CD Odyssey Disc 777: Peter Gabriel

I’ve been trying to cut back on CD purchases so I can better grok the backlog I already have, but yesterday I relapsed and bought 4 albums. I blame two of them on my music buddies encouraging me (Heart’s “Little Queen” and a collection of Patsy Cline songs). The other two (Townes Van Zandt’s “At My Window” and Justin Townes Earle’s “Midnight at the Movies”) are entirely my fault.

Today I’m heading over to my friend Chris’ place to play some vinyl because…music is the best! But first, here’s a review to entertain you while I’m out.

Disc 777 is….So

Artist: Peter Gabriel

Year of Release: 1986

What’s up with the Cover? The classic “head and shoulder” shot. You could put this one on an election sign, except for the fact that Peter isn’t smiling.

How I Came To Know It: Everyone knew this album in the day, but in terms of the CD Odyssey this is one of Sheila’s. She’s had this album forever.

How It Stacks Up: We only have one Peter Gabriel album and this is it, so it can’t stack up against anything.

Ratings: 4 stars

How long does it take before an overplayed song ceases to wreck an entire album for you? In the case of “So” it takes 29 years. I am ‘so’ over hating this album.

The hatred began with the video for “Sledgehammer.” When I was a teenager watching videos was just something you did, often for hours on end. In 1986 you could not avoid the video of Peter Gabriel’s head being transformed through claymation into various shapes. These shapes depicted the stupid and constantly shifting images in the lyrics. Most kids would go on and on about how great this apparently was at school each day. Because of the groundbreaking video, it got played long after it had left the charts. When it wasn’t on, the station would find an excuse to play “Big Time” instead. Outside of the Power Hour, there was no respite from this Goddamn album for most of my high school experience.

And the surprising thing twenty-nine years later is that “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time” are pretty good songs. Both have a groovy funk beat, and “Sledgehammer” has a killer horn section as well. Neither is even close to being the best song on this excellent record that I never gave a fair listen to until just now.

1986 production wrecked a lot of albums, but “So” makes the eighties sound an asset, blending it perfectly with African beats, R&B and a smattering of big band. It is an ambitious record that pulls off a miracle and makes it all work. A lot of this credit goes to the genius of Peter Gabriel who brings a lot of blues and soul to his vocal performance. Equal credit goes to producer Daniel Lanois. Lanois makes the up-tempo songs pop with energy, and his expansive atmospheric sound add a gravitas to the slow and sad stuff.

The album begins with “Red Rain,” which marries both sounds into a dream-sequence that is otherworldly, romantic and ominous in equal measure. All the weird percussion decisions that bounce through this song shouldn’t work, but yet they do. The only person who does the same thing with equivalent skill that I can think of is Tom Waits.

The hurt in Gabriel’s voice is palpable on this record, including one of rock and roll’s most wonderful and enduring love songs, “In Your Eyes.” A five star song that for years I couldn’t listen to just because of its appearance in the movie “Say Anything.”

I saw “Say Anything” shortly after being dumped by the first love of my life. Hearing a five-star song about the undeniable urge to be with the one you love, in a movie featuring the same experience, and knowing that is not an option for you was not easy. I sat in the theatre that day, tears streaming down my face, helplessly trapped in the collision between life and art. My poor friend had brought me to the movies to cheer me up.

Fortunately that pain passed and I found a new love of my life, as one does (take heart, suffering 19 year olds!) I learned to love “Say Anything” and now I love this album as well. As for “In Your Eyes” the energy of this song continues to flow through me like a river. Not just because of how I felt in 1989, but because it is one of the most powerful love songs ever penned.

While nothing on “So” hits as hard as “In Your Eyes” there is plenty of excellence around every corner. Gabriel’s duet with Kate Bush on “Don’t Give Up” is heartbreaking and inspiring. “Mercy Street” is atmospheric and feels almost ritualistic in its construction. Both songs are over six minutes, but leave you wishing there was more.

The only song that I don’t like at some level is “We Do What We’re Told” which takes too long to get moving, and reminds me too much of the empty modern sounds of techno. Fortunately it is immediately followed by the record’s final song, “This is the Picture (Excellent Birds).” This song is a master class in syncopation and the slow and thoughtful layering of percussive sound. It isn’t just clever either; it is a joy to listen to.

There are only nine songs on “So” and each has something different and compelling to offer. Lyrically, musically and in its production, “So” is a thoughtful and honest record. My only regret is it took so long for me to realize it.

Best tracks:  Red Rain, Don’t Give Up, In Your Eyes, Mercy Street, This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)