Welcome back to ROTW. It's the day after July 4th and the Randomizer has decreed that we will be listening to English music legend, Peter Gabriel's third solo album, cleverly titled Peter Gabriel. Also known as III (his third solo album, of course) or Melt (look at the cover!). This 2015 reissue will be on my turntable this morning.
This album was released in 1980 when I was kinda getting into prog rock or art rock, whatever you want to call it. I was listening to King Crimson, Yes, ELP, Genesis. Those kinds of bands. Melt was my first Peter Gabriel album. I would listen to this album for days and days. Every song hits for me. No skips, as the kids say. At this point in time, I hadn't yet discovered Kate Bush (that would come a few years later), but I had unknowingly heard her singing backups on this album (No Self Control and Games Without Frontiers), without really realizing who she was. She would later duet with Gabriel on his 1986 album, So. The now-classic song called Don't Give Up.
Back to Melt. This album, it's a like a crazy mix of prog, new wave and post-punk. Maybe that's why his face is melting on the cover. Another thing was that he would not let the drummers use cymbals, so it also has this very tribal feel to it. There are also a couple of protest songs; Games Without Frontiers carries an anti-war sentiment. Biko is about Stephen Biko, the anti-apartheid activist who was murdered by the government in 1977. I've seen Gabriel live a few times and he ended the show with Biko each time, and it was fucking powerful. I dunno if Gabriel still plays live anymore, but go see him if you have a chance. Or look for concert video on the internet. Worth it.
Also, this album feels like a sort of concept album about someone's mind descending into paranoia or some kind of madness. Look at the song titles:
- Intruder
- No Self Control
- I Don't Remember
- Not One of Us
- Lead a Normal Life
Perhaps it's just what he was interested in at the time, or maybe it really was how he was feeling. In any case, it makes for one of the best albums, an all-timer, in my view.
Lastly, this pressing is pretty great. I'm generally happy if the record sounds good. I think at this point, my ears are shot from not taking care of them early on. My gear is probably mid, at best, and I don't see myself upgrading to anything more extravagant anytime soon. It's fine, you buy the best you can afford at the time and go with it. BUT, sometimes I can hear the difference. I have a few of the 2015 Gabriel reissues. This, Security and So. All excellent. I'm sure I'd be raving more if I had better ears & gear. If you're even remotely interested in this album after reading this, this particular pressing is worth tracking down.