ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 194 PETER GABRIEL - SO (1986)

[RJhog (Admin)]

 

Artist: Peter Gabriel

Genre: Singer-Songwriter/Rock/Pop/Prog

Country Of Origin: Britain

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes (as a member of Genesis in 2010/solo 2014)

Album: So

Producer: Daniel Lanois/Peter Gabriel

RJ's Top 5 Tunes: 1. Red Rain...2. Mercy Street...3. Don't Give Up...4. Sledgehammer...5. In Your Eyes

Disclaimer:  All "facts" come from wikipedia.com unless otherwise noted.

Disclaimer #2:  I'm on an 80's kick for the next 10 weeks.  I'm covering an 80's album from each year of the 80's decade, though not in chronological order.  Some of these may be well known to me, some may not be.  But they were all pretty big sellers that left a mark. Out of these ten, I actually had to purchase two of them to feature them here.  I think Scott and Jon are along for the 80's ride as well, maybe.

 

This week we are exploring 1986.  So by Peter Gabriel is another one of those albums that never meant anything to me.  I didn't care all that much for Sledgehammer and quite frankly, I never gave him much of a chance.  That much aside, here is my short review of the album:

 

• This is a rip from the original vinyl.  The CD release had an additional track named This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)
• So reached number one in the U.K. and number two in the U.S.
• It is certified 5 X Platinum by the RIAA.
• The album charted three Top 40 hits in the U.S. (Sledgehammer #1/Big Time #8/In Your Eyes #26.
• Sledgehammer's video was quite popular.  It won numerous awards and, according to Wikipedia, is the most played video of all time on MTV.
• In Your Eyes is my wife's favorite Peter Gabriel song (just sayin').

 

After listening to this a couple of times, I must say I was wrong about this album.  I actually like it.  It's very easy to listen to, even with the world music bits that I've never been a fan of.  And even Sledgehammer sounds better today than it did in the 80's.  I'm not saying I'm ready to dive into his other work, but this was cool.  

 

Side One:

1. Red Rain

2. Sledgehammer

3. Don't Give Up

4. That Voice Again

 

Side Two:

5. In Your Eyes

6. Mercy Street

7. Big Time

8. We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

You will like Jon's post more than this, that is for sure.

[Jon]

Fer shure, fer shure.

[Charlie Gabel]

So is a great album and shows a lot of maturity but I think I like his older more experimental and political  stuff better.

[Mike Mills]

After listening to this, a co-worker turned me on to some older Peter Gabriel that I hadn't heard. )

[Jon]

Could swear that I listened to this in 2011......and I did!

I'm sure you can read my comments from then, but this is definitely his most accessible album. I actually have one of his later albums in my listenin' queue this week, so we'll see how that goes.

Something is wrong with this site today. It's very large and all over the friggin' place. And I'm not on drugs at the moment.