I was born in '79, I tend to like older stuff & can't abide 80s production which was starting to come in at this point. I have a lot of respect for Gabriel as a musician but don't really go for anything after his second album, just a personal thing.
Just discovered this thread! 14 pages in and very interesting stuff here. I am a fan of the first two albums, preferring PG1 just a tad over PG2. Both albums are very effective in creating a mood, something that Gabriel would soon master. PG1 establishes Gabriel as his own man, creating music vastly different from what he did in Genesis (excepting Lamb, perhaps.) His experimentation is astounding, and he was just getting started. PG2 continues this concept and expands on it a little. However, PG2 seems to run out of ideas about 3/4 of the way in. We'll get there in time, so I'll just start by saying the On The Air is a remarkable opening track. I just wish this record had a warmer production behind it. Even the 45 rpm version I got a couple years ago comes across as cold and sterile, so I suppose that's the feeling they were trying to achieve.
My bad. When I said "Genesis' original lineup" I should have said "Genesis' classic lineup" with Gabriel, Rutherford, Collins, Hackett and Banks. Thanks for pointing out my mishap.
I just realized that I have "Moribund the Burgemeister" echoing around in my head. There are worse earworms I suppose... Gonna have to listen to the first album again tonight, I suppose I should follow it with the second just to keep up with the discussion.
I re-listened to PG2 last night on headphones, and I have to increase my opinion of this record. Yes, the sound quality is extremely dry and gritty, and Gabriel’s voice often sounds thin and desperate, but there are some amazing songs here. If I just roll with what’s there rather than wishing it were different, it’s a great ride. The country influence of some of the slower, shorter songs is something he wouldn’t revisit much in his career. Indigo is truly touching. For me, the weakest spots are where he tries too hard to rock out - Animal Magic and Perspective. Recorded differently, this could have been received more positively. But it wasn’t, and what we have exhibits its own charms.
Thanks, Mark, for past, present, and future pics of PG. -- (both in this thread and the Genesis Album By Album thread) -- The camera agrees with PG. I've never seen a bad photo of Gabriel. Keep 'em coming!
PG2 -- I've given it another listen today ( after a decade or so since I last listened to it ). This is my take on it : 1) Fripp's production is not to my liking (overall). Not necessarily 'bad', but … His production just doesn't favorably stretch over this album. 2) Larry Fast's synths heavily "date" this album. -- I LOVE Fast's catalog (Synergy) … his synth-work just doesn't translate well to PG's songs 3) The songs are not as memorable as PG1 (for me). 4) Overall : Good - to - great songs. They are less dimensional than PG1 : and that has be down to the production choices that Fripp employed (IMO). Upon listening to PG2 tonight, I have to say it wasn't as bad or as crappy as I remembered. However, I think I've zeroed-in on why I won't be playing this album too many more times. If I ever burn another compilation of PG's stuff, I may include two or three songs from PG2, but that's about it. Easily, for me, the weakest link in PG's catalog.
I listened to Car and Scratch today with some of this discussion in mind. I listen to Scratch pretty often already but the second half of Car was a bit of a refresher. I have to say I think PG2 is better overall. My main hesitation in saying so is that I think Solsbury Hill is my #1 favorite song ever, and the rest of that same side I think is very good as well. But I think side B of Scratch is better. To me Indigo is stronger than any of the songs on PG1 side B, and one of his most intimate, vulnerable songs out of them all. I agree with another comment that this second album had a special kind of directness and straightforward honesty to it that was never quite matched. Certainly songs like Come Talk to Me and Darkness are intimate too, but it seems like they have a greater percentage of wanting to be strong pop songs at the same time, versus something like Indigo which doesn't seem as concerned with that. In my opinion the weakest songs on each are Waiting For The Big One and Exposure, respectively. I prefer Exposure's funk style to the blues of Waiting.. but I find it a bit of a boring jam that doesn't go anywhere. Waiting.. has more raw musical content to it, but that heavy part (which is cool, and reminds of the Beatles' "She's So Heavy") comes in like 3 times and i'm kinda not sure what the flow of the song is supposed to be. There's a couple motifs in Modern Love and Slowburn that seem to reappear in On The Air. I understand how one could dismiss Animal Magic and Perspective as being sort of boring rockers, and the latter does have that SNL vibe to it (at least 50% because of the sax I'd say). But for example they each have quite interesting and proggy sort of bridges which are easy to forget about, and I think they're both catchier songs than Slowburn for example.
I just noticed that on my record shelf, which is arranged alphabetically/chronologically, Fripp's "Exposure" sits next to the Blue Car album. And they're both blue and share a song.
Compared to what anyone else was doing on synth in 1978, I think those parts hold up pretty darned well.
I think Fast's synths on PG2 do not travel time too well - -- They sound dated in my recent listening experience. His solo works are a different story / atmosphere. I think Larry Fast is brilliant, but his involvement with this particular album doesn't necessarily give it eternal life - imho. -- That's all.
PG 2 is kind of a mixed bag, if you skip Animal Magic and Perspective, it's really good. I prefer the original non remastered CD.
The second album is a step down from the brilliant debut. The first one was packed with great tracks; 2 sounds like leftovers, a series of afterthoughts. There’s nothing which stands out, in fact looking at the tracklisting only DIY is memorable, probably because it was the single. The weakest of the Gabriel albums for me.
I disagree, there's several beautiful tracks, the ones that stands out are Mother of Violence, White Shadow, Indigo, Flotsam and Jetsam and Home Sweet Home. DIY I find a bit boring. I like the album, not his weakest.
D.I.Y. We start with a thumping bass and a really nice little guitar motif that leads into a scale run of sorts, the second time through we hit the chorus and the song proper begins. The verses come across as very restrained and the song has a feeling of being keyboard lead although all the instruments are in there. Some nice rhythmic elements help to give the track a bit of urgency. I do like this track, but feel it comes across as a little flat compared to the live version I was familiar with first. This was also the first single off the album. I am unsure what the b-side was, as I haven't been able to find that out from my searches. Anyhow, this is a very good song based lyrically around the DIY movement that was growing at the time.
It's always subjective as to best - worst, which tend to really mean like - dislike (or like less) I think this album is really good, but I think either the recording or mixing process didn't quite work. Also it seems there is some odd kind of eq on this album, which leaves it a little mid rangey or something. Mother of Violence is up in my favourite Gabriel tracks. I think a couple of tracks on side two are lesser songs, but I don't think that should be interpreted as me, personally, not liking the album at all.
