| Peter Gabriel | |||||
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| Studio album by Peter Gabriel | |||||
| Released | May 30 1980 | ||||
| Recorded | Late 1979 | ||||
| Genre | Experimental Rock Pop Rock |
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| Length | 45:32 | ||||
| Label | Charisma/Virgin (UK) Mercury(originally), Geffen (US) |
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| Producer | Steve Lillywhite | ||||
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| Peter Gabriel chronology | |||||
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| Alternate cover | |||||
2002 reissue cover
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Peter Gabriel, released in 1980, is Peter Gabriel's third eponymous album and his first (and only) for Mercury Records and re-issued in 1983 on Geffen Records. The album was met with wide critical acclaim and contains two of Gabriel's most famous songs, "Games Without Frontiers," which reached the U.S. Top 50, and "Biko". It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalog in 2002. This album is often referred to as Melt, referring to the album cover by Storm Thorgerson using image manipulation techniques employing a Polaroid SX-70 instant camera (though Thorgerson has said that Gabriel himself was involved with the smudging of several photos from the same session, and he does not remember whether he or Gabriel is responsible for the cover's final look.) This album marked the first reunion of Gabriel with a member from Genesis: drummer, and current Genesis vocalist (as Gabriel's successor), Phil Collins.
Contents |
Track listing
All songs written by Peter Gabriel.
- "Intruder" – 4:54
- "No Self-Control" – 3:55
- "Start" – 1:21
- "I Don't Remember" – 4:41
- "Family Snapshot" – 4:28
- "And Through the Wire" – 5:00
- "Games Without Frontiers" – 4:06
- "Not One of Us" – 5:22
- "Lead a Normal Life" – 4:14
- "Biko" – 7:32
Personnel
- Peter Gabriel – vocals, piano, synthesizer, bass synthesizer, percussion
- Kate Bush – backing vocals
- Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
- Larry Fast – synthesizer, bass synthesizer
- Robert Fripp – guitar
- John Giblin – bass
- Dave Gregory – guitar
- Tony Levin – Chapman stick
Additional personnel
- Phil Collins – drums, snare drum, surdo
- Dick Morrissey – saxophone
- Morris Pert – percussion
- David Rhodes – guitar, backing vocals
- Paul Weller – guitar
Critical praise
In 1989, the album was ranked #45 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2000; Q magazine placed the album at number 53 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
Miscellanea
The song "Family Snapshot" was inspired by An Assassin's Diary, published in 1973 and written by Arthur Bremer, who attempted to assassinate George Wallace. Gabriel talked about the book in an authorized biography of him written by Spencer Bright and published (ISBN 0-283-99498-3) in 1988:
- An Assassin's Diary was a really nasty book, but you do get a sense of the person who is writing it. Bremer was obsessed with the idea of fame. He was aware of the news broadcasts all over the world and was trying to time the assassination to hit the early evening news in the States and the late night in Europe to get maximum coverage.
Phil Collins and Jerry Marotta's drum sound on this album (notable for its lack of cymbals) was a strong influence on Public Image Ltd's Flowers of Romance.[1] Collins, in turn, was so impressed with Flowers of Romance that he hired that album's engineer, Nick Launay, for his first solo album Face Value .[1]
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billboard Pop Albums | 22 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Games Without Frontiers" | Billboard Pop Singles | 48 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | June 2 1980 |
References
- ^ a b M, Scott (February 2003). Nick Launay interview. Fodderstompf.com. F&F Publishing. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
External links
| Peter Gabriel |
|---|
| Studio Albums |
| Peter Gabriel I (Car) | Peter Gabriel II (Scratch) | Peter Gabriel III (Melt) | Peter Gabriel IV (Security) | So | Us | Up | Big Blue Ball |
| Live Albums |
| Plays Live | Secret World Live |
| Encore Series: 2003 | 2004 | 2007 |
| Soundtracks |
| Birdy | Passion | OVO | Long Walk Home |
| Compilations |
| Shaking the Tree | Revisited | Hit |
| DVDs |
| Secret World Live | Growing Up Live | | Play: The Videos | |
| German Albums |
| Ein Deutsches Album | Deutsches Album |
