So

The music on this is really good and interesting, but the 80s production on this is super annoying.

Still a classic.

Sledgehammer is a hood classic, rest is solid as well

Since I didn't really like Peter Gabriel's debut album, I think this one is great. I have special memories associated with the song "Sledgehammer." That was the song that was rewritten and performed by a colleagues from the institute band to celebrate graduation of another colleague. The singer of that band and I were friends, and he told me how incredibly difficult the song and the vocal part were. So I tried it myself—and failed miserably. A great album that I should listen to more often. 5/5

8 - GOOD

What's not to like about this album? This is one of those must-have albums - 10/10

un meh total. 3/10

Me subió el ánimo. Sobre todo con el segundo tema

Fantastic album! Complex, diverse and an absolute 80s banger. What's not too love!

Sledgehammer is a banger. The rest of the album created a nice atmosphere. I've heard this album before but it grew on me with an extra listed. Solid 3.8/5.

As it happened I’d done a recent deep dive into this album a few weeks back. Good timing with it coming back. Gabriel is a treasure and one of the best “art” rock transitions to a popular solo career. This isn’t a perfect album but it’s pretty close. It’s actually the deeper tracks that stand out today, although Red Rain, Sledgehammer, Big Time, and In Your Eyes are great songs. Don’t Give Up is my favorite song on the album. Mercy Street is also strong. This is a question of rounding and could be a 4 or a 5 depending on the day.

Continues to be an exceptional album to listen to. Full of creativity and depth.

Now this is what 80s music is all about. I've complained all too much in my reviews of cheesy sounding 80s pop albums, and so I love that this is unapologetically an 80s pop album, but in such a stylish way. I would always trust Peter Gabriel to come through with something more arty than what's mainstream. Every song is genuinely so unique, and I love the range of styles and emotions this album gives you. It's such a brilliantly put together pop album that shows an artist at his absolute creative peak.

A third appearance for Mr. Gabriel, this ranks behind Gabriel 3 for me as there are a couple skips on this for me, however this is the one with the big 80s hits

Enjoyed it

I can appreciate, in the context of Peter Gabriel's career, what makes this record interesting, but I'm not sure I can appreciate why it's been included in this list. Gabriel had long been associated with the less commercial, artier end of the musical spectrum, so this pop record was a surprise at the time. Sledgehammer and Big Time remain decent enough pop songs of their day, and Don't Give Up is still a pretty wonderful song that easily stands the test of time, but the rest of it? It's all rather ordinary - it's not bad, I like it, it's just nothing special. Crazy to think that The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was a mere ten years earlier but compared to this, it sounds like something from another dimension.

A lot of songs I'm familiar with on this one album, pretty impressive. Fave track: Sledgehammer

All of Peter’s first five albums are five stars. Oh my god, every track does something new, and whether it’s a duet with Kate Bush (who will also be getting five stars on all HER albums in the book) or one of the greatest music videos of all time, every track stays fresh and exciting. Can’t wait until I pull Melt.

Damn, this was really good! Sledgehammer has been one of my jams for a while, so I was happy to discover that the rest of the album is strong, too. Great blend of funk, R&B, and world music, plus Gabriel’s signature voice. Putting this as a 4 for now but I might adjust it to a 5 after another listen and more reflection.

Not Gabriel at his best but a very solid album with some great tracks.

I mean it’s fine. I kinda feel like because Phil Collin’s, Peter Gabriel doesn’t really need to exsist. Three stars only because sledgehammer fucks so hard

Very good, though Mr. Gabriel’s voice is not for me. It’s not because of the occasional breaks in his voice, though that is hard to listen to; it’s because of his sincere lack of skill in conveying emotion through singing. I believe all the synths; I believe the guitars; Gabriel, not so much. It’s almost a relief when others are featured on songs, such as the chorus on “Don’t Give Up,” or the backing vocals on the outro of “In Your Eyes” (which incidentally is easily the best song on the album), because the mellow white voice of the artist simply does not cut it. His voice is dramatic to the point of near-insincerity, and his incorporation of genre influence outside of the pop sphere strikes me as good, but almost never great. That being said, this is a great album! Consistent in sound and quality, with clear highlights and a distinction between songs, with heavy touches of political consciousness and maturity. It also brings a beautiful little bit of progressiveness to the pop mainstream, in songs like “Sledgehammer,” which in fact made it to the top of the charts. Personal highlights are the aforementioned “Don’t Give Up,” saved completely by the female vocals on the chorus, and “In Your Eyes,” a beautiful, phenomenal work of pop music and one of the best uses of African influence in a pop context I can say I’ve heard. Highly recommend this album, both for its significance in pop culture and the fact that it’s good. 7.8/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: quality and cultural significance.

Cool album

Solid

Very 80s. Not a criticism, because it was fun, and 'Sledgehammer' is a good track, but I won't seek out any more PG on the strength of this.

My first 5⭐️ album so far. Have known and liked several songs, but never listened to the album. A surprising blend of prog rock, world beat and highly polished pop.

In Collection

Muy buen álbum de excelente artista. No tiene el crédito que se merece. Me comí una salchipapa

Al principio no me gustó taanto, me pareció un poco aburrido y como vengo poniendo puntajes muy altos pensé en ponerle 3, pero lo escuché de nuevo y muy bueno. Además debería ser lo normal poner muchos puntajes altos.

I liked this one, enjoyed the sounds of the mid 80s pop. But it was still unique and interesting enough to stand out from everything else in the era.

Ihan kivaa kasarimusaa.

This album was huge when released in 1986 and is classified as art pop/rock with worldbeat influences. This is a great album with innovative music (i.e. worldbeat) and excellent production. It may sound "80s" but he was one of the pioneers of it. It also had a great video with Sledgehammer. The musicians are great, specifically Tony Levin and David Rhodes. There really isn't a bad song on this album but to pick a few favorites: Red Rain Sledgehammer Don't Give Up (with Kate Bush) Mercy Street Big Time In Your Eyes

Probably as good as the synth-schlock of the 80s is going to get.

I am already fluent in this album. I absolutely love it. I was introduced to Peter Gabriel’s music with his album after this, called Us. Us is one of my favorite albums of all time. So is solid, albeit more mainstream. Peter Gabriel’s voice is so special and I love how dramatic his music is and how wide his range of instrument usage is.

6.0/10. A nice album that spawned from a former member of Genesis, who went on to have a massively successful solo career. It brought experimental sounds and certainly unique music and composition, but forced catchy mainstream hooks to make people listen, and it got the public used to it and catapulted him into stardom. I thought most of the songs were too long and got a little repetetive at times, but overall the sound was good and still enjoyable, but not something I feel a drawing to listen to again.

Que delicia de album :D

Atmospheres brooding give out notes fighting with self invite others to move

Musically distinct, lyrically great

I would have hoped to enjoy this a bit more due to personal ties but I am just a little indifferent about it it to be honest. Unfortunate but no point in pretending I like something more than I do.

Extremely inoffensive, didn't hate this by any means but I am in no rush to listen to it and it's 80s drum samples again. Culture Club yesterday followed by this makes me never want to listen to 80s pop music again

Big, over-produced 80s pop albums can be so great when done well

all the best parts of 80s music

The one that has Sledgehammer, as well as Red Rain and In Your Eyes. Great stuff

Why is Peter Gabriel just evil Phil Collins?

Very solid prog pop album. Will listen to again and will look into more of his back catalog along with early Genesis. Enjoyed a lot.

Starts off strong for me, kind of fades a bit in middle then last song is a right good one.

In Your Eyes will always hold a special place in heart.

Great album, but oddly not great as sunny-day-driving music. Something about it felt incongruous as I was listening while driving to the market today. Production techniques, perhaps? Still enjoyed every song on it, though. The most popular ones less so, but they are actually holding up for me.

I was most recently (and probably for the first time) exposed to Peter Gabriel when I heard the end credit song in Wall-E, which is with him and an African gospel choir, and probably other collaborators, and I liked it for its African inspiration and uplifting chorus. That's something I can say about this album as well. His cadence, prose, and lyricism are all unique, but enjoyable to me. And, well, this album kind of does it for me more than Cyndi Lauper, to give a recent example, even though this is also "sort of" corny, but very cool, 80s pop. If I gave CeeLo Green a three, this surely deserves a four.

This is a difficult album to rate. "Sledgehammer" was ubiquitous in the summer of 1986, and 6 of the 9 songs (1 through 5, plus 7) have continued to be radio staples, in the 40 (!) years since. A testament to quality, I suppose, but also, for me, feels like overexposure. And maybe a slight suspicion of lowest common denominator inoffensive broad popular appeal. Also, minor point, but Sledgehammer and Big Time sound kind of similar. On the plus side, excellent supporting cast, including Kate Bush, Youssou N'Dour, and Laurie Anderson. Also Stewart Copeland, Tony Levin, Daniel Lanois, and our recurring friend, Nile Rodgers. It's between a high 3 and a low 4.

I went into this thinking I wouldn't like it too much. I don't usually like pop from the 80's. It also had a weak start; the first three songs didn't win me over. But then track four was unleashed. Great drumming, dynamics, and I started to see the light. There's more fun percussion on "Mercy Street," a samba-like triangle pattern. The production on this album is stellar, vibrant. It's not too long and there's a dramatic flow to it. Listening now on my home speakers, I'm enjoying the recording quality and the lush instrumentation. I don't know what the hell he's talking about on "Red Rain" or "Sledgehammer," but I enjoyed the satire on "Big Time." My favorite track was "In Your Eyes," the only one I already knew pretty well, but I gained a greater appreciation for it in context.

A very enjoyable album, introduced me to a couple of tracks I didn’t know and after this listen took Peter and his greatest hits out on my run. A superb songwriter, this album was just the right balance of his personality and relatable subjects. Sledgehammer and the accompanying video were a stand out memory in my youth. Musically he just gets better and better.

Great 80s charm

"Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" are great, but the rest is forgettable.

Que disco más chulo, y la canción con Kate Bush me flipa.

Holy HELL this album. Multiple songs i would consider absolutely perfect. Don’t Give Up will never not make me cry anymore. In Your Eyes is literally so good that it could go on for hours and i would still want more. I’ve recently decided that it’s my favorite song of all time.

easily the worst of peter gabriel album on the list while still managing to be infinitely more interesting that anything ive ever heard by phil collins

I remember Sledgehammer, so thumbs up for nostalgia, but otherwise, it's pretty dull.

Not a big fan of this kind that of Disney-type-beat its like Paul Rudd, I see the appeal but I would never stand in line for it

Bien.

could be much better, he is way better in genesis

nice

Not my favorite, not my least favorite. Needs another listen

Really solid pop record with an amazing atmosphere. There's really not a bad song on here. I'm allergic to 80s cheesiness, and there's a bit of that on here, which is keeping me from giving it a 5.

Good album. Just better ones out there

Confesso que, pela capa, achei que viria algo bem tedioso. Mas bastou ouvir "Red rain is coming down..." para perceber o tamanho do erro. Daí para frente foi só pedrada atrás de pedrada. Tem R&B, soul, pop e Kate Bush. E isso deveria ser argumento suficiente para qualquer pessoa dar uma chance ao álbum. Inclusive, Don't Give Up é um dos melhores duetos que escutei nessa jornada até agora. Gosto de como a aproximação ao pop não faz o álbum soar como "mais um disco pop dos anos 80". Existe personalidade em tudo aqui. Desde os refrões gigantes até os momentos mais íntimos. Virou facilmente um álbum conforto no meu Spotify!

очень душевно

The Seinfeld effect in full swing: I wouldn't be surprised if this was special in its time, but it just feels dated and bland now.

So is so fuckin' good that on first listen I wanted to give it a 10. Then I heard it again and I was like "Nahhhhh". Either way, still a baller boss-ass record from Peter Gabriel (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

So, so. Meh.

No the best PG album, but has some really good songs and Peter's voice is in great form.

Hard so sound more 80's than this. Can be seen as cool or totally non-cool feature but this makes me almost giggle.

#484 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❌ I liked the earlier solo music quite a bit at some point, I own atleast Car (1) and Melt (3) in some format, but the latter stuff left me... wanting. This is a very smooth record, but it's lacking some of the rough edges I've come to expect from his music. While commercial is not a bad word as such, this one has the hallmarks of corporate pressure when compared to his previous endeavours. Even the Kate Bush track feels slightly calculated and I love them both as singers and musicians. Gabried did get to experiment and use various elements I'm quite sure he would have gone towards anyway, but the feeling of over-production and forced 80's sound is something I can't shake. I'm hesitant to go below 2 for this one. My misgivings aren't so much regarding the record and it's concstruction, but with how it got there and the totally unnecessary pressures the labels bestow upon artists, just for a quick buck. Corporate greed makes me angry.

Dobar, lagan, opustajuci. Mercy street mi se najvise dopala.

This one's in my library, and I probably don't listen to it enough. Thanks for reminding me to listen to it again today. This gets 5 stars just for having "Sledgehammer," "Big Time," and "In Your Eyes." Peter could have farted into a microphone for the rest of the album, and it'd still be 5 stars. Luckily he didn't and the rest of the songs are pretty solid. But those 3 are insanely good songs.

Great albums can get a 4 on here for me. To get a 5, you have to be more than great, you have to be transcendent and you have to be influential. While the "gated reverb" is attributable to Gabriel, it wasn't from this album and I am not sure of it's place in rock history. Further, I am not sure how many people tried to follow Peter Gabriel. I have to break my own rule though. This album is absurdly good. The two "weakest" songs are humongous hits. You have collaborations with Kate Bush, and fantastic swipes at Margaret Thatcher, and the amazing Laurie Anderson. And then you casually end with perhaps the most iconic song in film history. No fat, sonically beautiful/adventurous/progressive, and one of the few albums on this list that I listened to straight through again (after I ordered the vinyl).

Great production. Love the percussion and the big vocal sound. Really nice album.

ackward vibes but FIREEE

Review - never listened beyond Sledgehammer, but this is a solid album. Highlights - Sledgehammer, Red Rain, Don't Give Up, Big Time, In Your Eyes. Kate Bush collab, love it. Looks like the best songs are all singles. Maybe made with the singles in mind. Other songs are good but not quite as good as the singles. Great production, gave me Graceland vibes. Then saw it lost the Grammy to Graceland. Seems fair. Good album but not Graceland. Score - 8/10 Need to listen? YES

Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Sledgehammer, Don't Give Up, In Your Eyes Nice duet with Kate Bush. Some of the tracks had a good funk going on. I surprisingly didn't really hate this. I am probably not going to listen to it much in the future. But I don't really have any serious complaints.

Wow, I wanted to be cynical but this is a pretty great example of all the things I like pop music to be. ML405

Dull.

Favorite track here: Red Rain. Overall, I liked it, some really big layered 80s instrumentation with synths, etc, some really minimal parts. It felt like it also had a little bit if world music/African influence in some parts. All of that was good. I think I've heard Don't Give Up and In Your Eyes before, although I haven't gone out of my way to listen to them. I got a little bored in the middle and some of the melodies and lyrics felt a little forced.

Gotta agree 80's classics, never that good. Pete cool via being such a massive dweeb though.

Never listened to him before, quite liked it

Excellent 🤗❤️

Nothing too amazing. There were about three songs that stood out, some that were ok, and then others that were just boring 1980s slop.

listen, i get why this is on the list. influential 80s pop album. it’s interesting enough for what it is (i.e. something you can put on the radio) but it did nothing for me. it just didn’t make me feel anything at all.

The very first cassette tape I ever bought. I though I was so cool as an 11-year old listening to "grown-up" music like this. Yes, I have always been a dweeb. Still a great album, song great pop bangers, and just a touch of the weirdness that he was known for.

Had so much fun with this.

Really poses the question, why did he hang around with Phil Collins for so long?

Great tracks on this one.

Brilliant album

Hit after hit after hit after hit. This album is a lot of things but most importantly it’s a statement about the artisanship of a great pop music. Retained in from the extended track lengths and sprawling tracklists of his fantastic Genesis material Gabriel delivers this sophisti-pop magma opus in which not a second is wasted, the instrumental palette is diverse and consistently brilliant as is the sparring use of guests. Across “So” you get so many genre influences blending into the core pop sound, wether it be the rockier drum sounds That Voice again, the ambient nature of something like We Do What We’re Told or the general feeling that in another context most of the material here could be stretched over 12 mins and delivered as trad prog. There’s laylines so much to come Big Time is the song Harry styles wishes he wrote on the new album alongside clear influences from his then contemporaries (Talking Heads influences really stands out on a few tracks). And ofc it would be remiss not to call out Sledgehammer, possibly the best pop song of all time? With an all timer music video to boot. In conclusion it’s……. SO…..good. (Stop groaning)

I've never been a huge fan of Peter Gabriel - although I'll admit that's probably more due to my own ignorance than anything else - and this album didn't exactly change my mind. It's competently crafted, with tight instrumentation and more creativity than many albums from the same period ; but it's also far too 80s for my taste. Between the feel-good pop moments, the frequent use of synths and drum machines and the syrupy slow songs, it often feels like a disappointing caricature. Apparently, no one was immune to the 80s epidemic of cheese. I found myself mildly curious during a few songs, but then I was simply bored for the remainder of the album. Sorry, this just doesn't work for me. 3/10

I a mjust biaised as it was one of my first tape in my 1986 walkman... lots of emotion hearing Mercy Street, Don't give up... PG's voice !Tat voice again

Overproduced and simplistic compared to his progressive work of the 70s, but also very much a product of its time, with that slightly dated humanist spirit everywhere. At times it feels like listening to the generic pop rock of Toto, Sting, Paul Simon or Elton John. Still, I really like this guy’s voice, and I can’t completely ignore a musical background I genuinely admire. The first three tracks actually work pretty well for me. After that, though, it becomes far too uneven, far too 80s, and frankly too boring, with those pseudo-African influences that everyone seemed obsessed with at the time. There are things to like here, but absolutely not enough to make me sit through the whole album again.

It was alright, didn't hate it but it was way too long for my taste

My mother met him at Cortnacuddy church. He married Walter Furlong's sister.

I figured that I'd at least enjoy listening to this since there are several songs by Peter Gabriel that I do like, but when Red River started I knew that I was in for a treat. However, when I got to Mercy Street I started to feel a bit disappointed, I guess you could say. Mercy Street is fine but compared to the previous songs it was just no way near as good. There was for sure a mid-album slump going on. But then it ends on such a high with In Your Eyes.