PETER GABRIEL/III CDS 4019 (-80) UK

 

                                                                                  

While his old mates in Genesis got more commercial in the early eighties, climbing the lists, Gabriel went even deeper than before.  Correspondingly successful, but not as crowdpleasing.  I appreciated both directions back then as they spoke to different moods and very well done in their own separate ways.  But for some reason this and his fourth album have stayed unlistened by me for over twenty years, so now I'm picking them out from the shelf again trying to rekindle.  And it doesn't take me long to rediscover this is a great album, sincere and strangely catchy.  After all this time "And Through The Wire" still gives me goosebumps with its raw guitar riff and fervent vocals, "Games Without Frontiers" still gripping and "Biko" still hits me as important. As you know I'm usually not very fond of albums were electronics substitute real instruments, but Gabriel was one of few who could do it and make it feel just right, here with help from Robert Fripp, Phil Collins, Jerry Marotta and Kate Bush among others.  Very happy I gave it a second chance but a little sad it took me so long.  Now I will return to "And Through The Wire" again and maybe move around a little to the beat.  Issued and reissued on every possible format all over the world through the years. First US on Mercury (SRM 1-3848), also in a German language version as "Ein Deutsches Album" (Charisma 6302 035) . Premiere UK had labels as shown here in a thin fully laminated cover with pic/lyric/info collage inner.  (GYÄ*)  (CÄX*)