Sep 05 2022
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4
The first track sounded about as proggy as expected, so the rest of the album came as something of a surprise! Enjoyed the variety, and the Randy Newman impressions...
Fave track - gotta be "Solsbury Hill" - it's an order of magnitude better than everything else on the album. Plus, I just rewatched Vanilla Sky...
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Aug 08 2022
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3
A pretty good debut, solo album. Clearly, Peter was trying to find a sound, and I think it’s obvious that it’s songs like “Solsbury Hill.“
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Dec 13 2022
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2
I admire Peter Gabriel's artistic vision and achievements very much, but his debut solo album is a huge scrambling mess saved only by the excellent 'Solsbury Hill' and the mysterious 'Here Comes the Flood' (one of my favorite songs).
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Aug 16 2022
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2
A rather incohesive collection of overly eccentric songs.
Lucky for us, Peter Gabriel's solo music improved vastly as his career progressed. Let's just say I wouldn't have picked this particular album of his into this list.
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Dec 20 2022
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2
Well this didn't stand the test of time. I've never listened to the full album before and was profoundly disappointed. There is, of course, Solsbury Hill, and a few other listenable tunes. But half the album seemed to be some kind of fever dream where he mashed up elements of ELO, Styx, and Meatloaf into an unholy sound. I never expected to give this album such a low score.
Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - I enjoyed listening to it but wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.
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Mar 28 2023
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3
Because The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway didn’t have enough pompous excess, Peter Gabriel opens his first solo record with one of the most ridiculous song titles to ever get printed on a record jacket:
“Moribund the Burgermeister”
After the fantastic “Solsbury Hill”, Gabriel decides he’s a sexpot of sorts and turns in some truly lecherous metaphors on “Modern Love”:
“I trusted my Venus was untouched in her shell
But the pearls and the balls in her oysters were tacky as hell”
and
“Hey, I worship Diana by the light of the moon
When I pull out my pipe she scream out of tune”
He follows that up with obnoxious music hall cabaret (Excuse Me) and, later, an overwrought blues romp (Waiting the Big One).
You really get it all on Gabriel’s 1977 self-titled, and by “it all” I mean “a few great songs and a bunch of stuff that probably should have been left on the cutting room floor”.
It’s all well executed, but lacks what I’d call “consistency”. Kind of a “let’s throw everything at the way and see what sticks” vibe here and the end result is just ok.
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Feb 16 2024
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3
This album is all over the place. So many different sounding songs. I don't hate any of them, but don't really love any of them either. 3/5
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Aug 24 2022
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2
I've heard of Peter Gabriel and I'm sure I know some of his bigger hits, so I was quite excited to get this album. I was actually kind of disappointed when I listened to it. The music wasn't horrid or abrasive, I just couldn't easily get into it. Seeing that this was his first album, I'm still excited to check out the rest of his discography and maybe even give this one another try.
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Jun 22 2023
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5
The more i listen to it, the problems i initial detect start to disappear and each track has some mood or meaning that fits in the whole. Even the quirky Excuse Me i've begun to appreciate. The tracks are interesting, lyrically and musically. I'm fully engaged.
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Jul 01 2023
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5
Huge, bombastic, and filled with variety, you can definitely tell we are coming fresh off the heels of Genesis here (not to mention the touches from King Crimson members in the studio). Just great art pop/art rock all around, I think this just barely slides into 5 stars for me.
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Oct 17 2023
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5
10/10
oh boy, to think a debut album can be this perfect blows my mind
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Dec 24 2023
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4
Listen to the album on December 26, 2023. Really enjoyed most of the album especially Fripp on guitar.
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Aug 17 2022
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2
I was surprised how little I liked this album. Don't think he found his voice yet. 2 🌟
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Aug 18 2022
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5
Loved it.
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Aug 25 2022
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5
Solsbury hill. Fantastic.
Modern love. Pretty good.
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Aug 27 2022
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5
very ahead of its time.
love moriband the burgermeister
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Sep 20 2022
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5
i kind of loved it? hadn’t heard any of the songs but solisbury hill, and that banged, but i didn’t realize it would be so weird. gonna check out more peter gabriel now
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Oct 04 2022
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5
I really like it!!! It's great!!
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Nov 02 2022
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5
This was a good album. I found a couple of the songs a bit strange but it certainly had a few good ones.
Favourite: Solsbury Hill
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Nov 08 2022
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5
cool
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Nov 11 2022
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5
Haven’t heard this one before, I’ve only listened to So. But I really enjoyed the unique instrumentation and songwriting on this one. Looking forward to listening again.
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Nov 18 2022
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5
Ok, this unexpectedly ruled. I've heard Solsbury Hill before but wasn't expecting the rest to be so good. I think I'm gonna give it a 5/5!
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Dec 04 2022
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5
The fifth star is for solsbury hill
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Dec 12 2022
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5
What an intriguing album. Weirder songs like the Bürgermeister one and the barber shop one, combined with songs that are very grandeur and pompous. The "weirder" songs kinda disrupt the flow of the album, but the other songs are good enough to give this 5 stars. Likely an album that grows on you with each listen
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Dec 12 2022
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5
Just an amazing ride from beginning to end. It has Genesis, Pink Floyd and David Bowie vibes, in a great run time, with dynamic production and vibrant songwriting that keeps you engaged and not knowing what will come next. And of course, one of the best songs ever in Solsbury Hill.
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Dec 27 2022
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5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Jan 03 2023
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5
Solsbury Hill!!! Love that song. Rest of album equally good.
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Jan 09 2023
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5
Lots going on here.
Some of it brilliant, all of it interesting and none of it bad.
Rock, folk, blues, disco, prog.
It does feel a little bit like he’s searching for his genre as a solo artist.
A few tracks remind me of other big hits, but a little bit of research shows me they were all made after this came out.
I was on the fence for a 4 or a 5 but Solsbury Hill really resonates with me right now.
I had this album over a weekend and listened maybe 5-6 times and could happily listen again to find more going on. So full marks it is.
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Jan 12 2023
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5
I was so torn between giving this one 4 or 5 stars that I gave it a second, consecutive spin. My appreciation grew a bit more on the second spin, so here we are.
As a solo effort, the scope and vision of this album are extremely impressive - as is the variety. The tracks on the first side of the album don't even really sound like they're from the same band. A bit more consistency would have been nice here.
In general, I like the first side (4 stars) a bit less than the second (5 stars). Whereas the first side contains more psychedelia and folk influences, the second side is more clearly progressive hard rock. The exception is the fantastic Solsbury Hill.
Gabriel seems to have taken all of what he liked most about Genesis and given it a bit of personal spin - adding some inspiration from Pink Floyd into the mix (not that that's ever a bad thing). Definitely enjoyed this one.
Highlights: Solsbury Hill, Waiting For The Big One, Here Comes The Flood
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Jan 13 2023
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5
I love Peter Gabriel.
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Mar 02 2023
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5
never heard of him but he seems good
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Mar 09 2023
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5
Amazing. Very theatrical. Never listened to before but will need to give another listen.
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Mar 23 2023
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5
My first PG album experiences as a middle schooler from my cool older sister. Wonderful bonding with this album. Sadly the commercially successful SO album was quite divergent and a bit of a let down. I haven’t heard this in years. So glad I’m listening to these- new hood ones, old loves, and sure- some I hate.
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Apr 15 2023
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5
Sounds like Pink Floyd and Randy Newman were forced to write a musical together with no discernable theme, for a vocalist who has a range far beyond their capabilities.
Peter Gabriel is a true iconoclast, and while I enjoy his work with Genesis, his solo records are where he really shines as an artist. He is an out of the box thinker on the level of Brian Eno or Robert Wyatt, who is able to create truly original music unbound by any sort of genre conventions or commercial sensibilities. He follows his muse wherever it takes him, shape shifting wildly from song to song, yet somehow the production feels aesthetically consistent and fluid. He always takes you on a rollercoaster ride, with all manner of ups and downs along the way, but in the end I'm left feeling exhilarated.
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May 13 2023
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5
gostei
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Jul 16 2023
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5
5 but I was tripping. Will listen again
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Oct 12 2023
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5
I had a friend in high school and college who was a huge fan of Peter Gabriel, so even though I couldn’t recall listening to this album as soon as I heard it I recognized every song. I appreciate it more now than I did then. Great album!
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Oct 12 2023
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5
Continuing an excellent week.
You could tell me that this album was from any decade and I'd believe it. There's not much here that screams 1977. Loved it.
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Oct 12 2023
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5
Although I had never listened to this album, I somehow knew from the first few bars that I would love it. I mean, it does have my favorite Peter Gabriel tune, but also it just sounded cool.
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Oct 12 2023
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5
Really quite enjoyable and interesting! There were times I thought it was Randy Newman, but that added to the delightfully unexpected beyond the classic "Solsbury Hill."
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Oct 15 2023
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5
переменчивый и вроде приятный напомнил одного друга
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Oct 27 2023
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5
Great album, great instrumentation, and great flow
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Nov 10 2023
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5
Peter Gabriel is a genius. I love everything he's ever done.
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Dec 18 2023
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5
I'm a huge fan, this is a great record, and I'm slightly surprised to only see three Gabriel albums on the list, but it is what it is. I will give it a four in the interest of not having multiple fives from an artist with only three albums on the list.
On the other hand listening to it, I could certainly argue a nine out of ten, there are a few absolute all time classic tunes on this record, for sure.
LOL from looking at my ratings so far, I think this has to get a five, given what else has gotten a five.
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Dec 20 2023
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5
his first after Genesis, great album!
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Jan 05 2024
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5
I own this already, first rate stuff. Released the year I graduated HS.Gabriel is genius.
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Jan 17 2024
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5
Love Peter Gabriel
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Jan 26 2024
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5
I actually really liked this one. Had a lot of variety.
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Jan 26 2024
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5
Another good one. Definitely some disco influence here. Listened to his 2nd, 3rd and 4th after this one today. Amazing progression.
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Jan 28 2024
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5
Really good, i now notuice how often solsbury hill is played on radiostations
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Feb 23 2024
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5
This is the most British-ass thing I am giving five stars, except for all the other Genesis albums I’m going to give five stars.
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Feb 26 2024
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5
I bought this album at a flea market long before his sledgehammer days, so this was my introduction to his unique style. It was only later than I learned he was part of the early Genesis albums. He's one of those guys that the more you listen the better it gets.
I love this album more for nostalgic reasons, but it is still a fantastic album.
Standouts (5/5): Salisbury Hill, Moribund the Burgermeister, Modern Love, Excuse Me, Humdrum, Down The Dolce Vita, Here Comes The Flood.
4/5: Slowburn, Waiting For the Big One.
4.5
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Feb 26 2024
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5
An amazing album with experimental sections and Variety. Will listen to again
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Feb 27 2024
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5
Classic. Love this album.
4.5
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Mar 06 2024
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5
Missing some of my favorite Peter Gabriel songs, but it probably is the most consistently awesome solo work of his. The opener kicks off and is somehow all at once both full of nervous tension and full bodied. "Modern Love" is a great organ fueled rocker. "Excuse Me" has the camp and circumstance, balanced by "Humdrum". Even the stylistically varied numbers like "Slowburn" and "Down in the Dolce Vita" still sound hooky and compact, with the former managing to touch on nearly every sound across the album in under 4 minutes. I had first heard the epic closer "Here Comes the Flood" on Robert Fripp's "Exposure" album (in a more subdued... Fripp-y version), so hearing this take was as startling as it was emphatic.
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Mar 12 2024
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5
An excellent first outing for the former lead vocalist of Genesis. This would be the predicting venture for his future projects!
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Mar 29 2024
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5
Wonderful debut album !
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Apr 04 2024
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5
The soundtrack to a musical that's not yet been written. Interesting gear changes, dramatic build-ups, thematic lyrics.
* further research reveals that Gabriel contemplated using "Here Comes The Flood" in a rock opera. I'm genuinely sad that it hasn't happened yet. Is it possible to be nostalgic for something that doesn't exist, that you never even knew was a possibility until five minutes ago?
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Apr 06 2024
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5
C’mon… It’s Peter Gabriel.
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Apr 12 2024
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5
Peter Gabriel is awesome and I had no idea. This album goes all over the place and most of it is really good. I'm torn over which is my favorite between Moribund the Burgermeister, Waiting for the Big One, and Down the Dolce Vita. Each song is wildly different and going to track to track is like a grab bag of cool ideas. If you like your songs to connect, this might not work well for you, but I aas looking forward to where esch track would go. Cool stuff.
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May 29 2024
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5
This was a very interesting listen. Genre wise it's all over the place but that kind of works for me. I knew Solsbury Hills right away but I honestly never knew who that was by or what the name of the song was. I greatly enjoyed this album. To me it was very ahead of it's time on certain songs. For example I always thought Solsbury Hills was an 80s song. Other songs have more of a timeless sense to me. This will definitely be something I relisten to. I waffle between 4 and 5 while listening to it but whenever I hear Here Comes The Flood at the end I want to make it a 5. I can quickly tell that's going to become a favorite of mine.
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May 31 2024
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5
I forgot how much I love this album! I think listening to it in the context of this challenge and the other albums that were around at the time, makes me love it even more.
I'm a massive Peter Gabriel fan and love how diverse his music can be. I much prefer his work around so, us and up, but this album is such an important part of his journey and was at such a pivotal time in his life, that it has to be a 5!!!!
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Jun 15 2024
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5
Didn’t remember this being here, I love this album. Coming fresh from Genesis, the music is a cross between those complex theatrical compositions and the artsy pop he would transition into making. Makes for a unique combination, backed up by the fact that the album is filled to the brim with bangers!! ”Waiting For The Big One” is the only weak cut and unfortunately the longest, but besides that it’s just classics and hidden gems. With this I believe that Peter Gabriel is in total my highest rated artist on this site
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Jul 10 2024
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5
Uskomattomia versoja nousee kuolleeksi hakatun proge soundin puutarhasta..
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Jul 31 2024
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5
Great music and great lyrics.
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Aug 05 2024
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5
Among the best debuts ever recorded (although of course there's no small cheat since PG had a big head start with Genesis).
Every track is great in its own right and no two songs are alike ... from the prog weirdness of "Moribund..." to the masterpiece of the odd-timing "Solisbury Hill" to the grand finale of "Here Comes The Flood" (I quite prefer this big production as opposed to his self-remakes of the song in later years with minimal instrumentation).
I even like the murky 70s mix/production overall - just fits the mysterious vibe.
One of my all-time favourite albums, nothing to critique here.
10/10 5 stars.
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Aug 12 2024
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5
Absolutely fantastic album. Love Peter Gabriel
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Aug 18 2024
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5
Peter just beginning to find his voice as a solo artist! One of my top lp’s of all time!
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Aug 22 2024
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5
Solsbury Hill is amazing.
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Sep 15 2024
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5
So good
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Sep 25 2024
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5
I am a simple human. I see Peter Gabriel, I am happy. It feels like a warm hug of nostalgia enveloping me, even though I was born way after these albums were released. Peter is my all-time favorite solo artist, so I might be a bit biased here, but I just love this album. He's figuring out his style after leaving Genesis, so there are many different sounding tracks on this album, but every piece is just great. His voice has a gravely tone that is so unique and captivating.
I especially like Solsbury Hill (a pop song in 7/4, that perfect mix of pop catchiness and prog nuance to keep me interested), Here Comes the Flood, Slowburn, Down the Dolce Vita, and Modern Love. The full orchestral sections mixed with a funky driving rock beat really get me. I'm also a sucker for anything with Tony Levin or Robert Fripp.
I hope his other solo work is on this list!
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Oct 11 2024
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5
Fantastic
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Aug 17 2022
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4
Prefs: Moribund the Burgermeister, Solsbury Hill, Humdrum, Down the Dolce Vita, Here Comes The Flood
Moins pref: Waiting for the Big One
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Aug 17 2022
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4
Liked this. Very odd
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Aug 20 2022
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4
I didn't expect this to be good but I was surprised. I enjoyed it. I really liked Excuse Me and Waiting for the Big One.
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Aug 20 2022
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4
Very like his work in Genesis, showing how much control he had in the band. Solisbury Hill is far and away the best known (and probably with good reason) but the album as a whole is pretty consistent.
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Aug 20 2022
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4
Most tracks have a good intro, great riff, and interesting detailing. But the vocal parts lack tension; even when the song is not upbeat on the surface, it just sounds like they have all the answers, so there is no reason for me to care. So I would classify this as a solid nostalgic 70s rock album, but not a timeless classic.
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Aug 24 2022
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4
More ‘prog rock’ than I would have expected and pretty polished for a first solo album, reflecting years of prior work with Genesis. Insightful lyrics re: the human condition that are typical of his other work. Big vibe change between the pop single and the other tracks - sound like different albums.
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Aug 24 2022
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4
Never heard of him, realy good album, I liked it.
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Aug 25 2022
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4
Not bad. Might be willing to listen to again but won't specifically seek it out.
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Aug 29 2022
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4
got it since it came out
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Aug 31 2022
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4
Good
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Sep 01 2022
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4
Awesome
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Sep 07 2022
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4
Highlight: Here Comes The Flood
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Sep 07 2022
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4
Good album. Solid instrumental and good vocals. Were some parts that weakend songs but I enjoyed.
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Sep 07 2022
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4
Awesome album. Some weird tracks but enjoyable. Humdrum, slow burn, down the dolce, solsberry hill
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Sep 10 2022
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4
Stunning, lovely stuff. Solsbury HIll is a modern classic.
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Sep 12 2022
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4
Yes
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Sep 16 2022
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4
Gets better towards the end. Overall very enjoyable.
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Sep 18 2022
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4
dis shit NOICE. Peter gabriel progboy goat genesis GANG. solsbury hill makes me wanna go on a ketamine bender. swing your dick and balls mr gabriel because you were ahead of your time with this one. sadly Phil Collins is the better musician. Minus one star. solid debut from an influential king
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Sep 19 2022
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4
Gotta Love Solsbuty Hill, of course. The rest of the album feels a bit abstract, but still fun
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Sep 20 2022
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4
Perfect blend of badass amazing shit and annoying bollocks
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Sep 20 2022
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4
Solid album from the og drummer from Genesis
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Sep 20 2022
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4
I had never listened to this album but knew his music, good stuff.
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Sep 22 2022
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4
I was never a big fan of Genesis, or any post-Genesis bands or projects, so Peter Gabriel was fairly anonymous for me before listening to his first solo album. My first impression was that the first two songs are fairly underwhelming. By a quick research I found that "Solsbury Hill" is a well-liked single from this album, but I really found it boring and uneventful. Nothing that would excite me, both in the Gabriel's singing and in the musical layer. When moving into the second part of the self titled record, I actually realised how good this is. "Humdrum" and "Slowburn" were a really fun songs, but the best comes at the end, with "Waiting for the Big One" and "Here Comes the Flood". Very nice and not obvious compositions, heavily influenced by progressive rock, with a lot of tempo changes. Interesting solos, piano at the last track and great singing made those two a great songs. I was curious of who was the main creator of the album. Gabriel was the writer of all of the songs, but the music was created by Robert Fripp and Tony Levin, both known from King Crimson, which explains quite a lot. It might be my subconscious, but last few songs on the album, and "Waiting for the Big One" especially, could be easily added to Crimson's discography and no one would notice that there is something wrong. To sum up, I am positively surprised with this album. As far as I know later records are a little bit more pop than alt/prog rock, but going on a trip into Genesis albums and early Phil Collins should be very pleasant. Possibly even on this list!
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Sep 28 2022
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4
Peter Gabriel's first solo record starts with 'Moribund the Burgermeister' that still contains quite a bit of the Genesis atmosphere of 'Lamb', but with the beautiful 'Solsbury Hill' Gabriel takes a different path. A perfect pop song with great lyrics and a catchy melody.
Next song is the Bowie-like rocker 'Modern Love' makes it clear that this is going to be a varied album. When we continue in a kind of vaudeville style song with the somewhat strange 'Excuse Me' we are going all over the place.
Together with Side B's 'Slowburn' and 'Waiting For The Big One' these are the songs on the album that drag it down from a superb debut. The songs feel too much all over the place.
Closer 'Here Comes the Flood' is once again a brilliant song, and therefore a nice end to a fine solo debut. The stripped-down version of that song on 'Shaking the Tree' is also very worthwhile.
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Sep 29 2022
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4
This album didn't make a huge impression on me, but it was consistently good. It's an interesting look at the interim period between the prog rock Peter Gabriel of Genesis and the pop start Peter Gabriel that I grew up with
4/5
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Sep 30 2022
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4
The first half of the album was very interesting, unusual and creative songwriting. It has a few low points but an entertaining listen throughout
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Oct 01 2022
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4
Weird as fuck but really good
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Oct 03 2022
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4
I like Peter Gabriel. He's such a little musical gremlin making music for small toadstool-dwelling gnomes. I'm basically saying that if Papa Smurf was real, he would listen to Peter Gabriel.
Cool mix of pop and prog rock. I'm a fan. Going to blow smoke rings from my comically oversized pipe now.
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