albums. I also saw him on that tour the following summer. So I like Up quite a bit, but if I'm trying to get someone into PG or someone is interested in getting into PG I would not have them start with Up. I think PG 3 and So are the obvious ones, but PG1 and Security aren't bad choices either although PG1 is a bit spotty but its best songs are great.

 

I've always likened his solo career to a fibonacci sequence. His first two albums culminate in the phenomenal PG3, while PG3 and Security culminate in So. After So, the world's his oyster. Us and Up have great songs on them. OvO has one of my favorite solo songs. I guess I go for them all.

 

You just don't find this level of intellectual discourse at other music forums!

 

Well, a quick reply back for the kind folks recommending titles, I am absolutely in love with the first album.. (Car) 'Humdrum' is currently my favorite one on there. Such a varied track full of all sorts of styles, and then goes into just a terrific place at 2:00 in. I think I am in for a good journey!

 

Go in order, the first four are brilliant and joyously different from each other. That's what I did back in 1983, and never regretted it.

 

I agree but I would add "Plays Live", a great live album.

 

Keep us posted on your musical journey with what you like, dislike, etc!

 

Sidebar: PG 3 and 4 (aka Security) were also released with Peter singing in German.

I don't speak any German, but hearing his songs in a language you can't understand makes for a very interesting experience.

You really get a feel for the music underlying the lyrics, and how his delivery affects the overall mood.

Cheers,
Paul

 

I know that there's two different versions of this - a double album and a highlights version.

Is there any consensus on where a beginner should start? I dig the double, but I'm wondering if a beginner might be better served by the highlights version before digging deeper.

Cheers,
Paul

 

Double, or you miss out on Not One Of Us

 

Do not understand the lyrics is a handicap if you like music but indeed is a very interesting experience, for instance I love Kraftwerk in german (among others)
but my german sucks.

 

Have this on the DVD single "More Than This" great mix!

 

And "Intruder"!

 

After the run of his albums up to and including "Passion", I thought that "Us" was somewhat weaker... Less consistent at least.

One of my best friends, who had originally gotten me into Peter Gabriel around the release of the third album, was talking about "Us" and commented "he should have called it "So So"...

 

Does anyone have the highlights remaster and can post DR numbers? I'm curious about something

 

What about starting with the compilation "Shaking The Tree"?... that worked for me when I was a young lad. This compilation is great as it has exclusive recordings and mixes so it's different from the albums and works as a standalone release while giving you an excellent view of Peter Gabriel's career

 

Did you check the Peter Gabriel on CD thread from a few years ago? I think there are charts and graphs there for all Charisma and Geffen releases.

 

PG I, PG III and So are essential. Can't say anything he does is bad. The Passion soundtrack is highly recommended as well as US and UP. I also liked his more recent album of Orchestral rearrangements, Red Blood.

 

But it sadly opened the floodgates for others to use that same processing, which ruined it for me. Much like Cher's use of autotune. Instead of bring a brilliant one-off use of a novel effect, it became mindlessly overused. I blame Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham.

 

Ooh good call Jeff

 

The search function is your friend, newbie!

 

Hangs head in shame... Couldn't find much, found some old EAC levels, about it

 

When I was I young man (i.e., during the 80s), I thought PG3 was Gabriel's masterpiece. These days, the album seems histrionic and over-the-top to me in a lot of places, including the "swarm of bees" segment of "No Self Control, the final couple of minutes of "Not One Of Us," and parts of "I Don't Remember."Although Gabriel's hysteria is not inappropriate, given that the album is largely about psychological disturbance, these days I much prefer Gabriel's subtler work -- in particular, Security and So. No doubt that's largely a function of age and lifestyle -- when I want to hear some music after a long day at the office or while raking leaves in the backyard, "Intruder" and "No Self Control" just don't fit the bill. Still, I heartily recommend the album to adventurous 16-year-olds everywhere, or to older folks who haven't mellowed as much as I have.

 

Security was among the first handful of CDs I bought. And boy did it knock me on my butt.