Album of the Week - Vol.2

Hit PETER GABRIEL (2003) - 2CD UK Edition
Week: Sun 16th Apr to Sat 22nd Apr
Format: iPod (MP3s)
Producer(s): numerous
Track listing:
CD 1 (HIT)
1. Solsbury Hill *
2. Shock the Monkey (Single edit)
3. Sledgehammer (Single edit)
4. Don't Give Up (Edited version) *
5. Games Without Frontiers (Single edit) *
6. Big Time
7. Burn You Up, Burn You Down
8. Growing Up (Tom Lord-Alge mix) *
9. Digging In The Dirt
10. Blood of Eden (Radio edit)
11. More Than This (Radio edit)
12. Biko (Edited version) *
13. Steam
14. Red Rain
15. Here Comes the Flood (1990 version)
CD 2 (MISS)
1. San Jacinto *
2. No Self Control
3. Cloudless
4. The Rhythm of the Heat
5. I Have the Touch (Robbie Robertson mix)
6. I Grieve
7. D.I.Y. *
8. A Different Drum
9. The Drop
10. The Tower That Ate People (Steve Osborne mix)
11. Lovetown *
12. Father, Son *
13. Signal to Noise
14. Downside Up (live) *
15. Washing of the Water
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 2:30:19

I'm not going to make a habit of choosing compilations or greatest hits albums for these blogs, but I just happened to be listening to this one quite a bit lately. Bizarrely, and fairly out of character for me, my method of choice for digesting this one was to dial it up on my iPod and hit shuffle. I think I liked the unpredictability of it - what song would be next? 

My first big memory of Peter Gabriel came in the form of the vinyl long player So that my dad found among his presents for his fortieth birthday, an age I've now surpassed. That stark black and white image of Gabriel's face, with just a hit of blue. Only the promo sticker gave away the title. I soon became fairly rapt in the music therein. Sledgehammer was a massive hit, and you couldn't escape it due to the film clip being on TV every hour or so. I think I remember the first time I listened to the album, and how the hi-hat intro on Red Rain struck me. Both of these tracks are included here. I'm quite puzzled that In Your Eyes isn't here (it did make onto the US 2CD edition though), as I think that is one of Gabriel's most beloved songs, thanks partly to John Cusack. As fun as Big Time is, I don't think it's as essential to the former Genesis frontman's canon. Who knows how tracks (and their versions) make it onto compilations? 

Despite that oversight, I think this is a pretty good overview for the casual Gabriel fan. I would put myself in that category, but over the last year or so, I've been more intrigued by his work. And by his work ethic. Did you know that since we were pounded by Sledgehammer, he has only released two studio albums? There's been soundtracks, live offerings and other experimentations, but only two solo albums, 1992's Us and 2002's Up. Both releases are represented well here, with my big favourite from the former, Digging In The Dirt, sitting nicely before the latter's Growing Up.

As I wasn't a massive Gabriel fan when I got Hit, this album was how I heard some of these tracks for the first time. Except for Solsbury Hill and Shock the Monkey, I didn't think I knew any of his pre-So catalog. I was surprise
Md to learn that I did know Games Without Frontiers though; I just didn't think it was a Peter Gabriel song for some reason. After being initially disappointed by my first listen of Biko, it's now one of my strong favourites. I particularly like live versions, as he encourages the audience to keep singing while the band leave the stage one by one. 

While not everything here is absolutely stellar, it's all interesting. It's a pet peeve of mine when collections like these aren't in chronological order, but what are you going to do? I think there are better tracks off Up that could have been included, namely The Barry Williams Show and Sky Blue. The latter is somewhat represented in the form of Cloudless, a piece from Gabriel's soundtrack for Rabbit-Proof Fence. All his releases up to 2003 are represented except for the Birdy soundtrack, and the new song Burn You Up, Burn You Down is quite good. I'd recommend this for anyone wanting to have a bit of a sampler of Gabriel's solo work.