PLAYS LIVE is the sound of a man finally freeing himself definitively from the shackles that had bound him for years. Admittedly those shackles, being front man for Genesis, one of the most fascinating and consistently creative prog-rock bands of the early '70s, were hardly severe. But they were a constraint nonetheless. (How often could Peter take some fan screaming "Suppers Ready" when trying to debut new material?) Finally, with a substantial body of solo material (four albums, three of them titled PETER GABRIEL), Gabriel was ready to put the ghost of Genesis to rest…
Excellent addition to any Rock music collection.
Peter GABRIEL dug deeper to find the animal within, exploring two very different paths in the process that led to a sort of future primitivism on "Security".
For anyone who hasn't heard PETER GABRIEL, this is an interesting and rewarding place to start.
On the 'Play' DVD PETER GABRIEL provides what in effect is a 'greatest hits' compilation, with the added bonus of consistently excellent videos. Normally there is considerable dispute about the selection for such compilation albums, but it's hard to think of tracks that ought to have been included. These are not necessarily GABRIEL'S best tracks, but they are representative of his career…
Security – which was titled Peter Gabriel everywhere outside of the U.S. – continues where the third Gabriel album left off, sharing some of the same dense production and sense of cohesion, yet lightening the atmosphere and expanding the sonic palette somewhat. The gloom that permeates the third album has been alleviated and while this is still decidedly somber and serious music, it has a brighter feel, partially derived from Gabriel's dabbling in African and Latin rhythms…
Recorded in May 2003 at a single show in the Round in Milan, Italy, this documents Peter Gabriel's worldwide tour following his Up release. As such, it not surprisingly relies heavily on that disc, with seven of the 17 tracks originating from the album…