Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Like it
Post Genesis Peter Gabriel is so good and almost timeless
mauvais album pour une mauvaise journée, how fitting
The electronic sounds going on throughout the album don't really work for me. If not for that It feels almost like a Duran Duran album or something like that. Not much from this album that left an impression enough that I will remember or think about after today.
Meh
cool
Could have lived without this
Album 33/1001 Wow, this actually blew me away. A flawless work of art from the OG Progfather, PG. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Favourite song: I Don't Remember 🤔
Im so glad I gave this more than one listen. The first run through didn't completely catch my attention but the next listen hooked me. It's got the prog element of Genesis but with some pop sentiments all while being artsy in the best way. Through the wire is an absolute banger.
What a pleasant surprise. I knew some Peter Gabriel songs before this but had never listened to a full album of his before. I added most of these songs to my Liked Songs.
Like Phil collins. Absolutely no.
Neat
Given the general vibe and a few very strong tunes, this is probably my favorite Peter Gabriel record I’ve heard so far.
This was very up and down for me. It started out with a slog of a song. I really liked I Don't Remember and Family Snapshot, and then the rest felt forgettable. I don't love the 80's new-wave sound overall so that plays into it.
Say Peter Gabriel, and you say Biko. In my opinion, a more appealing song than Sledgehammer. Even in the first track of this album, I already heard Biko...
Infinitely more enjoyable than So. This feels like a mix of the instrumentals of Bruce Springsteen alongside 80's Genesis production. Pretty enjoyable. I haven't been the biggest fan of Peter Gabriel if I'm honest, Sledgehammer was the only song I actually enjoyed by him. But this album redeems it. I quite enjoyed this one frankly. For a 45 minute album it sure felt quicker. I really enjoyed some of the islander collective singing in this thing too. Fav: And Through The Wire
I found some of the tracks on this album had a sort of unsettling quality. Haunted house but all the ghouls are sad about something.
A good album, but not flawless. The opener rocks and sets a good, claustrophobic tone for the rest of the album. Unfortunately nothing from the first side really reaches the same high as Intruder. I much preferred Side B, the variety of style here worked a lot better for me particularly the track Lead a Normal Life. I am certainly glad this was shorter than Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, I liked that album but I really don't know if I could deal with this being three times longer. Overall, this was really close to being a 4/5 for me, but considering that I didn't gel with like half the songs on this album but I really like a couple of tracks it's a strong 3. Highlights: Intruder, Games Without Frontiers, Lead a Normal Life
Great album. Doesn't do it for me like "So" does, but this one is a bit more artistic and less typical 80s pop sounds. Very cool from front to back. Some songs that would end up forgettable but sandwiched between some really great ones. Not flawless, but definitely void of any major flaws.
Favorite Track: Games Without Frontiers
"one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians".
Good album
Fav: I Don’t Remember Least Fav: Intruder Peter Gabriel 3/5
I’m starting to reach the point where I am hearing multiple albums by the same artists on this list, and it really makes me question the need to hear them. This is a fine album. Good hooks, fun production, etc. But there’s a nagging feeling that even some of the bad albums deserve a spot more than making sure multiple albums of a discography are here. It should be more of a suggested listening if you find Sledgehammer getting stuck in your head after hearing it for this project.
I’ve always preferred Collins-era Genesis over Gabriel-era Genesis because I found the Gabriel songs to be generally ponderous, meandering or weird. I feel the same way about Gabriel’s solo work. With a few exceptions, I just can’t get into his solo work. “So” is the biggest exception as it was very commercial but each of his earlier albums had one or two tracks I can get into. Overall I would give this 3.5/5. Nothing I hated but not enough bright spots for me to want to own it either.
P3
Being a massive fan of Genesis and liking "So", this has been on my list for years but for some reason I've just never got around to listening to it. I really like it, reminds me a bit of The Dreaming by Kate Bush. Wacky, dark at times pop music. The opening tracks get you straight in, thundering drums, dissonant chords but a real sense of melody. Excellent song writing. Good stuff throughout.
Second part is a bit worse but great record overall.
Definitely needs more listens, but good enough that a couple of songs have been added to my playlist. My first full Peter Gabriel album.
Very 80s. Didn't like it.
3 indeed
This guy melts my heart.
Peter Gabriel delivers again the best art rock/pop out there, with some nice guests like the unique Robert Fripp! Catchy, eclectic and artsy as I love it.
No idea what to expect from this. He was in genesis right? So like accessibly pretentious? Okay yep at track one i was primed for a bad time but its mostly inoffensive i can see why you could really live Peter Gabriel just not really my bag. Getting bored of his singing voice??? Idk why its perfectly decent. Games without Frontiers and I was like Oh its know this one!!!! And then decided i dont like it at all lmao. Idk it has its moments maybe. There are points here that make me think i could probably enjoy it more after a few listens but idk if i can be arsed. I can't really think of a situation in which id be itching to hear it. Here comes the 3.
Started out kind of cool dark synth pop. Lots of xylophone sounds. Kinda fizzled out on the interesting after first three or so songs
This was my first time listening to this album, though I’ve known about it for a while. The only other solo Peter Gabriel album I’ve heard is “So”, which was decent, but I really enjoyed this one, and of the two, this is definitely my favorite so far. Right off the bat, I was impressed by the musicians who contributed, especially Kate Bush, Phil Collins, and Robert Fripp, who stand out among the lineup. Equally important were Steve Lillywhite and Hugh Padgham, whose production and sound engineering really brought this album to life. I’m not too familiar with them, but I know they worked on a lot of art pop and art rock albums in the 80s, and it feels like this album’s production set a benchmark for the innovative, sophisticated sound that became a hallmark of that era. From the opening track, you notice a crystal clear, layered effect that creates a three dimensional soundscape. Unlike the often muddy production of 70s rock, this album stacks multiple tracks with distinct effects, volumes, and densities, giving the music pristine depth and clarity. On the flip side, some might argue this polished approach strips away the natural, live feel of a band’s performance, replacing it with something that can sound a bit manufactured. Still, I think every style has its time and place, and album was incredibly forward thinking, helping define the standards for 80s art rock.
A lot more of the quintessential Peter Gabriel sound comes through on most of this album. A couple of kinda oddball, experimental type tracks here, but it doesn't hinder the experience.
Just could not get into it, production is fantastic but it’s just too weird and feels like it’s trying too hard to be weird
Exceptional, experimental 80s rock with some phenomenal production. I very quickly knew this album stood above most of the rest and the rest of the album only confirmed that.
I have No Self Control. Just Start with this album and you may have the same issue.
Gabriel did himself a real disservice by eschewing cymbals. There’s a whole range of ultra-high frequencies that the cymbals fill in recorded music, and without that, the whole thing just sounds like it’s missing something. Which is a real shame because there’s some great melodies and lots of interesting sounds that would have been elevated by not arbitrarily cutting out one part of the drum kit.
3/10
As a child raised on Genesis something in my dna activated like I'm some sort of prog rock sleeper cell.
I could—and should—really spend some time with this album. It features songs of a genuinely high quality: like the best parts of the Peter Gabriel album I know best, So, *without* the super-annoying “Sledgehammer.” Heh. “Games Without Frontiers” is exquisite. And “No Self Control” isn’t far behind.
Games without frontiers was good. Everything else was kinda lame
Wasn’t in the mood for artsy dog warter music
Have the vinyl. Classic!
Aika puuroa
Liked a few of the songs. No complaints.
Pas transcendant.
Solid music. I’d listen again.
Weird
1 good song
Vaya coñazo de persona. No entiendo el prestigio suyo ni de Genesis. Sencillamente no canta bien. Este disco tiene dos tipos de canciones: las que parece que no empiezan nunca y las que parece que no se acaban nunca. Ambas son desagradables para el oyente. Y ahora podemos hablar de sonidos ultra modernos y de vanguardia, de acordes y cambios de tonalidad, de polirritmos y de lo que queramos, pero sencillamente no tiene canciones buenas ni es agradable cantando. Nadie debió regalarle un teclado Casio a este hombre en plena crisis personal.
It was okay. Perfectly serviceable album.
It's a masterpiece. Loved it. All the tracks are just great songwriting, production, lyrics and are really evocative. Truly a pioneer.
No cymbals. You either notice it within the first few songs or you never notice it, but there are no cymbals. This was completely intentional. That describes the whole album, it feels very intentional despite how crazy and artsy the whole thing is. It's impressive how many influences and weird experiments he can throw into one album and have it come out great. The innovation of the album brings out a lot of really cool aspects in it and generally a lot more emotion compared to the other stuff I've heard from him, especially on songs like Intruder or And Through the Wire. This was also the first album to use gated reverb, so that's a plus. The best part of the album, however, is that it didn't make Kate Bush sound boring. I will forever despise So for not being able to do the same.
A thoroughly enjoyable album that I would like to listen to again.
I liked this album, despite some of the songs being a bit slow
A bit challenging to get through, but I get this record's importance due to when it was released. 3/5
Prima te luisteren, maar kan mij niet zo bekoren.
Big Peter Gabriel fan and while a couple of these cuts are amongst my favorites, this is not my favorite album. In my collection and a wonderful listen
8/10
ADN Génesis. Te atrapa en su sonido desde el principio. Una percusión interesante en muchos momentos, y melodías imprevisibles que hacen que sea una escucha muy agradable. 6/10
Un autre album pop sombre et torturé dans la même semaine que Blackstar de Bowie. Voyons, ça va bien, générateur? Tu nous as finalement rejoins dans le fond du gouffre? Comment est la vue? Ouain, sinon pour l'album, du lourd une fois de plus provenant de Peter, définitivement à réécouter par temps sombre dans les ruelles
3 sterne
Despite having heard some Peter Gabriel in the earlier 1980s, much of this album was a surprise to me. That may be a condemnation of Top-40 stations. This album wasn't what I was expecting, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Another 1k1Albums win.
Became meh at times but solid album.
I feel like I need a perm and shoulder pads to listen to this
ha scho gern peter gabriel, aber sas hani nonie glost. intruder super athmosphäre mit de gated drums und de ruhige stimm wooow. und dass d drums so abgschnitte sind schafft mega platz. super geil. No self control super cools xylophon. uiii de refrain mit giti und riese trommle. hets kei cymbals?? het de phil collins bi in the air tonight bitz bi dem abgluegt? i dont remember huuere sehr rockig und sehr prominente tüüfe tüfe bass. aha zum teil isch de phil collins am schlagzüg. family snapshot suuuper cool cheesy 80er. aber denn doch mega tüfi irgendwie. de fretless bass isch super gabriel für mich irgendwie. ooookay through the wire au seeehr cool. und kei cymbals uf dem album confirmed dur wikipedia. not one of us slappt au heert. de bridge teil mit phasey synth isch fucking cool. yööööööösss lead a normal life isch irgendwie nume en halbe song. biko - protestsong für en ermordete anti apartheid aktivist. fangt schomol mit südafrikanischem gsang aah. bin sehr knapp bimne füfi afoch usem grund dasi nüt nüt negativs chan sege und eigentli jede song spannend gfunde han
asoo hans album im regio richtig asti glost und muss sege hans nöd würkli gnosse d kreativität isch definitiv daa gsi aber v.a. biko ischmer recht ufd nerve gange hans gfühl ide richtige mood wärs es 3 aber han gmerkt, dassi kei bock han zums nomal lose, drum 2, sorry vorname vorname
A decent listen. Loved it.
Wow. I think I lost some respect for Peter Gabriel after listing to this album.
An alright album on the whole. It had its moments of weirdness and I feel they let the rest of the songs down Like why did he start the opening track with guitars screeching?! Unpleasant and ruined the song. The good songs though were very catchy! 3 ⭐️
Good album. Captures the listener’s attention with interesting arrangements and themes.
I like the 'no cymbals' rule. Engaging, thoughtful, listenable in spite of being Peter Gabriel. The singles were the best thing about the album, though, which slightly disappointed. Low 4 star.
Peter Gabriel, _3_ ⭐️⭐️ Undeniably nice music for your stereo circa 1980, but ultimately incohesive and boring. Straight-up boomer music heralding the coming of very self-serious AOR and VH1 content for the white people who weren't young or plugged-in enough for the scads of cooler new wave, postpunk records emerging. World music, international political causes, and then some interesting electronic-infused music to go along with it. This is like the record KBCO was founded on, for the four people who will understand what that reference. So, like, would you rather listen to the voice of the youth in U2, INXS, The Cars or something you can dance or rock to... or listen to a rousing chant about Stephen Biko and the South African struggle? Most dated, dumbest track of the record: _Games Without Frontiers_. Really it's deeply stupid as it just rattles off children's names who apparently are stand-ins for warmongering world leaders. It hits a number of marks: egregious waste of Kate Bush talent. Pointless use of French (at least Talking Heads and The Police made it sound cool _and_ it sorta had a point). Probably the silliest 1980s radio airplay single and that's saying something for the 80s.
Very interesting, some good sounds, but a little too experimental for me
Not bad. Pretty competent overall and a decent listen throughout.
Best Peter Gabriel album
Music to sit on hold to
I was lucky enough to see Mr. Gabriel a couple years back on his last tour and he ended the set with Biko. It was amazing.
Peter Gabriel's third self-titled album, also known as "Melt", is a landmark in his career and a highly innovative work. The album is characterized by its dark, haunting, and progressive sound, with strong themes of guilt, paranoia, and psychological unease running throughout the lyrics. The production is particularly notable for its ground breaking use of gated reverb on drums, a technique pioneered by engineer Hugh Padgham and producer Steve Lillywhite. This gives the album a unique, percussive quality that is both powerful and atmospheric. Gabriel's vocal performances are superb, conveying a range of emotions from chilling vulnerability to dramatic intensity. Songs like "Intruder," "Games Without Frontiers," and "Biko" are iconic and showcase the album's lyrical depth and musical complexity. Despite its challenging themes and unconventional song structures, Melt is often considered one of Gabriel's most accessible works, drawing listeners in with its compelling storytelling. It stands as a near-perfect album that, at the time, pushed the boundaries of rock music, influencing countless artists. Five stars. Would I listen again? Yes. Would I buy this album? I did. Side one 1- "Intruder"- Menacing both musically and vocally. The sense of dread and unease is palpable. - 5 2- "No Self Control"- A manic and tense song. The percussion is splendid. Backing vocals from Kate Bush. - 5 3- "Start"- An instrumental interlude. - 4 4- "I Don't Remember"- A song about memory loss and identity. It features an urgent guitar riff from Paul Weller, and a driving rhythm. Great vocals. - 5 5- "Family Snapshot"- dramatic, dark and theatrical narrative that showcases Gabriel's storytelling ability.- 5 6- "And Through the Wire"- Wonderful vocal. - 5 Side two 1- "Games Without Frontiers"- Probably the most famous song on the album. A playful synth melody, iconic French backing vocals from Kate Bush, and wonderful lyrics superbly describe the absurdity of geopolitical conflicts. - 5 2- "Not One of Us"- Unsettling. This song tackles themes of prejudice and xenophobia. Excellent chorus. It has a new-wave feel to it. We're still dealing with these issues 45 years later. - 5 3- "Lead a Normal Life"- Both quiet and beautiful . It compliments the following album closer wonderfully. - 5 4- "Biko"- Bold. Opens with a sense of dread. Solemn defiance against apartheid. Haunting. A great vocal. - 5 Total - 49 Average - 4.9 82/1001
3.5 / 5
Melt will be my second Peter Gabriel album to listen to, and the only album of his on this list that I haven't listened to before. Looking at the track listing, I think the only song I know is "Biko," but I honestly can't remember the last time I heard it. However, I really like listening to Peter Gabriel, and even though I'm not sure what to expect from this album, I have high hopes that I'm going to enjoy it. I love and appreciate Peter Gabriel as an artist, and I really wanted to fall in love with this album, and while I think it was really good, it’s just not a five-star album for me. The most impressive thing about this album to me was the moods and emotions it was able to convey on each song. I know Peter Gabriel has said that he doesn’t think of this album as a concept album, but lyrically, that’s what I felt like was going on for most of these songs. Musically, I loved the depth of sound that Peter Gabriel was able to create. Every album of his that I’ve listened to is just full of rich and beautiful sounds. He has such a distinctly unique style when it comes to arranging his music and crafting these sounds that completely pull you in. I loved seeing how many wonderful artists played on this album, from Phil Collins to Kate Bush, this album is brimming with additional talent. There weren’t any particular songs that jumped out to me as exceptional on this album, but each song managed to bring something unique to the table. And I think that’s why this album is only four stars for me; it’s really good, but there’s nothing that really pulls me back into it, or stays with me after I’m done listening to it. Any time I think about So, I want to fire it up, even if I don’t have enough time to make it all the way through. Melt was a really good album though, and I appreciate getting to experience another period of Peter Gabriel’s career that I’d never gotten to experience before.
Not the worst of Peter Gabriel, and I enjoyed this 100x more than any Genesis albums I can think of. It's definitely experimental in parts (from a little to very, very), but he still managed to get a banger of a single in there. He's thankfully not using experimentation to make up for lack of songwriting or musical ability (looking at you, some albums on this list), and that shines through. I can't give it five stars, personally, but I can give it a strong four.
ihan kivaa musiikkia
I've gotten quite used to every song sounding the same on an album, but this is new, almost every song is completely different from the other And it's bad!! I liked Intruder, would've liked a bit more of that. The rest is not that memorable
I probably liked it more because I wasnt paying attention
Intruder: kinda super mid No self control: instrumentals are good, the lyrics are bad, the sitging is worse Okay, the singing is so unpleasant i think this is a dnf, kinda disappointing for my first album maybe i'll stick it out Lead a normal life: good tappies
Standout Songs: Family Snapshot And Through The Wire Did not really enjoy this one, especially the first handful of songs. I don’t really like art/experimental rock.
Classic Peter Gabriel - can't argue with this.
I thought Games Without Frontiers came out later in the 80s, I'll have to check out his other earlier albums.
Another great album by this man. This challenge has led me to him. It's otherworldly. It's great. It's earthly and creepy at times. Stand out songs: Intruder ,And through the wire
Hemsk röst och lite för abstrakt musik
Melt
As much as I try, I just cannot get into Peter Gabriel..
2.5 but I'm feeling generous today. There was nothing on this album that grabbed my attention.
Favorites: Start I Don't Remember (about not cooperating) Family Snapshot (about an assassination) And Through The Wire Games Without Frontiers The writing style and lyrics are illustrative and paint a creepy character acting throughout the album. The tone, in contrast, is very disco/beat-strong and the guitars are heady. Most songs have lines that are very repetitive, but funnily enough they're pretty catchy because of that.
Love the music, I don’t resonate with the voice. Sorry PG, you are amazing even if I only throw a 2 star review out there
Very influenced by Bowie’s Berlin trilogy. Experimental and ambitious. Most of it works. I think So is a tad better but this was a solid listen.
I remember when I first listened to this album. A bit experimental at the beginning, sounded interesting. At the height of "Family Snapshot" it became really interesting. The rest with Biko as the ending gave a hint of what would happen with Peter Gabriel in the future. Biko made me feel that this was the man for "The Earth's Original People"
I have never listened to Peter Gabriel and apparently I had no idea what I was missing.
Still can’t quite figure out how I feel about Peter Gabriel. Listened to about 3/4 of it and thought it was okay. Gave it second chance a couple of hours later with the volume turned up and enjoyed it a lot more. Would listen again.
Shite.
Pretty good. Missing a banger I think
I like his voice and style but this one doesn't have any of the hits and probably only 1 song I'd choose to listen to again
Lots of reverb on the drums, must be an 80s album
If this didn't end on biko it might be a 5, grew on me a ton, uncertain about some of the keyboard percussion but some strong hits here, low 4
really good
This album is truly one of the best ever made. The first 4 tracks proove this, but literally every song is excellent and unique.
Interesting album, not a lot of great stuff but none of it was awful
Peter Gabriel is so badass.
Kate Bush singing ‘jeux sans frontières’ is so good. Some of the songs are a bit long.
Absolutely loved Family Snapshot and Games Without Frontiers. A few songs felt weirdly, like, normal for what I expect from Peter Gabriel. But all around, a solid album.
Meh
Only really knew 'Games Without Frontiers', but turns out the whole thing is great!
-wow this is some dreary shit. very fascinating music though, i’m glad i got to check it out -that being said i feel like it just tried to go in too many directions for me to really get into it. couldn’t really figure out what he was going for, which doesn’t make it bad but i could’ve liked it more -Favorites are No Self Control and Biko
Kinda apocaliptic at times, interesting and original
Okay, luckily I now know who Peter Gabriel is after my dumb revelation while listening to "So". 3 (unofficially referred to as Melt) was great and my first impressions were that this interesting and experimental album really sets a signature tone for the beginning of the 80's, and that I have not been disappointed by anything he has created so far. Phenomenal, I would listen to this front to back any time.
Another classic album from Peter Gabriel - this one features the anti-war single "Games Without Frontiers" with all of the lyrical puns you would expect from Gabriel, plust the immensely powerful anti-apartheid "Biko". The other tracks on the album are good as well.
i'm pretty new to peter gabriel outside of the big hits they play on the radio all the time, and i enjoyed his solo debut earlier on in this project, so i was excited to get to listen to this one. this album feels a little more subdued than his first, but a little more pop oriented. don't get me wrong, it's not sledgehammer-era peter gabriel, but there is some (admittedly great) hooky stuff on here like kate bush's contribution on 'games without frontiers' and i really enjoyed the album closer 'biko' as well, a song that feels specifically cemented to a point and time in history, but the message is still very relevant today. all that said, i just wish it had a little more oomph for me. it's a nice album and i could see myself falling in love with it upon multiple listens, but as it stands right now, i feel like it doesn't quite reach that upper echelon.
Solid, but rather unexciting. Kind of like naming your third solo album "Peter Gabriel 3".
I didn't hate this, but I also didn't really like it.
It's ok. Games Without Frontiers is the only real highlight on the album. But as a whole the album is ok.
I'm not always sure what to think about Peter Gabriel's music. Although this album gets experimental in places, I enjoyed listening to it very much. I am definitely going to revisit his music. Also, more cowbell!
Slop. Why is this on here?
7/10 I can only imagine that Peter Gabriel lives life in some sort of permanent fever dream. Somehow, this album threads the line between brilliant insanity and daft inanity, sometimes even within the same track. It’s creepy and weird, yet it somehow occasionally breaks out into some decent late 70’s / early 80s rock. But, as with much of the album, I can’t quite work it out. Does it need that grounding, or if it would be better if he further indulged the weirdness? As I listened through a third time, some of this started to click a lot more with me. Perhaps the abundance of cutting-edge (at the time) production techniques makes the impact lessened to modern ears. I can imagine this sounded even more crazy to people without the experience of the following 45 years of music production that I’m listening to it through. The songwriting is interesting. Sometimes ideas linger, but equally, if not more often, things jump from place to place (and then sometimes back again), which only goes to further enhance the fever dream aspect of the album. Looking at the artwork, I can only assume this was what he was going for, and in that case, he definitely pulled it off. Intruder - This is a creepy way to open an album. It’s tonally quite jarring, and I can’t quite work out if I like it or not. The close-mic ASMR mouth-noise is quite off-putting, but that’s kind of the point. I’d say it really succeeds in what it’s trying to do, but what it’s trying to do is not really something for a casual listener. I think I might be falling down on the side of this being brilliant. No Self Control - There’s a lot of this that I like, but it feels a but lacking in direction. Not in a ‘too many ideas’ way, but more generally disorganised. It almost breaks into a really good song early on and then again in the last minute, but it never quite gets there and there’s a lack of organisation in the middle that distracts. Start - This is a nice enough little interlude. Very 80’s sax, but it was 1980, so… I Don’t Remember - This is better, there’s more coherence here. It’s got a good driving beat, and it sort of falls somewhere between Bowie and Talking Heads in terms of sound for me. There’s still quite a lot going on in various places so it can sound a bit overwhelming, but I think that’s just part of the vibe of the album in general, so it works. Family Snapshot - An interesting build through the first half and then it kicks in. There’s quite a Jaco Pastorius tone to the bass, which is cool. Not his standard of playing, but not many can do that. There’s a clear narrative through the song that’s good. I wish it had a bit more of the pace, driven stuff, but it;’s still a decent track. And Through The Wire - There’s a bit more of a traditional structure to this, and it perhaps suffers a little for it by being a bit too reliant on the main hook. That being said, it’s a good hook. Overall it’s a tad on the cheesy side for me, but it’s not a bad one by any stretch. Games Without Frontiers - This starts off strongly. There’s a whisper of the tone of Intruder mixed with a more Genesis sound. The lyrics are almost distractingly stupid in the verses. It kind of struggles a bit in the transitions between sections to my ears and it’s a bit of a wandering track, but some of the elements within are really good. Not One Of Us - Another decent track. Again, I really like some of the elements, but it just doesn’t fully connect with me as a whole for some reason. It’s very staccato in places and feels like it could do with a little bit of smoothing dynamically. I do like the way it builds towards the end. Lead A Normal Life - This is quite subtle, which is great when put in comparison to the bombast of some of the other tracks. There’s still that disturbing undertone of edge that creeps in here and there, but it kind of drifts along in a pleasing way. Bit of an odd comparison, but it reminds me a little of Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 2 with the quite pretty tone edged with threat. Biko - This is really good. It’s brooding, but has a nice rolling thrust to it too. Hard to be criticise a song that’s so strongly ani-apartheid South Africa (although it does go on quite a bit). It’s quite a grounding finish to the album, which has been a bit nutty in places, so it feels a tiny bit out of place tonally, perhaps, but it’s still a worthy inclusion.
I feel like this wasn't for me. That can be solely from the fact that I'm not experienced in this type of music yet. The instrumentals were cool ig but the vocals js didnt sit right with me. I didn't really like his delivery or the way they were mixed. A couple saves from this album but yeah
I really found it difficult to rate this one. By rights I should like it. It’s interesting, good melodies-sounds like Bowie/Japan, lots of worthy contributors – Paul Weller, Kate Bush and ahem.. Phil Collins. However, it just didn’t do it for me. I was left feeling quite cold. It didn’t help that his vocals were lost in the mix, perhaps contributing to my emotional distance from it.
It's the sound of the 80s, boiled down like an English roast until it's kinda flavourless. Very much like Bowie's 80s, but without anything memorable enough to come back to.
I guess this is the critic's album if you're going to like PG. But honestly, while there were elements of the album I liked, no particular song really stood out to me as something I would listen on the regular. And I really like PG. I spent all morning listening to his other albums after this one. The album is kind of a bummer. I like my PG upbeat. Maybe that makes me a Philistine but so be it.
This is a really satisfying rock record that stays within the genre while being progressive and experimental.
This one was pretty good, I liked it for being enough for being artsy and prog. 3 is fair, wouldn’t put it on too much but wouldn’t mind if I heard it.
A fine album, but nothing really stood out to me. None of the songs were bad, but none of the choruses or melodies were really that memorable. I thought So was a much better album and this one could have probably been left off the list. Mid 3.
I'm not sure how to feel about this, but it's definitely weird. Peter Gabriel has always been either way too experimental or too Disney mainline for me. I did like the marimbas on No Self Control though.
Peter Gabriel 3 (often called Melt) is where Peter Gabriel officially stopped being “that guy who used to sing for Genesis” and became a genre-shifting, boundary-breaking force of his own. A 4/5 feels just right — this album is weird, but controlled; cold, but captivating. With its strict “no cymbals” policy and gated drums (thanks, Phil Collins), it basically reinvented how rock music could sound in 1980. The production is claustrophobic and primal, especially on “Intruder,” which opens the album like a stalker creeping into your psyche. What elevates Melt is how Gabriel balances that unsettling sonic landscape with real emotional depth. “Family Snapshot” builds from quiet menace to raw desperation, “I Don’t Remember” is all twitchy alienation, and “Biko” ends the album with a protest song so solemn and haunting it still chills today. Not everything is instantly catchy — this album demands patience — but it’s packed with intelligence and purpose. Melt isn’t an easy listen, but it’s a rewarding one: a bold, fearless reinvention from an artist peeling off his mask and daring us to watch.
Games without frontiers Y Ya no pillé más
Unfortunately, didn’t grab ahold of me. I like the post-rock/punk vibes and I would revisit.
Most of the songs are good, but a few didn't really stick with me.
The opener gave me fears of this being like earlier 70's new wave but I was pleasantly surprised as the album went on. The instrumentals make use of more modulation and Gabriels voice is actually good, not like a person on valium trying to shout. A couple of these pieces convey a sense of urgency and nervousness that actually goes somewhere for a change. So good on you Gabriel for fixing a lot of my gripes with the genres this is based on.
I thought I wouldn't like this. My first impressions, No-Jacket-Required-Era Phil Collins trying to be Bowie (which after a few Bowie albums on this list being absolute stinkers, is an ominous sign!). The instrumentation seemed pretty dated, in that 'hasn't aged well' kinda way (not old enough to be cool). Seemed like the kinda album an uncle would give you. Mine would give it to me and give me a taste of his favourite joke, 'the penguin'. However, there are some nice spots in this album. 'I Don't Remember' was quite a nice song. I did take to 'Biko' initially with the mixture of indigenous vocals, pipe band and african drum combo - then I remembered Crowded House did it better on Together Alone. AND... it sounded like one of the members of Baha Men was shouting 'Who! Who!' in my ear. Whatever happened to those guys?! No. I know you, or anyone else, cares. I did HATE 'Games without Frontiers', and I was glad the album was over. This one sits in the middle, it's not going to leave an impression on me, but I wouldn't openly slate it vocally to everyone (looking at you 'Soft Machine'!). 3 Stars.
It's not the album with "Shock The Monkey" but still a clear 5!
норм, но знаю у него песни намного круче этих.
This record still feels uncomfortable and current 45 years later. An art-rock paranoia album that never loses its humanity, manifested by Peter Gabriel's creative attention to the human condition and savant-like sensitivity to social and political undercurrents. It's still my second or third favorite of his. Not because he could do no wrong as an artist — there are a few misses here — rather, it's that he was brave in his choices and did so much right along the way.
A pure gem, a wonderful listening - Games without frontiers and Biko, on their own, are amazing! But the rest of the songs doesn't get behind. I loved it, one of my favs
The album's strongest moments are found in its middle section, where Peter Gabriel crafts engaging and thoughtful tracks. However, the opening and closing portions drift into overly experimental territory, leaning heavily into progressive elements that felt more pretentious than captivating. Despite this unevenness, the album still offers enough to enjoy for those who appreciate Gabriel's eclectic style.
I kept thinking of Phil Collins and turns out he was the drum player on this album! I had a great time listening to this album
Very good very nice!
Pretty rad. I wanted to check out more of PG.
3.5
Not his best.
Good amount of creativity in this guy. I think I liked his other album more though. Could probably give another listen.
Killer album. I erroneously purchased the German version on vinyl a number of years ago and I thought I was having a stroke. It sounds cool, dark, and edgy.
Tal indikerer sang 1. Creepy. Skippede det sidste 2. Giver mig de vildeste flashbacks til min barndom og ting jeg har oplevet. Lidt uhyggeligt men også virkelig interessant 3. fedt med saxofon i starten. 4. Kedelig. Den blev skippet. 5. Family snapshot. Meget Phil Collins agtig. Men det giver også mening når jeg har læst at Peter var med i Genesis. 6. And through the wire. Lyder dårlig. Det er den også. Han synger næsten kun titlen, vrænger den ud. 7. Games without frontiers. Spøjst at tælle 1-2-4. Mange børn der leger sammen kan jeg høre. Og leger med ild simpelthen. Skippede den 8. Not one of us. Starter underligt men virker faktisk ok. Skippede den fordi jeg er træt af at høre musik jeg ikke kender 9. Lead a normal life. Kunne lige så godt være halvt så lang. Er jo bare én lang ringetone 10. Biko. Underlig start men ellers ok. Bare vanvittig lang. Kan godt lide sækkepiberne dog. Overall: 2/10 Yndlings er helt klart sang 3 som er ren instrumental haha
This is very weird. Experimental. I enjoyed my listen but I won’t listen to it again. Just odd choices in a lot of areas.
It's ok his other albums are better
A bit too scratchy and high for me personally but a wonderful album, not listened to anything similar- super unique
The Devil, Prog, Pop, and New Wave Are Raging Inside Me. Good ideas either taken too far or not far enough, can't tell which. Storytelling that's about as subtle as a sledgehammer (ha!). Dinged down for being high concept but also not cohesive.
This was a nice album. Easy to listen to songs that don’t get in the way.
This album gives the vibe of a loner who committed an anti-social crime in his early twenties. After years incarcerated in solitary confinement, he has been released and is scrambling to get 25 years worth of thoughts down on paper. Levels out a bit later on in the album, but it is a bit shambolic for my liking.
Had the odd moment. I guess you had to be there at the time. Just seems drag too much.
Sick. Another great vinyl
I really dug this album, experimental without being alienating or sacrificing melody, its really apporachable and has some great songwriting.
Good Halloween album but not for me
Better than I expected but not one I need again!
Very interesting, sonically, but will require more than one listen to get all the lyrics.
Its so strange how he and Phil Collins diverged. Both trying more popular song structures and exploring song stylings outside of prog. Both also focus on the intimate but Gabriel shows greater range delving into the quotidian and the complex mindset of minor figures and then reaching for much greater themes like Biko. Collins remained mired in bitter relationship issues. I do like this album yet I actually prefer the live versions of these on Plays Live I think they have more vigor and theatrical punch. That said I don't know that Collins made an album as good as this and I don't think Gabriel made an album as purely delightful as Face Value.
Like sort of cool. Activist
Jake was right holy percussion
what a interesting album. very interesting
As usual, beautiful.
Enjoyable, but def got some clinky-clanky sounds that through me off a bit. Worth a revisit though as there’s more here than just Games Without Frontiers
a bit too psychedelic for my taste. i like the more pop songs of gabriel
simple answer is: neat, original and surprising in every part of the songs, both leads synths/guitars and bass/drums keep you engaged
peter gabriel has a much wider music repertoire than I had previously thought
This one is aight. Has some highs and some snoozers Will I listen to again: 25%
Bought this album back in the eighties and enjoyed it but didn't blow me away. Gave it another go and it feels a bit dated and none of the tracks stand out IMO. So would not describe it as a classic worthy of a high position in the chart - love Peter Gabriel but not one of his best - listen to SO instead!
I like all the Peter Gabriel "untitled" albums but this one is definitely the best. As a cohesive piece of work, each song works quite well with the next. Themes of paranoia, anti-war, poverty, peace are brought forward to the forefront of the psych that fit perfectly with the "melting" album cover. Musically, brooding synths are intertwined with dark marching gated drums & distorted guitars.
7 out of 10. probably gets better on further listens.
Unique timbre. Not for me.
***An ok album
p455. 1980. 2 stars. Not his best work by any means, far too much filler to make this a repeat listen. Saved from 1 star by the handful of decent songs and one hit. He got better as he went on.
Started to listen. Very atmospheric
I enjoyed this, but the self-importance and pomposity was grating at times.
Meh
Peter Gabriel at its peter gabrielest
good but i expected to like it more.
In theo to y I should love this album and Peter Gabriel, I love progressive music, I love art rock, and I like post punk, of which this album has a hint, but I just didn't enjoy it. And I have a hard time like Peter Gabriel in general. I can appreciate the experimentation and some of the textures created are very interesting but it is never satisfying in fact it's kind of boring and at times even cringe. It is strange, if I approach it rationally I think his music is alright, but if I approach it emotionally I feel it lacks. Perhaps it's the quality of his voice and the tone of the instrumentation. I can't pinpoint what it is but I listened to the whole album 3 times and 3 times I got excited by what I heard and looked to see what song it was and it turned out to be a Spotify suggestion after the album had finished. Oh well...
152/1089 - I liked this a lot. First track sounds like a cartoon villain is selling drugs to kids. It's interesting that there are no cymbals at all and it hits the threshold I like of experimental and accessible. I don't think he knew how much the gated reverb snare would damage the 80s but it was used very tastefully here.
Some great songs and some weird stuff mixed in
Great album, one of my all time favourites with Peter Gabriel's unique voice, great bass lines and conceptually great songs...
definitely was not what i was expecting from a co founder of genesis, and i was surprised at first! but then of course because peter gabriel was in genesis, the music turns to shit :((( here’s a bunch of artists who achieved what this album was going for and more BEFORE this album: David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and GARY FREAKIN NUMAN. halfway through, you’ll be thinking, “why am i still listening to this?”
Great album. Peter Gabriel has always done interesting stuff. Games without Frontiers being the standout. Although not on this album he’s done arguably the best duet ever with Kate Bush.
Let’s be honest, it’s a bit dull isn’t it! This one probably should have stayed in the ‘80s
The positive is that there was a mixture of styles. The negatives are absolutely everything else! The music is very dull and I struggle to understand how it was popular back in the day.
Well it was much better than I thought it was going to be, which was a very very low bar. First couple of tracks I really liked and then it was a bit of a mixed bag. But is it sacrilegious to say that it sounded a lot like Bowie of the Berlin era? I doubt I’m ever going to love his work, but I’ve got some more respect now.
Peter Gabriel's solo stuff is something I didn't appreciate enough. Like the others albums it walks a finer line between prog, art rock, pop and some world influences like his old band Genesis did. All songs are great in their own right. Compared to the first solo album, it's also a more cohesive effort. Love it!
You know, with this being my second Peter Gabriel album and with me having liked my first album of his, So, I did have positive expectations going into his self-titled third album, also called Melt. However, what I was not expecting was to get an album that I might actually like more than So. Honestly, Peter Gabriel 3 might just be that. Granted, it's been a while since my last listen of So, but I know what I liked about both albums and I think this album appeals to me more. Of course, there are things about both albums that I really like. They both have good songs, they both have cool world-music influences, they both have Kate Bush. You get the idea. However, Peter Gabriel 3 is a noticeably darker album than So, with it having less upbeat instrumentation and more overt political themes. I... actually really like that. This album personally appeals to me more. So is certainly the catchier album, and I do find "Sledgehammer" to be better than any of the songs on Melt. However, an album being catchier doesn't necessarily make it better and "Games Without Frontiers" gets pretty close to "Sledgehammer" levels of quality. There's other things that make Melt stand out to me as well. The album's generally more experimental, which is done tastefully here. Robert Fripp plays guitar on a few songs. That might be the reason I like it more than So. It also has Phil Collins on a few songs. It's cool that Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins did some things together after Genesis. Overall, Peter Gabriel's third album is great. He's definitely a man that's deserved his musical success. Strong 4/5.
This Is one of those albums where I know I’m supposed to like it, but I just don’t. Kind of like most Jazz albums, I acknowledge its creativity, and the talent it took to make it. It’s just not for me.
80s rock, don't care for it
I really expected more out of this album. It let me down. It was like ordering a T-bone steak and then it gets delivered to your table but it’s been cooked to well done. I’ll still eat it, but there is so much potential not met.
Oh god. Do I have to admit that I liked a Peter Gabriel album? How was this so cool? What happened to the dude? This is the earliest of his work I've heard, maybe the late 80s just wasn't my time for music?
Drugs in music. Interesting combo
Wow. We only knew "Games Without Frontiers", but it was way weirder and sparser than our memories of it. This was a super cool album!
liked it. need to listen again
okay….. idk
I listened to it....honestly who the hell is Peter and why should I care about him???? 3???
I think it could be a 4 on the right day but it’s a 3
You can hear Genesis dripping off of Gabriel's style as he strengthens his own voice. Good and unique. Not "So" but getting there "Biko Biko-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o Biko!"
É simplesmente genial. Se eu já tava amando tudo até ali, essa última música fez o negócio ir para um outro patamar. Eu estou digitando eufórica
Pretty good. I like Genesis (pre 1975 Genesis) way more, but this is a good innovative album with great drumming from old band mate Phil Collins and even The Jam's Paul Weller playing lead guitar on a song called **Through the Wire (**Gabriel is a big fan of The Jam) Games Without Frontier is a great song. ...none of the songs are bad a few just get a bit boring pretty quickly but what can you do?
Peter Gabriel anxious and mad vibe. Not So. I enjoyed it anyway.
Some interesting moments for sure. I’m not sure that overall I totally enjoyed it though. And Through the Wire was probably my favourite, followed by Biko. I think I will be checking out more of his work though. (3.5 stars)
3.75
Fine album with a good mix of the experimental and more poppy sounds. More accessible than Genesis.
Hadn't listened to PG except for radio hits like Shock the monkey. These were very good as well
Feels like Al Stewart - definitely a solid one
Peter Gabriel had left Genesis to try something new, and results had been mixed. Generally positive, but mixed. So it was time to try something else, and an accident that created Gated Reverb helped spark a masterpiece. Not that it was all about the reverb, or even mostly about it. It was that Peter and his friends took some risks that really paid off. For being sonically experimental, it's also surprisingly accessible, and I don't think we'd have had Remain in Light or other works without it. Kate Bush's backing vocals fit the mood well too. And what a MOOD. It touches on anxiety-inducing topics without getting too heavy, and the lyrics are emotive. I can get why people put So, or Peter Gabriel 4 as their favourite. But for me, it's this. Tangent: The line 'I don't know how to stop' from No Self Control is both apt (he's still going) and ironic (because of the huge gaps lately between releases). I like that. Favourite Song: Biko Least Favourite: Not One of Us Strong Bad Demerit Score: 0 (I don't count wordless backing vocals, unless they're la's, na's, hey's or do's)
This is another one that is probably better in the historical context of the artist's discography. But as a single experience it is just alright. I'm not mad at it.
Álbum muito interessante, com duas canções fantásticas.
I was prepared to throw this album on the trash heap of new wave after a few minutes, but it grew on me a tiny bit. I still can't say I enjoyed it, but I was able to make it all the way through the album, so there's that. 2.4
It it probably my frame of mind, but I just was not connecting with this one.
Eh it was alright, didn't really grab my attention much. Some of the production was neat, some of it was dog. The dissonant guitar on Intruder sucked ass. Favourites - I Don't Remember, Not One Of Us Least Favourites - Intruder
Intruder (5/10) No Self Control (6/10) Start (8/10) I Don’t Remember (8/10) Family Snapshot (7/10) And Through the Wire (7/10) Games Without Frontiers (10/10) Not One of Us (6/10) Lead a Normal Life (7/10) Biko (7/10)
Not bad but do we need all this Peter Gabriel? His voice goes back and forth between interesting and exhausting for me. And Through the Wire was the standout. High 3.
Excellent album. Great production and guest musicians. The "world music" influence is clear. I think this album shows that he's more than just an "art rocker". Biko is one of the greatest protest songs I think!
I never heard most of these tracks before and was highly impressed. While not my personal preference sonically I think I have to go with a 5. The production feels painstaking and the subject matter is varied and ambitious. "Games Without Frontiers" (which sounds like it influenced The Clash's "Straight To Hell") and "Family Snapshot" were both chilling.
Some mayor bangers ngl
interesting! more than I thought
I've never been a big fan of Genesis or Peter Gabriel, but I enjoy some of their music and wouldn't turn it off if they came on the radio. There have been several albums on this list from them both and if I had to choose which one I could tolerate with multiple listening, it's probably Peter Gabriel 3. To not waste time and not go into further detail, the title suits the grade. Nuff said.
Excellent album, definitely setting the stage for stuff to come later. Games Without Frontiers is really really good, with Kate Bush providing backing vocals. 3.1 / 5 = 3.
More like a 3.5 but the sound especially in the first half is really cool.
Un po' anni 80
Never really listened to Peter Gabriel as much as I should have, but every time I do I come away thinking he’s great. This album is sonically quite challenging in parts and I don’t think the 80s production does the songs many favours, but there’s definitely an interesting bunch of songs here.
“Too Artsy.” Way better than I thought .
Fantastic and adventurous
Has a bit of an edge to it, quite interesting and really enjoy a lot of the songs.
81% Best: Intruder; I Don't Remember; Games Without Frontiers; Biko Must-Hear? Maybe
Paikoin Tarzanin tai Spiritin soundtrackia, paikoin vähän maanläheisempää, mistä ihan pidän.
Artisti saavuttaa tällä levyllä jotain. Mutta vaikka formaalisti kaikki on kunnossa, en vieläkään onnistu murtautumaan hänen esteettiseen universumiinsa, eivätkä hänen melodiansa puhuttele kehoani. Sinänsä toimiva levy. 2,5
Excellent album!
Prog rock. Enjoyed it, a few good songs here. Enjoyed the spaciness of a few songs, especially second from last.
This is good, but didn't really grab me overall. I think I would go 3.5, but dropping as I don't know if I would pick up again.
3.5
Gabriel is an exceptional vocalist and more often than not quite experimental in his choice of instrumentation and arrangement, as with his 3rd solo album. Biko is one of my favorite (and, as it seems, quite underrated) tracks. For the rest: for me, not one track disappointed.
this is the last peter gabriel album i have on this list, and let's just say that if i have my way it'll be the last i ever hear of peter gabriel
петя ебанулся
Interesting. He definitely produces some cool ass noises, and innovates in that sense. Somehow, as has always been my unearned impression of him, having only heard bits of sledgehammer, the experiments come together kind of boring? Quite a feat! I do really like the african musical syncretism on biko.
The saxophone song Start is so moody, really cool. Peter Gabriel always has the best drums, 80’s baby!
This was ok, I don't have much else to say. It didn't grab me in any way, but wasn't repulsive. 3/5
It's a vibe
I wish the whole album was the first 2 songs.
As much as I love Peter Gabriel, this one's pretty out there for me. I appreciate it even if I don't love it.
It sounds so obvious now but this is where the gated reverb sound of the 80s Phil Collins (who drummed on this albums first two tracks ("Intruder" and "No Self Control") sans cymbals) and Kate Bush (also appeared on this album, and on "No Self Control" too) sprung from... So you could say it's influential. Still, Gabriel has always been the experimental type.
I think this is how you should evolve your sound without biting too deeply into whatever sonic trends are cool & current. Peter Gabriel leans into electronics and synths in a mostly understated, utilitarian way that hasn’t aged so terribly badly, unlike some of the 80’s experiments other artists took on. “Games Without Frontiers” is a good example of this - just a few synths and a drum machine, nothing overdone. This is really a great song, super great for Kate Bush to come on, she adds a lot to it (I also though this was an Eno collaboration with those guitars and that drum machine, but I was wrong). “Lead a Normal Life” is probably my pick from the album. I love the bell synth loop at the beginning (same with the bellish sounds in “No Self Control”). It’s super interesting, this bell sound has kinda been used into the 90’s and then repurposed to be used in some more modern IDM stuff (hate that genre moniker). Not his best work, but still a respectable listen with moments that’ll make this album at least slightly worth your time
It sounds (mixed & mastered) great, and half of the songs are excellent, but the remainder are totally blehhhh. This album honestly is fine, just a little too experimental for me. Peter Gabriel is a great vocalist but some of these songs REALLY lose me aka "Intruder" and "Biko." Actual rating...2.75 Liked Songs: "No Self Control" , "I Don't Remember" , "Family Snapshot" , "And Through The Wire" , "Not One Of Us"
liked songs: Intruder, Games Without Frontiers 3.5
A little dated but good
Thoughts before listening: I recently bought this on vinyl on a whim and find it to be....okay? There are some really good songs on this album, but also some that grate on a me a bit. Its definitely a darker album than I was expecting. Review: I think this is a trend with a lot of Peter Gabriel albums where the hits really work for me, but the deep cuts don't...at least on first listen. On this album, the hits are "I Don't Remember" and"Games Without Frontiers" which are amazing 80s rock songs. However, I tend to get lost in the darkness that permeates the rest of these tracks, despite recognizing that its well performed and produced. I will say that on today's listen, my overall enjoyment picks up in the middle of the album and its better overall than I had originally remembered. There are still some overly dense songs that are tough for me to get through (especially at the beginning and end of the album), but I really like the high points. This is a 4-star album.
It's fine
Third time’s a charm
“And Through the Wire” and “Games without Frontiers” are the top tracks. The rest is serviceable in this transition album by Peter Gabriel, which includes elements of world music, pop and new wave. Gabriel would further develop these elements and specialize in world pop music later. Interestingly, this album was also recorded in parallel in German. “And Through The Wire” sounds more badass in Deutsch; “Games without Frontiers” sounds weaker. 3.3 stars rounded down.
I didn't really like the album the first time i listened to it, quite experimental and unique. Then i listened to it a second time and it fell into place quite well and I enjoyed it a lot.
First Peter Gabriel album. I like it. It is good. It can stay.
Pure love for the first 3 solo Gabriel lps
Cool cool 4/5
Enjoyable all the way around.
First of all, this is an excellent album. That being said... we once again run into the problem of potential oversaturation of Peter Gabriel albums on this list. I would think that "So" would be the most essential of his catalog. I wouldn't argue with including ONE of his earlier solo works. His first after leaving Genesis (the one known as "Car") would be the most obvious choice as is has "Solisbury Hill" on it. The risk of an Elvis Costello-level flood of Peter Gabriel albums is just too great.
She is so popular
Mit yndlingsalbum med Peter Gabriel! Super glad for den er på listen, da hans hits er på de andre albums. Ligger i et perfekt smørhul mellem David Bowies Berlin albums og Paul Simons Graceland, personnel-listen er virkelig blæret og det kan høres! Lidt skuffet over at han ikke hev Kate Bush ind for at genindspille backing vocals til Spiel ohne Grenzen på tysk i stedet for fransk, men det bliver det ikke et mindre 5/5 album af
NEW WAVE SUPREMACY!
Pretty genetic (from Russia Standards?).. not something i would listen to again..
It's unique I'll give you that, and probably does deserve a place on this list (especially compared to some of the shite I've heard already), but it's just not for me at all.
Not bad.
At some point in my journey through Peter Gabriel 3, one of us changed. Either he changed, and went from writing a pretty dreadful record to writing something that I never wanted to end, or I changed and went from someone with functioning ears and taste faculties to someone who loved the works of Peter Gabriel. Whatever, the second half of this is as good as the first is bad.
I’m only one track in, but I’m getting the back to the future vibe of him playing this at an ‘under the sea’ school dance to no reaction but Timmy Reznar holding the phone up for his cousin The later cowbell section stops that comparison dead
This album rules. I've liked the song Intruder ever since I heard Primus' version on Miscellaneous Debris, but I think I like the original even better. Biko was a bit forgettable and reminds me of some of his more ho-hum stuff from the 90's, but I really like the rest of the album. After reading that Gabriel banned the use of cymbals on the recording to challenge his session drummers, I had to listen again from the beginning. 4.25/5
Kinda weird album but still enjoyable. 3/5
It's people who do music with such intention and purpose like this that make me feel like making my own
His Masterpiece? So be it. Ear of the beholder… I think it’s over indulgent, overrated, and boring. I could easily sleep to it, making it worthy of 2 stars.
This album is post-Genesis and pre-Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel. Regarded more as a critical success than a commercial success, it is political at times. “Games Without Frontiers” is the one track which was popular on FM radio at the time. Occasionally I would pick up a similarity to the Talking Heads. Phil Collins and Kate Bush contributed. Overall good but not worth a high rating in my opinion.
This album cover really embodies my mental state these days. Like a goth precursor to 🫠 . It doesn't much match my perception of Peter Gabriel, who I know mainly from: the song 'Down to Earth' in the movie Wall-E, covering 'The Book of Love' in a sleepy way, and the romcom classic 'In Your Eyes'. This album starts off way more industrial and eclectic, which seems like a good thing, but I don't prefer it. Also, what's up with having 4 self-titled albums? Like you're trying to convey "I don't even care about album titles!" but of course everyone else bothers to use an album title, so what makes you so special, Peter Gabriel!? Things normalize a bit as the album goes on. He's got a unique voice, which I do like. I like the horns and the exact same drums on every track. Actually it's pretty good -- I started at a 2, but this is ultimately like a 3.5 for me. Highlights: 'Start', 'I Don't Remember' (relatable, also would make a good mashup with 'Hot Blooded'), 'Games Without Frontiers', 'Lead a Normal Life' (pleasant electro bits)
Blind Album, know the artist. Wow I was shocked by this album for sure with average expectations. It blew me away. I loved the dark grittiness but it flowed so well and kept me hooked throughout. Still had some filler tracks but I still enjoyed the majority of it. I LOVED the first half of this album. It was a jam for sure. I Don't Remember was my favorite track and will probably make a personal playlist of mine.
Always a pleasure to listen to Peter Gabriel. Another good album. 4 stars is fair enough.
When it comes to me and Peter Gabriel, I find that SO looms large over everything. Well, probably more just "Sledgehammer" than anything else, but you get what I mean: if there's any way I understand Peter Gabriel, it's as a pop artist. In that sense, well, I kind of figured I'd gotten everything I'd wanted out of him. I recall looking at the albums he released before SO, all eponymously titled, and thinking to myself, "This probably wouldn't be for me. This all seems, like... Way more experimental and serious than I'd be into. I doubt there'd be any hooks like there are on SO (aka 'Sledgehammer')!" So until the randomizer had this album pop up, I just never bothered looking into them. I know what they say about assumptions and judging books, but look at these covers. I didn't exactly have a reason to think I'd be proven wrong. And certainly not as badly as I was. 'Coz if there's anything that surprised me about GABRIEL 3, it's how much SO I ended up hearing in it. With the melodies and the hooks, it's like... Clearly this isn't a different album than SO. It's a way more challenging album than SO, as a matter of fact. If I'd heard any of this when I was younger, though, besides maybe "Intruder", I would've been down as hell for this. Like, when it comes to this album being all "experimental post-punk and serious" like I was worried it'd be, "Intruder" is probably as bad as it gets. Y'know, it's the most "scaring the hoes" cut on here: weeding out the people who "just wouldn't get it." It reminds me a lot of the opening track on Tom Waits's SWORDFISHTROMBONES, actually — and just like that, the songs past it are relatively toned down. This isn't to put down "Intruder", by the way; it still has a great hook with that one "AAAAAAA" part and the riff around it. I wanna point to "Family Snapshot" particularly as the song where it all clicked into place for me. There's piano stuff on there that's just beautiful. Damn pretty, at least. My initial assumptions about this album would've never expected that, and I could not be happier to hear that they'd been wrong. In fact, I feel kind of sorry that I doubted Peter Gabriel at all. I mean, if there's any lesson I should've taken from my group getting one of the Genesis albums with him on it, SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND, is that this guy can write an amazing melody. I never got the impression that any of this material was compromised because of the melodies and hooks, though. Y'know, nothing's simplified or watered down just to accommodate them. It's still aiming to be all artsy and post-punk and not exactly for everyone. It just clearly doesn't wanna be **just** that, is all I'm thinking here. I mean, again, the fact that I can only claim one song on the album as "scaring the hoes" music means a lot. Honestly, it kind of makes me wonder about the people who called this album "too experimental." They must have some weak stomachs if **this** is what did them in. Mark this down as another album that feels like it should be kicking me in the ass to check out the rest of their discography. Whether or not I do will remain to be seen, but at the very least, I have way more respect for Peter Gabriel than I used to. That's not to say I didn't before now — just that, yeah, he really is just that good, in and outside of the one song I chose to define him with before now. Bless. And now, I find it only fitting to do as this album did and also present everything I just said in German — Google Translate'd, of course: Wenn ich den Musiker Peter Gabriel so verstehe, überragt sein Album „SO“ alles andere. Genauer gesagt, es geht eigentlich nur um seinen Song „Sledgehammer“, aber Sie verstehen schon: Wenn ich Peter Gabriel überhaupt verstehe, dann als Popkünstler. In diesem Sinne—
I really don't have much to say. Just some pretty good tunes by the former Genesis frontman. Solid 4 Stars.
That’s an easy 5. It might be a little higher. Certainly a much different vibe from “So”, but I love the approach this album takes – extended looks into the melted minds of people, whether it’s intruders, assassins, racists & stalkers, or mental health crises ala the desperate need for attention, panicked amnesia, & schizophrenics with an impulse. For 1980, this feels decently ahead of the curve as far as using sound design & production to get these themes across, and the excellent lyrics & vocal performances on a lot of these tracks only help to enhance it. In a weird way, I think this might be a more complete album than “So”, which I already considered one of the finest albums of the 1980s. Yes, it’s less commercially-driven, & the tracks are a little stripped back to tell more personalized stories, but the theming of this album feels more consistent, even with the variety of topics that are tackled. It feels a lot more deep and thoughtful, and I think I prefer that to some of the poppier stuff on “So”. It also helps that there’s not really that much filler to let the instrumentals have their shine like there was on “So” – when a track is done, this album lets it fade out, and then smashes right into the next one, to allow for just enough breathing room to self-reflect, but not too much as to feel sort of boring. That pacing issue might’ve been “So”’s only perceived flaw, but like I said on that review, it might’ve just been a quirk for radio play. I don’t wanna write too much more about this album, since I think listening to it is more rewarding than reading about it, so here’s some quick rapidfire praise: Kate Bush’s vocals were great on a few tracks, Phil Collins’ drum work is impeccable as always, the guitar melodies felt really ethereal and complex at times, & when Peter Gabriel finds a cinematic mood, he nails it with a noir feel that lays the groundwork for some of the other big “cinematic” tracks of the 80s, ala Smooth Criminal. “Biko” is a fabulous closer, by the way. It’s a testament to Peter Gabriel’s fluidity as an artist that he can pump out insanely good prog rock with Genesis, an all-time pop album with “So”, & something as moody & unique as this. It’s an excellent album, and while it requires a bit more attention than “So” did, I think it’s an incredibly rewarding album, made all the better for it. Not a single skip here for me, and a very easy 5. Probably a bit higher, honestly – I really, really enjoyed this.
Okay. Classics are strong.
The 80s. Peter Gabriel. It's just not my sound.
Ya know, I've never listened to a Peter Gabriel album straight through before, but this is exactly what I would have imagined. Some good, some bad, one banger (Games without Frontiers). Put this sucker on at a party or while partaking and you'd be golden, just solid.
Never really connected with Peter Gabriel and on this album I think something about his singing is it grates on me (similar to Dave Matthews). This clicked during “Lead a Normal Life” which I thought was great until the singing kicked in. Overall a decent listen but not one I’d return to.
3.0
An amazing artist, and a very good album
Its growing on me - very 80's. Extra point for living locally.
Peter Gabriel (3: Melt) _‘Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane Jane plays with Willy, Willy is happy again’_ Don’t be blue, Peter If you were to trace my enjoyment of this album it would look like an inverted bell curve. On the first listen I really liked it, on the 2nd listen I wasn’t as keen, but on the 3rd and 4th listens I really enjoyed it again. It’s hard not to read about the production and sound of this and its introduction of the gated reverb drum sound, but it does sound excellent (despite there being a liberal sprinkling of Chapman Stick across it), and it does sound ahead of its time. Intruder starts things off in a suitably dissonant and unsettling way, the vaguely discordant synth noises and sinister vocal and lyric is great. No Self Control has a feel of Remain in Light by Talking Heads, which came out later the same year Start feels like a slightly unnecessary cheesy sax interlude but it does fade nicely into the excellent I Don’t Remember, which combines more Talking Heads vibes with a bit of Genesis, and has a nice nagging catchiness. Family Snapshot adds more unsettledness to what starts as a relatively standard piano ballad, before a bit of pleading bombast gives it an almost Meatloaf feel And Through the Wire is possibly the most straight ahead rock song on the album (with some nice Jam guitar from Weller), and it’s a great one before the excellent and catchy Games Without Frontiers. Not One of Us returns to the Talking Heads feel, although it moves into some more proggy territory, before an excellently hypnotic outro. Lead a Normal Life may not be the strongest track, but I really like it’s insistent nature and that it is almost a palette cleanser between Not One of Us and the absolutely fantastic Biko. The Xhosa recordings, Gabriels emotive vocals and lyrics and the bagpipes all combine, a brilliant and moving song. Overall I really really liked this and its creeping, odd, Eno & Talking Heads, New Wave, World, singular and idiosyncratic nature. I assumed it did have some Eno involvement from its feel, I was surprised it didn't although there is obviously a crossover with Robert Fripp. It’s definitely a grower, with lots of weird, unsettling details, deliberate artiness and a real density and intensity to it. It’s on the border of 4 and 5, I think I’ll tip to 5 as it’s increasingly the sort of thing I find myself liking more and more. 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠 Playlist submission: Biko
The album is a perfect mix of sophisticated melody, pop, rock, and brooding ambience. Layers reveal upon every listen. There's not a dud here. To paraphrase Brian Pern, this is someone that could not only get laid - but discuss applied mathematics with his fans. Looking forward to listening to more Gabriel in earnest.
Haunting art rock to establish the prowess of a legendary solo artist.
Bill Wingman wrote a book about Catwoman. I opened the store on a day it was closed, then hire a bunch of hot black girls that I'm charming constantly to sell my own personal stuff. Even though he thinks it's a bad idea my best friend since 5th grade is there helping. I send the girls home. I notice a man slip a Playstation 4 game in the mail slot. Casey calls it quits while I'm trying to figure out how to play this double layer Tool album that I think he brought. I walk outside and I meet this older woman in sandles. She tells me what agency she's from but I don't remember. She's polite but seems to be fishing for something and hints I've done something wrong. The next day or later the managers get involved but they don't know it was me. Then over and over in my head I hear Bill Wingman wrote a book on Catwoman
This album is so dull that I may need to recalibrate future ratings. Competent, but dull, dull, dull!