Peter Gabriel 3

Not heard this before apart of course for the singles (I’d forgotten just how good ‘No Self Control’ was). Production is superb as you’d expect from Gabriel & the content is also very good indeed. 4 stars plus.

I'm not loving this? Almost industrial sounding. I'm really not sure about this/ Right now a solid 2?

This is kind of a mid level album if we are being honest. I like Peter Gabriel. I always thought he was the most creative member of Genesis and not a douche bag like Phil Collins. This album contains two really fine tracks - Games Without Frontiers and Biko. The rest of the record is rather unremarkable to be fair. If this was truly a cultural classic that is timeless you’d be able to instantly recall a couple of more songs from this record but you can’t. Why? Because Peter was a genius naming every single record Peter Gabriel. You probably don’t remember that there was a track on this record called “I Don’t Remember” - do you? The best unknown track is And Do You Remember with Paul Weller, then still in The Jam, playing guitar. I bought this record when it came out because it was right in the middle of that first post-punk explosion and the emphasis on rhythm and the Siouxsie and The Banshees sounds were pretty unique for the time. It was one foot in post-punk and one foot in prog but no so proggy that it sounded like Genesis or Yes. That would have killed this record. As a college dj I’d play tracks from this quite regularly as it fit in with Gang of Four, Talking Heads and similar rhythm first bands. Not a perfect record and a couple of tracks probably should have been left off (Start and Family Snapshot in my opinion), but at times enjoyable enough that if you saw this in the Used bin at the local record shop you’d pay $5 and give it a spin. 3/5

This album was okay; I enjoyed the instrumentals, but the lyrics didn't quite do it for me. 3/5.

Classic Gabriel. Some good songs along with a couple of amazing ones

Trite and dry. Bah humbug.

1980 performance rock, rhythm first approach No self control I don't remember *Biko

i had a good time

It's OK I guess. I love "Games Without Frontiers" because it reminds me of a cassette in my Dad's old Ford Orion, but............. is it really any different to anything else that Eno / Gabriel etc were pumping out around this time?

It’s decent but I liked his first album better.

Wonderful from start to finish. During the pandemic, I went through a "Peter Gabriel phase". I listened, in order, to everything from the first Genesis album through Up (soundtracks not included). This was my favorite of those early, solo years. I know So and 'Car' are on here, I just hope 'Scratch and 'Security' are too

This is pretty cool. I liked the changing styles throughout, there's not really two songs here that sound the same. I Don't Remember, Games Without Frontiers and the Springsteen-esque Family Snapshot are the standouts. 3.5/5.

Not my favorite Peter Gabriel but I love him nonetheless

Wow! What a great album. I'm a Peter Gabriel fan anyway, but this album contains some real gems, including my favourite Peter Gabriel track (can you guess? Answer 👇...). Very eclectic, and range of instruments - you can see how he ended up in world music in more recent times in some of the choices in this album. But then throws in a very 80s Sax interlude in the middle, leading into one of the best tracks, "I Don't Remember". Along the way, we have the amazing imagery in "Family Snapshot". Anyway, the album closes with my all-time PG favourite, "Biko". If you don't know why, listen again and read the lyrics. Also, remember that it was almost 10 years before I could listen to this song without fear of arrest in South Africa... Obviously a 5 stars for me, and I'll fight you if you disagree...

Prior to listening I though this would be either really weird or great. I'm pleased to say afterwards it was interestingly weird enough... I especially liked the phase music inspired backings and the interplay between drums and keys. No self control was a highlight for me. I know it is self indulgence in the finest traditions of prog, but I liked it. A 3.5/4

Exceptional album.

Definitely worth a listen.

Intruder 3.3 No Self Control 3.4 Start 3.1 I Don't Remember 3.3 Family Snapshot 3.2 And Through the Wire 3.4 Games Without Frontiers 3.3 Not One of Us 3.4 Lead a Normal Life 3 Biko 3.2 Score: 3.26

The combination of “Peter Gabriel toots” and general Genesis ambivalence pepped me for an onerous listen. I enjoyed the album though. I was ready for it to be over when it got there, but probably one of the better Peter Gabriel spins I’ve listened to.

My father in-law is a Genesis/Gabriel die-hard and would quite literally murder me if he somehow found this review. But this album is just a bit shit, isn’t it? And it’s probably one of the better Gabriel experiences I’ve had too.

Peter Gabriel would be so good if only he’d shut the hell up. Musically a lot of this album is absolutely incredible, but he pretty much ruins it with his insufferably earnest vocals.

A little meh, a little weird.

I feel like the mix here missed the mark, it sounded super garbled and incomprehensible 2/5

One of my favourite PG albums that isn’t So.

This generator gave me "So" by Peter Gabriel before so straight off the bat this album was a stark contrast. Both albums I was really torn on 4 or 5. I may give a 5 just because I gave So a 4. This one has a darker atmosphere and is more alternative than plainly rock, with alot of interesting musical choices like the glockenspeil in "lead a normal life" but these choices kept the album fresh and enticing.

Not bad and it could grow on me with more time

A very interesting album, there is a lot of stuff to unpack here.

I didn't think that I had ever listened to a whole Peter Gabriel album. But more of these tracks are well know to me than I originally thought. "I Don't Remember" being a favourite. "Biko" another stand out, for the track and the message. Found myself toe tapping along to one of the unknown tracks to me, so have to say I enjoyed it. "I Don't Remember" being the album version so an extended ending. "Family Snapshot" also notable for me. That's four tracks from the album that I quite like. Quite a bit of variety amongst these tracks. Have to give the album a 5, which surprised me as the first two tracks not as notable for me, was thinking a 3 initially despite "Solsbury Hill" from Peter Gabriel being one of my favourite songs. After listening to the whole album, and then searching his back catalogue, I think I have definitely listened to his greatest hits album more than once.

so awful

It wasn't Pink Floyd bad

Have to admire this. There's so much going on musically, from post punk discomfort, new wave, afropop (in Biko), and a whole range of rock from prog opera to art rock and cheesier 80s mainstream, but it never sounds anything other than cohesive. Lyrically interesting along the way, too. I was expecting it to be four stars for most of the listen, but by the end of it all - experimental and accessible, disturbing and joyous - I'm sold on the idea that it's actually a truly great album, and one of the most significant of it's time. Big win for the list.

It took a second listen for me to hear the merits of this music that my pre-existing Peter Gabriel bias had drowned out the first time. Growing up in the eighties meant a lot of ambient Peter Gabriel exposure. I appreciated some of it; I thought the Sledgehammer music video was the best thing on TV when I was five years old. But none of his music followed me out of the eighties, so it always felt stuck there. The music on this album is so varied while remaining a cohesive experience. There are eighties earmarks for sure, but it sounds surprisingly unbound by time. What a trip. I've seen the light.

I don't get it.

Peter Gabriel was at peek creativity on his first 4 solo albums. And you get bonus Kate Bush on this one.

Solid Gabriel!

Another strong Peter Gabriel record. Favourite tracks: Intruder (creepy feeln'), Start, I Don't Remember, And Through The Wire, Games Without Frontiers (Kate Bush = automatically awesome), Not One Of Us, Lead A Normal Life, Biko.

I don’t really see what’s so special about this. It’s not bad but it didn’t wow me

Not great, not terrible...

One of those that you can hear it’s influences and can also hear how it may be somewhat influential to people, but I just didn’t like it.

Just okay

Would not buy

Three is about right

Review - two Peter Gabriel's in short succession. Not as good as So, but an interesting album. Some fun synth parts, weird bass lines, and he's a good singer. Worth hearing. Score - 6.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Хороший альбом, стронг 80ті в звуці та настрої. Мені імпонують альбоми, яким вдається бути арті і одночасно мати цю поп-орієнтованість. Тут це дуже непогано вдається. Найбільше сподобалися No Self Control та And Through the Wire.

Люблю сольне Гебріела, цей альбом слухав останній раз не так давно, коли читав (що іронічно) автобіографію Філа Коллінза. Він тут грав на барабанах у пісні intruder, фірмове інтро альбому. Загалом це класичний сольний Пітер Гебріел, арт-рок і нью-вейв переплітаються з поп-музикою і прогом, політичні тексти і оце все. Тверда четвірка від мене, бо на 5 з його сольної творчості я оцінюю тільки so.

This takes me back to when I was a kid and my older brother was playing this endlessly! It's such a great album that to this day is sonically different than any other artist's work. For example, I recently saw a Genesis documentary where Phil Collins mentioned that Gabriel wanted him on this album, as long as he didn't use any cymbals. I was listening for it, and I don't think I heard any cymbal crashes on the entire album. On a final note, I always get emotional whenever I hear that sombre drumbeat that begins Biko. It takes me right back to seeing Peter Gabriel live with the whole crowd chanting the "Uh-Uh-Ohhh" part at the end. The hairs on the back of my neck stood when I heard this song. Gabriel delivered such a powerful message and included all of us, united in protest. Liked Songs Added: I Don't Remember Games Without Frontiers Not One Of Us Lead A Normal Life Biko

Better than I expected.

Great album. Gabriel is fantastically talented.

Teška dosada od albuma. Ne kužim čemu ovoliko glupih albuma na projektu uz toliko dobrih koji postoje. 1/5, 1/10

I'm just not a big Peter Gabriel fan but this is very well produced, falls off at the second half though

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Intruder, I Don't Remember This is my second Peter Gabriel album in 4 days, so that's a thing. The creep-factor is all the way at 10 with Intruder from the creaking and groaning intro, to unsettling lyrics, to the xylophone, which I could imagine was played on literal bones. Something about the black and white album cover image, combined with the striped shirt reminds of those grisly Holocaust photos from WWII, but I could not find any indication this was the intent. I still loathe most of the 80s, but this was okay.

Better then the last PG

Great drum sound. Quite dark and odd in places but still really melodic.

First listen. I like this album. The lack of cymbals and hi hats leave room for the rest of music to breathe.

This is a good album. Listening to it felt energetic and mostly fun, especially in the first half. It starts strong and has a light, engaging quality that makes it easy to stay with. Toward the end it becomes more repetitive and loses some of the earlier spark, which made the final stretch feel a bit boring. The songs have a clear sense of movement and personality. Gabriel’s voice sits well in the material, and the overall mood stays interesting for most of the record. Even when it gets more repetitive later on, the earlier tracks carry enough energy to make the album worthwhile. The production by Steve Lillywhite is clean and well handled. Everything sounds clear and well balanced, with enough space for the instruments and vocals. It has a sharp, modern feel for its time without becoming cold or overworked. Peter Gabriel 3 is a solid and mostly enjoyable record. Strong start, good energy, and well produced, even if it loses a little steam by the end.

Wow! I’ve stolen this unused account it’s mine now!!! What a thrill. I love Peter Gabriel though 5/5

You can't really go wrong with Peter Gabriel. Music that really transports you somewhere else. I don't know how he comes up with the sounds he does. Would love to come back to this one while listening to all of his self titled works in order. Fav Tracks: "Start", "Games Without Frontiers" and "Not One Of Us".

Ei oikein tartu mitään tästä.

Wanted to like this but it didn’t leave much of an impression

Albums like this remind me some great music was created in the 1980s and the list just skews heavily to the shit ones. 4/5. Thinking I should have rated 'So' higher now.

Completely ok. I can see why people like it. I think it's decent.

I dunno, I guess this is an album. Nothing really entertaining. Not bad but also not good. Just a big 'ol meh of an album. Feel like some adult contemporary crap, music for folks who don't have taste.

I’m so confused why we HAD to listen to this.

Kept me interested and invested the whole way through with more instruments being used than I could count. There aren’t really any huge hits on this album but there’s so many catchy sections that I enjoyed listening to.

I like Peter Gabriel. This album sounded like him. Not much to say past that.

What a pleasant album to begin the week. I liked every track on "Self-Titled", including the non-singles. "Biko" was the song that stood out the most. You see, I had watched "Cry Freedom" when I was in school, so I know about Biko's story. I hope to get something like this album. 4 stars for "Self-Titled".

Peter Gabriel is brilliant. ★★★★

Heard it before. I adore Peter so naturally I love this album too. I Don't Remember is one of the best songs ever. I also love how he turned the outro of Not One Of Us into Birdy's Flight from the soundtrack to Birdy later on, it really does make you feel like you're flying. Overall, this album is absolutely fantastic (and I haven't even mentioned the Kate Bush feature on Games Without Frontiers yet!) 5/5

Some weird dissonant noise mixed in with some beautiful melodies. Kind of confusing at first, probably needs a more focused relisten.

idk how its possible to sound 80 when you're 30 but... ok

Wasn’t expecting too much, 80s synth pop prog? Post-prog or art pop. The prat in the flower suit from Genesis. Yeah know the singles and they are admittedly good, but still costume man. But actually really liked this. Always interesting, accessible, and thought provoking songwriting. Definitely will be revisiting 4 Star

vibes

I listened to the Peter Gabriel albums just before starting on this website. I remember liking the odd number Petes, and No Self Control has been a favourite song since then. This is just great, it's pretty unique and experimental but it's still so strong and easy to listen to.

This is an album that shouldn't have been recorded, let alone listen to. I recognised one song, it wasn't very good.

What a ballsy way to open an album—noisy, dissonant, creepy, bizarre. And, importantly, fucking awesome. I love Peter Gabriel, and I think this might be his strongest, most Peter Gabriel-y album (even if I prefer So).

Der hat zwischendurch echt eigenartige Sachen gemacht. Nicht schlecht, aber irgendwie für mich auch nicht so richtig greifbar.

"So" fand ich so großartig, damit verglichen ist mir das hier zu gitarrenlastig und altbacken, wenn auch immer noch solide. Ist aber einer der Künstler hier, zu dem sich meine Meinung durch die Challenge sehr geändert hat, schätze ihn jetzt sehr.

07/09/2026 Peter Gabriel never sets the world alight for me. A solid, average album at best. Spotify listeners: 5.2 million

My favorite tracks are "Not One Of Us", "Family Snapshot" and "I Don't Remember"... "Lead A Normal Life" made me feel a sense of dread, but it just shows how good Peter Gabriel is at his craft.. ❤️ I like it... ❤️ Thank you

A lush pop album we should have heard more on the radio. The ban of cymbals was an interesting artistic choice in the studio, and I'm sure made Phil frustrated at first. There are songs that are definitely catchy enough. And then we still have Peter's fascination with African sounds echoed here in "Biko". All in all, a decent spin. My Rating: 4/5

I was expecting more. Games without frontiers is an outstanding track but nothing else on the album gets close

A masterpiece. A great assembly of musicians. Phil Collins finds his sound and produces one of his better drumming performances.

Nothing worthy in my opinion. Politically relevant song: "Games Without Frontiers".

Sounds like Eno at first, a bit Joy Divisiony, Berlin Bowie, and some Robert Wyatt. I like it. Something interesting about the birth of that terrible 80s drum sound, here it still sounds good. 4 Heard before? No Owned: No, 105/405 (25%) Will I get: Maybe

Not bad. Not So but good.

nice enough

One of the all time bangers. Some of my favorite instrumental choices and plenty of interesting stories. We have this album to thank for being an opening the door and setting the stage for the rest of amazing 80s albums. It has it all, Fairlight Synthesizers, gated reverb drums, genre smashing, sax solos, interesting characters and stories, all while remaining accessible to everyone. It is amazing that he would manage 3 different 5 star albums in the same decade. Each, shaping what everyone else would chase for the rest of the decade with MELT, SECURITY, and SO. One of the best album runs any artist could ever hope for. People call this art rock, but it was always Pop and there is not something that requires apology. For my money, the 80s were the best bang for your buck of complex Pop music. This list often chooses the wrong albums from the 80s, ignoring what the 80s did better than any other decade: Joy, while acknowledging improvements can be had. Favorites: "Intruder", "No Self Control", "Start", "I Don't Remember", "Family Snapshot", "And Through the Wire", "Games Without Frontiers", "Lead a Normal Life", "Biko"

Peter Gabriel's So is easily one of my favorite albums of the 80s, and I figured this would be in a similar vein. However I ultimately found this album far less accessible. It's definitely experimental and pushing the boundaries of pop music, but is hard to get traction on these songs. I recognize Games Without Frontiers from the radio back in the day... but I didn't enjoy the song as much as I thought I did. I think Gabriel finds a better balance of experimentation and accessibility on future releases.

This was quite a cool and creative record. Gabriel bring all sorts of impressive vocal performances and power mixed with strange, captivating sounds that are often catchy yet experimental and a bit haunting. The presence of such potent, intriguing songwriting on tracks like Family Snapshot and the tribute Biko make this a winner all-around. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Biko, I Don’t Remember, Intruder, Family Snapshot

A fondly familiar voice from yesteryear.

I'm not sure how to rate thus album! Very experimental and all over the place - lots interesting but not many full songs I would just want to listen to. Feels wrong, but think I'm a low 3.

What a find - I need to listen to this again - varied art indie

Experimental, diverse but all good.

This album has been out in the wild for almost 50 years yet I'm not sure I've ever heard anything else that sounds like it. It is a highly artistic, fragmented Art Pop album, elusive and angular, mixing attractive and unattractive sounds. I am unable to fully pin down what Peter Gabriel is doing but I can only imagine my appreciation would grow with more listens.

Yeah this is getting a low 4 from me. Great production and interesting songwriting, very good!

Peter Gabriel is one of those artists where when I’m asked, I’ll tell you that the only song I know off rip of his is “Sledgehammer”. It’s his finest work, as well as being the greatest music video of all time. Unfortunately, I already got to listen to that album, “So”, and I gave it a 3. Imagine my surprise when I listened to this album a few times today and actually think it’s better than So overall. My biggest complaint with that album was that every song was just so slow and light besides “Sledgehammer”. Now, I’m fine with slow songs. They’re not my favorite, but I also don’t want to actively listen to albums like that on repeat. So, again, imagine my surprise when this album felt very similar, and yet I’m going to give it a 4 star review. I really just think that the sounds and background elements make this one interesting throughout the album, even with the slow pace. This album also does have a goated first 4 songs though. I already had “Intruder” saved to my Spotify, which I had forgotten about. That song is extremely weird, as weird as it is ear pleasing. Peter has an amazing voice, that much is obvious. Mix his great vocals with the unique sound effects of “Intruder”, and you’ve got my favorite song on the album. It’s just such a weird album, maybe even a little creepy, but it all works surprisingly well. It’s well done for sure. The album art is also very interesting, if not also very minimalistic. After “Intruder” is “No Self Control”, which recency bias really had me wanting to pick as my favorite, as I’d never heard it or the rest of the album before today. And for the second time in a row, I’m introduced to a very unusual instrument being used, which I’ve discovered is a marimba. And you know what?? That’s something I kind truly captivating about Peter Gabriel in general on this album. The production is great, his vocals are great, and he’s so creative and inventive with his sound, both vocally and instrumentation/sound-effect-wise. “No Self Control” also features a frequent collaborator of Peter’s, one Kate Bush on backing vocals, and when she’s not putting us through a solo album, I think she does a fantastic job. This song was no exception. “Start” is a beautiful little sax filled intermission. Not a lot to say about it, but it helps keep the album interesting, considering how high energy the next song is, “I Don’t Remember”, which starts out with Peter wailing. It’s such a different energy from the previous song, and keeps the album from sounding too samey, which I felt So fell victim to a bit. The rest of the album is also great, but I just wanted to talk about that fantastic opening couple of songs. The whole album is just so different and delightfully weird. I’m really starting to become a big fan of Peter Gabriel’s. This is the second of 3 albums of his I’ll have the pleasure of listening to for this project, following the previously mentioned So. And yeah, unpopular opinion, as a whole, I like this one better. It doesn’t have “Sledgehammer”, but it’s got a better setlist overall I feel. Excited to check the third album on here out. As always, time and the random nature of this website will tell when I’m able to listen to it. Until then, stay weird.

I've heard some of Peter Gabriel's more popular songs and of course know him from Genesis. This had elements of his earlier work but feels a lot different than his mainstream work later on. Had a darker almost industrial vibe at times that probably inspired NIN. His vocals were amazing as always and tracks were varied and interesting.

Have I listened to this album before How familiar am I with this album Unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? Nuetral Pre-Listen Thoughts: Out of all the Pater Gabriel songs I know, none of them are on this album. I predict 3-4 stars. Favorite track(s): Games without Frontiers Post-Listen Thoughts: This was OK. I think I’ll like some of his other solo work and Genesis more than this album

My god do I love Peter Gabriel.

Nah fam