So

"Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list" It is one of the top-rated comment of 'So' on this site. Well, I can guarantee that I was born a couple of years after 1982 and I not only put this album on my 1001 albums list but I also give it a 5. The reason is that I appreciate great music. 'So' is one of the best albums of the 1980s - this album is a great example that pop music can be excellent if everything is of high quality: songwriting, lyrics, production, singing, etc. Gabriel also invited stellar guest musicians who contributed to the greatness of this album. Even the music video for Sledgehammer is iconic, innovative and the best of the decade. Perhaps it helps that I've seen Gabriel live at a concert and when he played these songs from 'So', the quality was the same as on the album. Mindblowing experience. If there is any pop album that deserves to get high rating, it is this album.

I'm just gonna say Tony F. Levin.

this album answers the question: what if phil collins was good?

The music on So is world-building, creating a large, almost tangible experience. Take the epic opening track, "Red Rain", to see how large, energetic, yet melancholic the listening experience can be. The tracks invite you in to their own world, yet Peter's voice sounds natural, not constructed, as if he is next to you as he sings. The selection of backing vocals and guest musicials add to both the largeness of the overall experience, and the intimacy of the lyrics. There are clever lyrics with a lot of imagery. I tend to like the the moodier songs on this album. Perhaps it's because I've heard some of the upbeat tracks more often. I've heard all of Peter Gabriel's albums up to this album, and several albums after So. I've listened to this album several times. I've listened to the individual tracks even more often - EVERY. SINGLE. TRACK. How could I not give this 5 stars. There's nothing to skip.

Guarantee you anyone born after 1982 is not putting this in their 1001 albums to listen to list

I have this album on cassette & have had it since 1990. It's quintessential 80s Peter Gabriel & it's perfect. Don't Give Up ft. Kate Bush, Red Rain, Sledgehammer, Big Time, and In Your Eyes - Jesus, this is a juggernaut. Something about his voice, cadence, and emotion draws me in. I've been revisiting Peter Gabriel in both his Genesis & solo years lately, and I wish I would've taken a deeper dive sooner. He's touring this year, so I'm taking this as a sign to see him live. I'll regret it if I don't. 5 out of 5.

So… I knew who Peter Gabriel was by name and notably through having heard the songs “Sledgehammer” and “In Your Eyes” but let me share my ignorance with you. While listening to this album I kept thinking “Wow, this album is phenomenal! This sounds like Phil Collins or Genesis”. Then I read the attached Wikipedia article and immediately felt simultaneously smart and stupid. 5/5 for being educated by an amazing album.

In 1992, I went away to college. My Dad was really, really strict, and it was very stressful living at home for the last few years. I can remember laying in my bed in my dorm room, with the wind blowing through the open window, and finally feeling relaxed. Relieved. Free. I can remember doing that same thing many times that first semester. Opening the window, climbing up on the top bunk bed, and just being free. Much of the time, I'd throw an album on at high volume while I zoned out. My roommate happened to own this CD. One day, I decided it was a good time for my ritual, and I put it on. I was familiar with Peter Gabriel but had never listened to this album. It was so overpowering and emotional. The sounds created here were so vivid, it's like I could visualize brushstrokes across my vision of the world through my dorm window. I feel like I lived a whole life in my mind while listening to this album. Everything I had been through, what I wanted out of my life, who the important people were for me, where I wanted to go, what I wanted my college experience to be like, who was I outside of my parents' house on on my own, and so on. I was feeling emotions I had never really acknowledged or experienced before. And as I listened to this album today, I was there again. Re-living that time of my life. But now, I listened while knowing what kind of life I've lived and the choices I've made. I realized "Don't Give Up" is a parents' message to their child. And really everything came full circle. I listened and thought of my kids' lives, and what they will do as they grow. And found myself in that zone again. Really truly feeling happiness. It's a beautiful and entertaining album, and one of the few that exist that really take me to another place. So (pun not intended) happy that it popped up today!

This will never have a revival. Please let these 1980’s production techniques stay buried in the attic. Those who actually enjoyed this at the time are allowed to listen to it with headphones only. The rest of us don’t want to be a part of this. Okay, leave the video for sledgehammer for posterity.

Hello, old friend. It's been too long. You still sound good.

Here is one of the albums that defined my first few years of college. Between being one of my close friend’s favorite artist and the duet with Kate Bush it was impossible for me not to listen. Five of the songs on this album (Red Rain, Sledgehammer, Don’t Give Up, Big Time and In Your Eyes) have remained well-known to me since their release. Listening today felt more surprising than I expected. The big songs sound bigger, and the quieter songs speak to me now even more deeply. I’m perplexed how I’d forgotten almost entirely four of the songs when they are so good. This was my introduction to Laurie Anderson and the start of another musical crush. I must remember to go back to those albums now too… It’s great to spend quality time with So again.

This is a Very Special Album, having been a prized tape in my cassette collection from when it came out. The whole thing is so good from start to finish, and I was happy to really notice lyrics and instrumentation that I hadn't really thought about back then. The variety of styles and instruments and voices (Youssou N'Dour was there this whole time?!) are amazing. It opens pretty epically with "Red Rain" before going to the spectacular "Sledgehammer," the song and video of which blew my mind. "Don't Give Up" is a beautiful song that's much more meaningful to me now. Bombastic "Big Time" was another favorite that I'd hadn't heard in too long. "This Is the Picture" is a very cool work featuring Laurie Anderson that I was happy to rediscover. I loved getting to listen to this today so much!

Flying songs, Excellent songs Here they come. Despite inventing the sound of the decade when him and Phil Collins accidently created gated reverb, it took a John Hughes movie and a claymation dancing chicken to become a worldwide star. This is in the grand tradition of weird 70s artistes going pop on their own terms in the 80s. For all of the shimmering synths and glistening production tricks, this album doesn't really sound 'mainstream'. Gabriel's voice soars over gospel choirs, 'World' rhythms, and drumstick hit bass guitar. He delivers cutting social commentary on the yuppy mindset (the greatest WrestleMania theme), a minimalist song about birds featuring a conceptual artist, and love songs played endearingly straight. No-one else could have pulled it off. A classic.

A great album, with no fat whatsoever. With So, Peter Gabriel delivered the perfect blend of his prog rock beginnings in Genesis and the heady alt-pop/new wave sounds that took the 80s by storm. The lyrics have soulful depth in places, and cheeky subversiveness in others. The music is complex and surprising, even today, with world music influences galore. Even the grossly overplayed In Your Eyes can still strike the heart, though Don’t Give Up has always been the chilling winner in my book. The videos for the monster hits Sledgehammer and Big Time were all the rage back in MTV days, but the songs still pack a punch even without the clever visuals. No hesitation for me - 5 stars.

5 lovely, nostalgic stars.

C Red Rain 3 Sledgehammer 2 Don't Give Up 2 That Voice Again 2 Mercy Street 2 Big Time 3 We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37) 3 This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds) 3 In Your Eyes 3 This was so meh. I expected much more from a supposed 80s classic.

And my heaven will be a big heaven / And I will walk through the front door So much I love about this album. It was important to sensitive kids in the 80s. It’s great, maybe not perfect but close enough.

Ah, now this is one of my all time faves. Such a great album. I almost didn’t want to move on so I could keep playing it. It’s that good. Needs must though so on I trundle

Very 80's but this is so so good. I count 6 great tracks out of 9 on the album. Weird to think Peter Gabriel was a 70's prog-rock concept album and then became an 80's pop diva. I can't divorce the music from the videos though - groundbreaking and addictive. But then the 80s was the beginning of the MTV phenomenom and in my head they are one. One of the best and most representative musicians from the decade or any time to be honest.

Really good stuff. I've never heard of this guy before, his vocals sounded a bit like Phil Collins to me lol (and I don't particularly like him or his music) but this was v good Saved tracks: Sledgehammer, Don't Give Up, Mercy Street, Big Time, This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)

So is such an 80s album; the schmickly produced pop, the Fairlight CMI, the synth pads, the fretless bass, the digital reverb sheen are all very much of the time, but it still sounds great. It's smart, literate pop music that still has a great beat and some banging tunes. Gabriel skirts with the cultural appropriation issue, but I would argue that his work with "world" musicians is much more collaborative than the more exploitative work of, say, Paul Simon or Malcolm McLaren. 'Sledgehammer' cashes in on the nostalgia for 60s black RnB in a way that I am a bit uncomfortable with, but you can't argue that it is a cracking tune with an all-time classic video. Gabriel weaves a delicate line between his art-rock pretensions (check out the subject matter of many of these songs), with the need to be accessible and enjoyable. It's a fine line, and he dances it perfectly. This fits the criteria for a great album of "three great songs and no bad songs". (Interestingly, I was reading various reviews, and there is little agreement on what the three great songs are, which speaks to the high quality and broad appeal on this record). Personally, I prefer his earlier 'Melt' album, but that is a bit creepier and unsettling (which is to my taste), but for an example of an album with mass pop appeal that doesn't make you feel dumber for listening to it, this is hard to beat.

Album 48 of 1001 Peter Gabriel - So Favorite Track : Big Time Rating : 4 / 5 There is nothing to dislike about this. Well written, well produced, well performed. A couple of the tunes are somewhat similar (similarities of Sledgehammer & Big Time stood out) but, at the same time, he brings unique sounds with guests such as Kate Bush, who he duets with on "Don't Give Up" and Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour on "In Your Eyes".

I was excited for this album, so I'll say I'm a tad disappointed by what I got. After the Genesis album I figured I had been sleeping on Peter Gabriel this whole time, but hearing this I feel like no one was above the risk of falling into the production trends of the time, and it leads to an experience that feels just as cheesy as any other adult oriented pop record from the time. Sledgehammer is obviously fantastic, but it is only so great because my mind has had the time to accept the production and see past it, but the rest of this I was completely blind to, and in turn just found it boring. The album does pick up quite a bit at the end however, with the second to last track being something that I could see jamming out to with some time, but I truly think had the rest of this album sounded like the final track, we could've had Gabriel's very own Low. Otherwise, Sledgehammer is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for this rating, I must admit.

I miss some kind of humor. It’s all so serious and I don’t feel any fun. I like Peter’s Voice. Mainly in the contrast to Kate Bush. A great duet. Nice deconstructed sound. Far from everyday Pop Music. I don’t like the slap-guitar. He’s no poet. “Big Time” is the worst song. I doesn’t catch me at all. Over-ambitious, swinging with meaning where there is none. Boring.

Very good album. Better than the majority on this list

There's so many layers to this album and many of them are personal. How can an album be both a great singles album and a fleshed out full length? Really incredible.

One of the best albums of the 80’s and one of the albums responsible for making me a lover of popular music. Gabriel’s songwriting is top-notch and the playing by collaborators like Tony Levin and David Rhodes are sublime. It is the one album I would recommend by Gabriel the artist and one of two or three must-haves of the decade

another great album, loved having a little boogie to a few of these songs- sledgehammers always good. for obvious reasons very genesis, phil collins esque

Solid but not really my thing, didn’t listen to all the live versions of the songs because fuck that 6/10

crying from the first notes we had this album around the house and in the car growing up reminds me of driving around with my dad haven't listened in truly decades but it's very burned into my brain revisiting as an adult is so nice it feels like it captures a wide stretch of human emotion and experience in fine detail and while it is so deeply sincere, it still feels cool and surprising and neither easy, boring, or obvious love his voice, delivery, the arrangements and overall production

Gambled my pocket money on this cassette, based on some excellent singles and their striking videos. By the middle of "Red Rain" I knew I had picked a winner. Some of my favorite '80s sounds on here (the giant bass on "Big Time", the spooky percussion and flute of "Mercy Street", Youssou N'Dour singing on "In Your Eyes"). I probably played this even more than "Graceland", establishing my art-rock interests with some neat material for a pre-teen (the Milgram Experiment; Laurie Anderson). Exceptional.

It seems people like to crap on successful albums, but career-defining albums like "So" are successful for a reason. This album delivered a sound that exemplifies and also set the standard for pop-dance albums in the mid-1980's, a period where the industry was consolidating under multinational corporate names. Big money made big sounds like never before. (Later, the resistance to this and the increasing affordability of digital recording led to the rise of the indies, but that's a story for another day.) Peter Gabriel and a band of incredibly talented musicians (most who kept their skills sharp as studio musicians) produced this very big-sounding album. Tony Levin's bass and Chapman Stick in particular, set a standard for pop-dance music at the time. Also of interesting note--1986 was a year where CDs were really on the rise, but people were buying their music on legacy media too (cassette and LP), and this was mastered with an ear for all of these. The dense production sounded great on our portable player/headphone sets, as much as it did on our big home systems.

One of the first albums I was ever obsessed with. Love. Every. Track.

Whispy vocals, cool rhythms. Very indie sound. Not the kind of music I normally gravitate towards, but overall a pretty enjoyable album.

Very good album, already know of this

If you don't like Sledgehammer, get help for your lack of taste

Listened Before? N An absolute 80s classic. A perfect blend of pop, new wave keyboards, and glam - this is one of the best albums of that decade for sure and probably the previous two as well. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Red Rain

"So" is the fifth studio album and his first not named "Peter Gabriel" by English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel. I always like reading and showing the Wiki-listed genres which include new wave, art pop, art rock, progressive pop and world beat. Progressive pop is a new one for me. Gabriel, producer Daniel Lanois and guitarist David Rhodes began working on material in 1985 at Gabriel's Ashcomb Home in Somerset. This album was less experimental than his previous ones and used "various influences fusing pop, soul and art rock with elements of world music specifically African and Brazilian" That somes it up. Gabriel was lead vocalist and played synths and a number of other instruments and a large cast of other instrumentalist and vocalists including Rhodes (guitar), Tony Levin (bass), Manu Katché (drums), Jerry Marotta (percussion), Stuart Copeland (percussion) and L. Shankar (violin, vocals). The album was his most successful commercially hitting #1 in the UK and #2 in the US and received positive reviews for its songwriting, melodies and fusion of genres. Stuart Copeland's cymbal and hi-hat percussion open the album in "Red Rain." Levin's bass. Standard drums. Synth in the background and various percussions. It's a destructive world with social problems including kidnapping and torture. Garbriel's emotional vocals slowly fade out. Let's have fun and that is exactly what Gabriel does in "Sledgehammer. " A synthesized shakuhachi flute opens a song inspired by Otis Redding. So Much so, that Gabriel got Redding's trumpeter Wayne Jackson to take the lead. Polyrhythmic and I a decent video for this song. We're back to the serious in "Don't Give Up" inspired by Gabriel's discontent with the rising unemployment in the Thatcher era and a great depression photo, "Migrant Mother," showing a woman abd her two children. Softer musically with Levin's bass mostly in the lead but emotionally strong with vocals by Gabriel and Kate Bush who responds to Gabriel's depressed lyrics giving him hope. Did someone say vocals? The vinyl side two opens with "In Your Eyes." A constant beat and soft keys get to the musical and vocal choruses. Tremendous vocals in this song of feeling complete only in the eyes of his lover.. Simple Mind's Jim Kerr in the backing vocals. And, of course stealing the show, backing vocalist Youssou N'Dour singing in his native Wolof tongue. I think this may also be in a movie. Gabriel brings the funk in "Big Time." Jangly guitars and a rolling bass. Overdubbed dual Gabriel vocals in a song poking fun at the materialism and consumerism of yuppies. Honestly, this is not my favorite Gabriel song but it was big (no pun intended) and I liked the video. I started the week with a Violent Femmes' album that was hard to miss around colleges in the 80's and end the week with an album that was hard to miss everywhere in the 80's. That's OK: I was a big Peter Gabriel fan before this album, when this album came and after; it still sounded fabolous today. It's a collection of pop songs at the core with polyrhythmic beats, various instruments and vocalists. I have always particularly liked the deeper cuts such as the more experimental "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" with Laurie Anderson and the mostly instrumental "We Do What We're Told" which reminds me of "Peter Gabriel III (Melt)." Simply top-notch bass, guitar and percussion/drums. A great album that I'm assuming that a lot of you have heard.

From when I was a very young lad, my dad used to make cassettes of his LP's for me if I found something intriguing or nice to listen to if he had it on. So I could listen to it on my little cassette player in the attic. And when I was 7 I also had this album on one side (and Sting on side B, but that's a different story. ) I loved this album when I was 7 and now almost 40 years later, this album still is special. Red Rain still grabs me by my throat. Don't Give Up has helped me through more difficult times than I care to admit. Big Time, even after all this time, makes me smile. This is a masterpiece.

So is one of my favorites; I adore this record. Red Rain is such an incredible opener and one of his greatest songs. We are graced with the presence of Kate Bush on Don't Give Up, and then with Laurie Anderson's on This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds). Sledgehammer and Big Time are there when you need to jump up and dance, and Mercy Street when you need to sit and reflect with the birds and coffee in the quiet of the morning. There's even a song about the Milgram experiments. But In Your Eyes is, in my opinion, the greatest song on the album, and possibly my favorite song of all time. There's a live version on the 25th Anniversary Deluxe that is pure joy and wonder and everything that makes live music actual magic. I was SO happy to get to listen to this today...get...get it? SO happy. Okay, anyway, yeah 5 stars no question.

I was pleasantly surprised by the range on this album. It's definitely still Peter Gabriel, but it's a very complete and well-done album.

Great artist - great album

4-5 excellent songs and the rest are solid.

Peter's peak! Fantastic album- songs, production, playing, vocals. It was always going to be a hard one to follow. Subsequent albums have their moments, but this is the one.

Heard it before a million times. ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS EVER. Peter Gabriel's voice is like a hug when you're sad. There's not a single bad song on this album. I love it so much. 5/5

I had forgotten how good this record was.

My first reaction was like … It has sledgehammer and in your eyes, this is by default 5/5. Then I listened to the rest and … spoiler alert - it’s solid 5. the Songs filled with compassion and kindness. Music wise it’s really complicated but sounds really tasteful. Some songs of course are not that memorable and hit material, but even greatest album ever does have skippers. Overall I feel like this album can heal, can entertain and it has sledgehammer

Peter Gabriel’s masterpiece, expertly combining both radio-friendly hits and more experimental music, both categories full of emotional and instrumental complexity. Essential.

This album is a little dorky at times, but so am I. Something about tors album speaks to me and it’s an album I can see myself growing with. And “In Your Eyes“ is a no surprise standout.

“Don’t Give Up” does funny things to me - Kate Bush is very persuasive even without the massive nostalgia surge. “Sledgehammer” is slower than I remembered, still a face-slayer. “Big Time” is a good time, and the other singles stick. The rest felt innocuous on first listen, intriguing and deceptively catchy on second. Conceptual air of a therapy session conducted by fax during a mildly innocent cultural appropriation vacation.

I regret not giving him a chance earlier. This is shaping up to be a great album. It has that nice unmistakable 80's sound. I sense this might require more listens to really stick, but I like what I hear.

Gabriel deserved a better career than Phil Collins.

how is Peter Gabriel not on the Time/Life Ultimate Love Songs Collection, a two CD set yours for only 26.99 but if you pay by credit card you'll save ten dollars

By far the best Peter Gabriel album. This album was so Big Time for me when it came out! The rich musical tapestries, the creative music videos, they all added to make quite a big impact on the person I turned out to be. Or as much as music can. That cassette I bought back then is long gone, though. They'd never last, commercial cassette releases. P.S. As much as I love Kate Bush, I always found Don't Give Up this album's weakest link. And although it was Sledgehammer that first attracted me to this album, these day I gravitate towards tracks like We Do What We're Told much more.

This album is pretty damn good. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m glad I listened to this record. Despite being a pop album, this album accomplishes a lot. The art pop and Brazilian music influences are very present on the album and I love it. The song also has a lot of jazz and funk influences, certainly a welcome surprise. The song Sledgehammer is a good example of everything the album stands for sonically. The Brazilian influences are present in a lot of parts of the song. The jazzy and funky verses and choruses go so incredibly hard. Lyrically it’s not the most deep song, but Peter Gabriel’s vocals are so good in this album. While the art pop aspects of this album are more present in the second half of the album, Sledgehammer still shows what the album is all about and is definitely the highlight, among the rest of this phenomenal album. Truly amazing, I’d give it a solid 9/10, it really is good.

I'm slowly coming around to this sound - which I think of as the "Phil Collins" sound, though it might be more accurately characterized as the other way around. It's always sounded like muzak to me, like something my mom might have put on while she was cleaning... but it's starting to sound more like an old friend now. I gave it a few listens - favorites are probably "Sledgehammer" "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" and "In Your Eyes."

This is a good benchmark album for me to see how far I’ve come after 600 albums because it was one my dad owned on cd and I listened to in high school. Back then I exclusively listened to sledgehammer and when I tried to listen to the whole thing I thought it was boring filler. Now, I really appreciate the album from start to finish. Sledgehammer and it’s music video still can’t be beat but big time, the Kaye bush duet, and in your eyes are all pretty solid. This is also probably the most quintessentially 80s album I’ve gotten outside of shit like Michael Jackson. The synths and other production is just so 80s in a way that’s almost indescribable.

Pretty good 80’s popslop, goes down real nice and greasy like the unhealthiest, tastiest burger.

Red Rain - love the drums and synths. good background song for driving or studying. Bit too repetitive for me. Sledgehammer - A classicccc. Don't we all want a good sledgehammering sometimes. Also the music video is trippy af. Don't Give Up - low key moody song, love the girls voice but it's too slow for me. Cool baseline at the end. That Voice Again - cool hihats and drumming on this one. Like how it builds up to the chorus. Mercy Street - very atmospheric, I liked the flutes and jungle/island sound. Big Time - very 80s Duran Duran. It's ok We Do What We Are Told - OK weird interlude This Is The Picture - excellent snow, birds flying, pictures of people...right In Your Eyes - omg he sings this song!? So good, it's like Africa by Toto 2.0 Giving it a 3 even though I did find another song I added to my favourites because the slower songs were way to repetitive and really testing me not to skip them lol

The Genesis vocalist narrowed his progressive tendencies on this widely popular album, gravitating to an amalgam of pop, funk, and some sort of British heartland folk. Shades of Duran Duran, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen all figure in the makeup of this record, tho consciously or not I'm unsure. The trouble is that he's neither Stevie nor the Boss, and while he's squarely superior to Duran Duran, he's just as forgettable. I don't think it's a matter of the album's unfavorable 80s affect - I'm not one to decry a period piece. I think it boils down to 1) his pretensions and lyrical failings; 2) his cheesiness and prosaic vocals; and 3) the knowledge that there's way better music out there. In short, it bored and chagrinned me.

This album is like a young professional in the 80s. He is a go-getter at work, and his aptitude for mergers and acquisitions has led him to wealth beyond what he deserves. He drives a flash sports car that has a built in phone. He’s got electric blue suits, ray ban sunglasses and a $250 haircut. Everything looks perfect. But this guy’s smile (and artificially whitened teeth), hide a darkness in his soul. He was having an affair with his PA at work, and his wife found out. She’s moved out and taken their two year old child with her. The PA is now blackmailing him into fast tracking her career. It’s Wednesday night and he’s ripping the seal off the second bottle of whiskey for the week. His last big deal fell through and he doesn’t know if he can make his bonus numbers for the month.

I feared this album. It features the awful 'Sledge Hammer', very bad memory of my youth. And what I didn't know: 'Don't give up' as well, another awful memory. So far I was wrong. The first three songs, including the two I mentioned and opener 'Red rain' are actually pretty good. They even sound rather okay for a 1986-popalbum. But then... It gets worse and worse, every song more awful than the last one with an absolute low in 'This is the picture'. What on earth is that? This must be one of the worst songs in 86 albums so far. Eighties production is almost laughable of all the songs bar the first three. In 'Mercy Street' and the aforementioned 'This is the picture' nothing at all happens. My god. On the original vinyl 'This is the picture' was the closing track. People must have been so relieved they could start a new album... But on cd and cassette and since 2002 also on vinyl there is a different closer and that's a lot better: 'In your eyes'. The funny thing is that this album is saved from a very bad review by the two hits I had such bad memories of.

The best part of this album was Kate Bush's backup vocals.

here’s a hot take: just bc an album is from the 80s and has one (1) song on it that’s vaguely recognizable bc it gets intermittent radio play on throwback stations does NOT make said album a must listen. now that being said, if i were training an ai model to generate an 80s album, this one WOULD be a must listen

i love peter's voice but god he overproduced the shit out of this album. far too many dramatics, far too much social pandering, such a sappy, hammy sounding album. i love over-explaining and over-criticizing but i dont want to even critically examine this and have to listen to it again. and jesus christ Don't Give Up has to be the worst way possible to use a Kate Bush feature. i need to go listen to Hounds of Love

I want to listen to bikini kill

Some things should stay in the 80s.

That third track was one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. Sacrilegious to Kate Bush frankly

I love the vibes here, but the songs are too long and too repetitive for me, making it a bit boring

Felt loooooong

The kind of music you would hear in a sappy Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks movie about anthropomorphic animals that overcome great tribulations with the power of friendship

Thank god I didn't grow up in the 80s.

A bit meh. Sledgehammer was the only "good" song.

When I say I generally don't like music from the 80s, this is the perfect example of the type of music I'm talking about.. Thought Sledgehammer and In Your Eyes might have been able to bump it up a star.

Dynamic 80s pop, exactly what I thought this would sound like. So much similarity with Collins. Shifted between funny and unsettling, definitely the genre that Patrick Bateman likes to kill people to. Excellent birds probably the funniest. I really don't like this sort of music, I think on some level it isn't awful but it's a personal 1.

sledgehammer in MY eyes? it's more likely than you'd think

Today, Peter Gabriel's album So was the right record at the right time for me, and I was deeply moved by the time I spent with it, listening for the OAD journey we all share. I've heard it before, and, of course, I am familiar with the singles, but I wasn't aware of the record's popularity or cultural impact. One Discogs review I read said something along the lines of, "Every house has this album, and if you don't think you do, you should look again." I was nine when this album came out, from a small southern city with deep military and Bible-Belt influences. I was not listening to Peter Gabriel albums. In 1989, I was not watching Cameron Crowe films. Elementary age me did think that the video for Sledgehammer was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen (mostly in short clips from other shows or commercials. Remember, Bible Belt). Today was not the first time I've listened to this album, but it was the first time I listened to it critically. 67 albums in, and this is the best example of Artistic or Progressive Pop I may have ever heard, even surpassing other masterpieces such as Hounds of Love and The Joshua Tree. The music is layered and mastered beautifully. I listened to the YouTube Music-streamed version of the Deluxe Edition (including the live additions) and FLAC files of the SACD. I listened with earbuds, headphones, in my car, and on my hi-fi. The SACD files through a plug-in DAC from my phone over headphones were the best experience, but each version was a joy. The music is perfect, as are the vocal performances. Kate Bush's contributions are meaningful, made even better as she adapts her talents to Peter Gabriel's vision. I needed to hear her sing "Don't give up" today. In fact, today I was probably most impressed with the lyrical content of these songs, as wonderful and engaging as the music is. Of course, the massive hits are exceptionally catchy while showcasing both artistic ability and pop sensibility in a wonderful balance, especially "In Your Eyes." Many of you have known that for years, but I feel like I only appreciated the song for what it is today. But, sandwiched between the giangic bangers of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time," is the triptych of inspirational, uplifting songs: "Don't Give Up," That Voice Again," and "Mercy Street." They each represent a unique dimension of an intimate personal struggle, written in a way that allows the listener to relate their own trials to those described here and, even more importantly, to feel emotional relief through the uplifting catharsis effected by the resolutions in the lyrics. The ultimate resolution to these three is the album's eruption into "Big Time," which I'm convinced, with no evidence and probable projection, is about Gabriel purging egotistical tendencies he observes in himself. This track progression is what elevates the album from a collection of great tunes to a cohesive experience. This is what provides the journey that we lovers of the album format crave. And it does it all in a package that is immediately accessible with a runtime of under 50 minutes. Peter Gabriel's So is as good an introduction to close, critical listening as any other record I can think of. It's up there with What's Going On, Rumours, Abbey Road, and Exodus. Finally, a brief plug for the live content on the deluxe edition. The concert's overall journey doesn't match the album's, but the readings of the individual cuts rival the studio versions in emotional impact. Youssou N'Dour appears on stage for his part in "In Your Eyes." You must hear it at least once. I was knocked on my ass by this album. Whatever hard times you are facing, consider spending 46 minutes listening closely to this record as a form of self-care. Five stars.

This album takes me back. This is such a solid album. Sledgehammer is still hitting hard, but Don't Give Up is incredibly relevant today. This album is such a banger and I'm loving everything about it.

This album is BIG TIME from start to finish. It’s loaded with standout tracks “Sledgehammer,” “Big Time,” and “In Your Eyes,” but even the deeper cuts hold their own. “Red Rain” opens things perfectly, setting the tone for the rest of the album. All in all, a 5/5 from someone born in 1983. It's a timeless classic.

One of those albums that's an automatic 5 for me...no question. And one of the rare albums that I enjoy listening to all the way through. Red Rain gives me chills every time.

Wow

Listening to Peter Gabriel brought me back to fond memories. I listened to the album as I was going to work. Fantastic!

I don't even have to listen to this record. I have it memorized. It has shown up at several pivotal moments in my life. I got this on CD when I was a lovesick 14 or 15 year-old who watched Say Anything too much. (I may or may not have blasted "In Your Eyes" to a girl's front door, Lloyd Dobbler-style, in an extremely mortifying and unoriginal grand romantic gesture at one point in my teens). But I also remember it from way before seeing the amazing stop-motion video for "Sledgehammer" on MTV in the 80s. I remember a college party I attended, where I sat on the porch in the dark talking about life with my friend from the theatre program, our cigarette smoke drifting through the air like the haunting rhythms of "Mercy Street" we heard playing inside the house. I put "Don't Give Up" on a playlist for a friend who was struggling very recently, in fact. His founding of the Real World Record label also had a significant impact on broadening my appreciation for international sounds that would later define my DJ career. Peter Gabriel has always been pushing the envelope. Too cool for Genesis, he branched out on his own to bring together all his influences and interests into an impressive and storied solo career. He already had four solid records before this one, but I guess this was his mainstream breakthrough effort. Sure, sometimes he gets a little deep into "sensitive white guy singing passionately about his feelings" territory here, but I'll forgive him that, given his imaginative and wholesale commitment to creativity in all aspects of his output, from songwriting, to filmmaking, to the overwhelming theatricality of his live shows.  This record is almost perfect. Every song is so well-crafted and performed. It is also such a study in contrasts. There are the big show-stopper funky sonic bangers on the instrumentally dense pop songs like "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer", and then the quieter, sparer moments like "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37" and "Mercy Street, which really allow for an understated yet incredible amount of space in the compositions. I wanna think with the pop bangers that had so much play on the radio and MTV, he was also luring in listeners to buy the record and get their horizons broadened with the more experimental, cerebral, and international offerings throughout. "That Voice Again" is the only weak link here; total throwaway. He brings in some pretty heavy collaborators on the vocals, and Tony Levin's bass does take center stage to memorable effect. The cover art, designed by Peter Saville of Factory Records fame, does have curious similarities to New Order's "Low Life". Nevertheless it's clean and modern and as such feels fresh even decades later. I'm not typically a fan of major label mainstream singer/songwriter stuff, but this guy has also been around too much at important points in my life for me to indulge in my personal biases and I must instead just embrace it. All that said, I listened to it again anyway. Although it doesn't hit me like it used to, it still hits.

Masterpiece.

This album is packed with great songs, and even better memories. It somehow felt legendary even before I ever heard it, like one of those records everyone knows is special. Every time it plays, it still makes me smile, just a gentle reminder of how timeless great music can be.

I will always feel a special connection to this sublime album. I saw Peter Gabriel three times in the 80s on his touring off "So." Some obvious bangers. "Mercy Street" and "Don't Give Up" still make me emotional when I hear them. And of course one of the most magnificent love songs of all time—"In Your Eyes."

I mean….this is a 5-star album. The end.

A sonoridade desse álbum me impressionou bastante. E também me deixou com muita vontade de conhecer mais sobre o artista, pois se em um álbum ele consegue fazer uma coisa assim, imagina nos outros.

Veľmi chillovacia kvalitná muzika

So... this is a truly excellent album. Full of inspiration, jams, and an iconic sound of the 80s. From the imagery in his lyrics, to the synth blending everything together. It's a time machine. But this album also opens the door for experiencing world music, and gaining appreciation for the various artistic influences. You listen to work like this, and you immediately understand what it defined for artists who followed. We need more like him, with his values and top-notch innovation. Peter Gabriel for PM! Did you know: Sledgehammer is a funky bass jam about Peter Gabriel's penis.

🗯 Dunno what it is about Peter Gabriel — is he clever? Is it his voice? Or does he just speak directly to the right thing in my music-loving brain? To my ears, he doesn’t miss — he could do it all and this one’s flawless pop-leaning. By 1986, Gabriel had already gone full art-rock weirdo — now he seemed keen for the world to actually sing along. So was the breakthrough: sensual, cinematic, and impossibly sophisticated. It’s what happens when a visionary decides to play nice with the mainstream and ends up redefining it. Bowie did it. Prince did it. Gabriel nailed it. There’s Sledgehammer — a funky sermon on lust disguised as pop perfection. Don’t Give Up turns existential despair into gospel with Kate Bush’s ethereal counterpoint — it hits me in the sub-cockle area. In Your Eyes remains one of the most heartfelt ballads ever to score a cinematic boombox moment. Red Rain is huge, biblical catharsis — one glorious opener if ever there was one. And Big Time? That funky, Prince-like guitar and monster hook define Gabriel for me. And those big, dramatic drums? I’m a sucker for them — pure 80s perfection. This record finds the sweet spot between art and pop, with Gabriel’s introspection at one end and Phil Collins’ stadium polish at the other. It’s all a flex. A rare album that threads art and accessibility without compromise — proof you can be deep, danceable, and downright filthy all at once. Verdict: Essential (horny art-pop meets spiritual awakening) For fans of: Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Tears for Fears, anyone who likes their enlightenment with a sax solo

definitely not a stranger to peter gabriel's work. his songs are so meaningful and mesmerizing to listen to... this album is one of his best-sellers and for good reason. it's sometimes spiritual, sometimes funky, sometimes quiet... it's all over the place, but it works. when it starts you might think "ohhhh is this going to be another corny synthy 80s pop record?" but it's so much more than that... i like albums where i can sit and think about how i could make music as meaningful and as... worldly as gabriel's.

Definitely the poppiest and most commercial sounding album he had made at this point in his career. A big step away from his Genesis days. The songs are catchy, especially Sledgehammer and Big Time. He did retain some of his earlier style with Mercy Street, We Do What Were Told and Don't Give Up. Finally, In Your Eyes is a classic, romantic love song.

Pre: I like Peter Gabriel's music, I probably have heard just the singles from this Post: great production and prog like pop , whole album was great

This album blew me away when it came out and it has lost nothing in the intervening years.

excellent album.

Excellent album, and I didn’t realize so many of Peter Gabriel’s hits are all on this record. I really enjoyed my time listening to this and I’ll be back soon. Best Track: In Your Eyes

Well - one of the first albums I ever bought was Peter Gabriel’s Golden Greats and have seen him live twice and been to WOMAD twice in the past 30 years so I am somewhat biased.

Undefeated 80s

The best!