Peter Gabriel

Just the right amount of weird. It didn't take me long to realize what era this was, not because it did anything memorable but just because all of his tricks are so damn late 70s-coded. It was a fun listen but nothing special about this one.

Peter Gabriel's debut album is anchored by four standout tracks: 'Moribund the Burgermeister', the iconic 'Solsbury Hill', 'Humdrum', and the quite brilliant 'Here Comes The Flood'. However, as a complete listening experience, it can feel a bit disjointed as Gabriel felt his way out of Genesis and tried on different stylistic hats. As an unabashed fan, I am always pleased to see recognition for an artist I love, and it is undoubtedly a very good record. Even so, I personally wouldn't have included it in this particular list. Side one 1 "Moribund the Burgermeister" (5/5) 2 "Solsbury Hill" (5/5) 3 "Modern Love" (3/5) 4 "Excuse Me" (4/5) 5 "Humdrum" (5/5) Side two 6 "Slowburn" (4/5) 7 "Waiting for the Big One" (3/5) 8 "Down the Dolce Vita" (3/5) 9 "Here Comes the Flood" (5/5) Total - 37 Average - 4.1 449/1001 237/449 albums reviewed were new to me.

Solsbury Hill is an all-time classic, amazing song. One of those "once in a lifetime" songs, which Peter Gabriel had a few of. However, the reach and feel of that song is arguably greater than any other song by him. The rest of the album is good, but it also has a lot of "just late 70's proggy folk." I do appreciate the album, and I am not necessarily saying that it should not be in this book, but I do wonder if there are stronger Gabriel albums, and this one could be skipped - even with Solsbury Hill, which is a song I think everyone should listen to...

-Tracks longer than 3:59: Unfortunately, yes. Many of the long tracks are great examples of my issue with excessive length; they sound self-indulgent and just add bloat. -Long tracks interesting or special: Nope -Album shorter than 58 minutes: Thank god yes. -Will listen to album again: Not a chance. Overall: I hated this album, my wife hated this album, my kids hated this album, because this album sucks. Solsbury Hill offers a nice taste of cheesy nostalgia, but aside from that I had trouble finishing the other tracks. I am not anti-Peter Gabriel, I like So; but this album? Oof, painful.

ПИТЕР, ТЫ ЧЁ СИДИШЬ ТУТ ТАКОЙ ГРУСТНЫЙ В МАШИНЕ, ЭЙ, БРО! ТЫ ЧЕГО, ВОЗВРАЩАЙСЯ ОБРАТНО!! ГДЕ ТВОЯ ШАПОЧКА-ЦВЕТОЧЕК, МАКИЯЖ, ГДЕ АККУРАТНО ВЫБРИТАЯ ЛЫСИНА ПОСЕРЕДИНЕ?!? ТЫ ЧЕГО ТАКОЙ ГРУСТНЫЙ??? ладно, челики не в теме подумают что я поехавший. Так случилось что с творчеством Габриэля я был знаком лишь через его чуть более поздние поп-работы с теми самыми крутыми клипами с стоп-моушеном, а когда я решил чуть порыться и увидел что дебют у бро был весьма арт-роковый, дак ещё и с Фриппом и Тони Левином, я сразу взял альбом на карандашик, типа, ну нифига себе, надо заценить. И вот мы здесь. Открывашка альбома ясно дает понять что Габриэль пока не отказывается от театральности присущей Женезису, а потом тут же бенгер в виду Solsbury Hill Следом пошли и вовсе чисто английские приколы, бро начало кидать от какого-то мюзикла, до мюзик-холла а к концу вообще какие-то оркестровые хулиганства. Вощем, у альбома есть песни которые ценны конкретно только в рамках этого музыкального путешествия, когда слушаешь работу целиком, и есть парочку вещей, как Solsbury Hill или весьма красивая Slowburn которые работают и как самостоятельные произведения, в отрыве от альбома. Waiting for the big one - хидденгем. великолепная аранжировка. Ничо так, ладно, заслужил четверочку конечно.

What a random Selection of songs. If I had bought the album based on the impressive ‘solsbury hill’ which I can only imagine would have been the lead single then I would have wondered if I had bought the right album when the first track played and was some experimental thing- not even sure what to call it. And when ‘excuse me’ played and Kermit the frog seems to appear it’s just so weird. Not an awful lot in here for me to enjoy I’m afraid. Best track- ‘solsbury hill’ Worst track- ‘moribund’ 3.5/10

Peter Gabriel - 1 (car) A weird one this. Very much sounds like a man in transition. One foot still in the prog rock sound of Genesis, and the other in a new musical freedom. As a result only really a couple of songs I loved which are, coincidentally, the most progressive. Solsbury Hill and Here Comes the Flood. Quite happy if I never hear Moribund the Burgermeister or Excuse Me again. Having said that, Down the Dplce Vita did still pack a prog punch. Best Track - Solsbury Hill Worst Track - Excuse Me 5.5/10

I wanted this album to be closer to one of my favorite albums "So". It wasn't. It was his debut and was very experimental to be sure. I wanted it to have more "Solsbury Hill" caliber songs, which is easily one of his best. He is an amazing artist overall , and his voice can be incredibly soothing at times.

Solisbury Hill oli ainoa tuttu biisi. Tykkäsin kovasti Humdrum biisistä ja se oli suosikkini. Myös Down The Dolce Vita jäi mieleen orkestraatioiden ja koukeroiden takia.

Acceptable, but not remarkable.

Sure I can listen to Peter Gabriels first album one more time.

Really dug this album. Enjoyed the theatrics of it. Gabriel’s someone I need to explore further.

No thanks. Solsbury Hill was good and well known. But, without Sledgehammer or In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel doesn't give me chills. Not awful, but, nah.

I only knew Solsbury Hill. It's ok, not really my thing.

Other than Salisbury hill I struggled with this album it was just cheesy his vocals were like a game show host.ibhive a star as Salisbury hill is excellent rest was disappointing

Decent enough. Not great, but good.

Una bronca me da que se me rompa el celu la puta que lo parió.

I definitely like it more than most Genesis I've heard, but rather than relistening to this, I feel more like going to the albums he made after this.

Enjoyable and consistently interesting, with several strong songs and plenty of stylistic variety, but the lack of a coherent musical identity stops it feeling like a truly great album.

No like

What is this? First song- odd start, is he singing as a burger monster? Second song - obviously what I’m expecting from this album. Third song - what I expected the unknown songs to be - skip. Fourth song - excuse me? Fifth song - reminiscent of the Dracula musical (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall) Sixth song - continuing the bad musical Seventh song - shoot we’ve moved into a piano/dive bar Eighth song - Rocky Ninth song - back to the musical - slow dramatic moment Well it was different. Does he think he’s a musical genius or is he just having a laugh? 2.5 for the pure nerdiness of it all.

Day1001 - peter gabriel dipping his toes in the pop-rock waters before his mid-eighties mtv-era takeover. solsbury hill alone gives the album a giant hit. i can see him getting in the rock and roll hall of fame as a solo artist in the next few years

JL : 2, Here Comes The Flood

Peter Gabriel seems like the kind of artist whose head, if he ever stopped creating music, would warp and explode like his character in the "Sledgehammer" video. In his first post-Genesis solo album he throws everything into the mix: rock, pop, psychedelia, and vaudeville... somehow it works. The Most Earnest Musician Alive performs songs with a passion that would be embarrassing if it weren't him. "Solisbury Hill" would be enough on its own, but the album is packed with enough oddsongs and heart to be worth repeated listens.

439/1089 quite liked Solsbury Hill, Slowburn was also very grand which I liked overall i actually appreciated this album’s commitment to the dramatic sound faves: solsbury hill, slowburn, down the dolce vita, here comes the flood 76/100

I think the album cover accurately captures my feelings of cool disappointment with this one. I gave it a few playthroughs throughout the day hoping the magic would reveal itself to me like had happened with 'Melt', but as a whole product it just never felt better than "OK". Considering 'Melt' and 'So' are on the list, I'd probably drop this one. Not that its exclusion would be anywhere near enough to fix this bustedly bloated-ass list, mind you...

His first album was kind of a mess, eh? I’m happy that this wasn’t considered an utter failure and he clearly got better with the other albums on this last. But I think this one is a bust.

Enjoyed this. Solid album

Love Solsbury Hill. The rest...okay

Another album in this weird crossover phase where every Prog artist transitioned into Pop. This is at the early crossroads of it and thus one of the best to do it. However, I still don't really like the combination. It's Prog Rock but without all the crazyness, just some insanely well built and polished Pop that is still Pop. Good, but not something I would've put back on the record player all that quickly if it wasn't for the generator. I guess any excuse to listen to the albums you have isn't a bad one.

This was a Slowburn. Still Waiting for the Big One, though.

Again, a massive album. Really gave an epic feel when listening to this. Not something I'd pick, but I fully appreciate every song on this, not just the known singles. Clearly a massively talented musician and singer. Definitely a must listen to, I'd say.

This just felt less formed than his other albums. Obviously it has a big hit for him but otherwise it's just isn't my favorite.

Lots of pathos and a bit of a wild ride through various styles ane genres. Doesn't lack ambition but maybe refinement.

B+

I never was a fan of the way PG started to lean more towards pop and rock on his solo albums, mostly because I don't really like 70's pop production and Gabriel's voice doesn't really does it for me. However I love Solsbury Hill.

I love Peter Gabriel, and this album coming right off of the masterpiece that is the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway makes this a billion star album. You can really hear the big sound that Genesis did on the first track Moribund The Burgermeister. Follow that up with Solsbury Hill and you don't need to go further to know how bad ass this album is.

Utter drivel. I don’t think I like any solo Genesis albums.

Peter Gabriel, gebürtig aus Chobham, Surrey, hatte Genesis gerade zwei Jahre zuvor verlassen, als sein Solodebüt im Februar 1977 bei Charisma Records erschien. Aufgenommen wurde zwischen Sommer 1976 und Januar 1977 im Soundstage-Studio in Toronto sowie in den Morgan und Olympic Studios in London. Produziert hat Bob Ezrin, der vorher hauptsächlich mit Alice Cooper und Aerosmith gearbeitet hatte – man hört das an den härteren Passagen. Genrelich pendelt das Album zwischen Art Rock, Progressive Rock und Pop, ohne sich in einer der drei Kategorien wirklich einzurichten. Solsbury Hill ist gleich der bekannteste Song des Albums geworden: eine kaum verschlüsselte Abrechnung mit dem Ausstieg bei Genesis, in einem ungewöhnlichen 7/4-Takt geschrieben. Modern Love kommt direkter, fast wie ein Rocksong. Here Comes the Flood schließt die Platte ruhig und ein bisschen unheimlich ab. Robert Fripp an der Gitarre und Tony Levin am Bass heben das Ganze über simplen Classic Rock – wobei nicht jeder Song dieses Niveau hält. Was mich an der Platte packt, ist genau ihre Unentschlossenheit. Man merkt, dass Gabriel hier noch nach seiner Stimme als Solokünstler sucht – er hat das später selbst so beschrieben. Streckenweise ist das Album deshalb sperrig. Ich höre es seltener als So, aber wenn, dann bleibt eher Here Comes the Flood hängen als die groß angelegten Rocknummern. Ein Übergangswerk, das genau dazu steht – und gerade deshalb noch trägt.

In my late teens I had a friend who was really into strictly early Genesis and Peter Gabriel, and his all-time favourite Peter Gabriel song was Moribund the Burgermeister in complete earnest. That was a type of person with an unfathomable mind like I had never previously encountered, and it gave me more appreciation for that song. YMMV on the proggy theatrics and silly voices, but the songs are great. Solsbury Hill and Here Comes the Flood are perfect but far from the only good ones here. Waiting for the Big One is the only song that tests my patience, but even that's basically fine. I love Peter Gabriel's voice – he has so much texture and emotional range. Robert Fripp and Tony Levin are top-tier personnel. You might say the album is "stylistically a big mess" but I say it's "whimsical and eclectic". Peter Gabriel, I love your big beautiful mind!! 🤸

If it wasn’t for the fact I was still hurting for him leaving Genesis, then I may have paid more interest in this album when it came out. Even Solsbury Hill being his attempt to explain his departure didn’t soften the blow despite it being a great song. Although he had many more good hits I still think both he and Genesis were at their best when together. Admittedly both had bigger commercial success apart but musically I prefer the earlier output. I do enjoy a lot of Gabriel’s singles but this is the first example of most of his other albums which I just look for the ‘hits’ and don’t get much from most of the other tracks. Nothing on here moves me much apart from the aforementioned single.

This record is so odd - I just cant understand why he ruins parts of great songs with nonsense noises. There is no real consistency to the album stylistically and you can tell he is trying to find his feet I guess. I don’t hate it at all it just sounds a bit like someone has put on a random 70s male fronted guitar rock Spotify playlist. You could not tell the songs were even by the same artist. That being said I have very happy memories of my Dad singing along to Solsbury Hill when I was a child and later on annoying my husband by constantly singing it when we stayed next to the aforementioned hill.

Some very good tracks, some less good, mainly when dude is in his medieval court jester mode. 'Excuse Me' is a travesty.

I few great song mixed in with some weird prog crap

this is peter gabriel's self-titled debut album, recorded shortly after disbanding with genesis, due to a bit of disconnect between members and wanting to spend a bit more time with his family. after a good break period, gabriel started to write new material and hired several friends to play for him. the recording process went great, but gabriel had later stated that he felt that the album was overproduced. while the record was simply titled "peter gabriel" on release, future releases and rereleases of the songs would feature the album name changed to "peter gabriel i" or "car". peter gabriel always seems to be the anti-phil collins to me. while phil embraced his clean, but kinda safe method of songwriting (for better or for worse), gabriel decided to expand on what he already knew after parting ways with the other genesis guys. there's a lot of the band rubbing off of him still, that contemporary n soft sound lingers pretty well throughout the record's runtime. it's arguably imperfect, but it makes for quite the entertaining debut. talk about that mixing too! it's really good. i like it when it gets all gritty and bluesey. if we're talking about soft rock, this is arguably tolerable compared to other radio-replayed giants.

Some really good tracks and I love Robert fripps influence

Album is all over the place, some decent songs here but his best albums are yet to come, probably doesn't warrant inclusion to be honest. 3/5.

This record is all over the place. Prog, to Blues, to Orchestral Pop, to Randy Fucking Newman to what becomes the Peter Gabriel sound.

Solsbury Hill is the standout track but the mixing on this album is impressive as it really makes Peter's vocals stand out and sound powerful.

First half was great, second was ok

I was gonna give it a 1, but the last few songs were actually able to keep my attention. This Peter Gabriel guy just doesn’t have the it factor imo

Solsbury hill is the classic of this album. Very famous. The rest of the album is just ok.

Just because someone's from a popular band doesn't mean I need to listen to their solo album.

Continues to be an outstanding album by a creative genius that has passed the test of time.

One of the finest voices in music ever. Legend.

All three stars are for Solsbury Hill. I didn't like the rest of the album

Wow, this one was unexpectedly bad. Again, why this album on the list rather than melty face? Solsbury Hill is obviously fantastic, but most of the album sounds like he's trying to work out some of the prog hangover of Genesis while trying to keep up with the times by inserting late 70s classic rock riffs into tunes. The opener, Moribund and Here Comes the Flood are interesting, but most of it is a mess. What the heck is Excuse Me? The best I can say is that he was learning how to be himself to pave the way for his excellent later albums.

This is an interesting one because you can see the duality of Peter Gabriel. On one hand you have some very poppy songs. The guy who would go on to make sledgehammer. Then you have peaks at what a freak this guy can be. I wish he would let his freak flag fly a bit more but I understand it’s a debut album. Pretty good, I know better is coming.

music is love

BUEN ALBUM SE NOTA EN ALGUNOS EMAS LA INFLUENCIA DEL ROCK PROGRESIVO DE GENESIS PERO AHORA TAMBIEN PETER GABRIEL PROBO CON R&B Y OTRAS VARIANTES , INCLUIDOS UNOS TEMAS MUY TEATRALES INCLUSO ALGUNO PARECIENDOSE A UNA OST DE ALGUNA PELICULA,.. ES EL DESPERTAR DE UN GENIO MUSICAL.

I was expecting better, not this avant garde, art museum-film style noise, hard pass.

BAS DOBAR ALBUM JBT

A few songs make this an easy 3 - Solsbury Hill and Here Comes the Flood being the big ones - but despite some great sounds and moments, it's too disjointed and fails to make a statement in a way that pushes it to a 4 for me.

I was dreading more Genesis-inspired music! I’ve never really been able to get on with Genesis, Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel, and today’s listen is Peter Gabriel’s 1977 debut solo album. Progressive rock has never really been my thing, and this album probably demonstrates exactly why. It’s completely all over the place, jumping between different styles and sounds from one song to the next. There’s clearly plenty of creativity and ambition here, but that doesn’t necessarily make it enjoyable for me. It doesn’t exactly get off to a promising start either. “Moribund the Burgermeister” is precisely the sort of over-the-top progressive rock nonsense I struggle with. But then immediately afterwards comes “Solsbury Hill”, which is a brilliant pop song and one I’ve always had a massive soft spot for. Great melody, great guitar and a genuinely lovely song. The fact that those two tracks sit next to each other pretty much sums up how wildly inconsistent this album feels to me. There are interesting moments throughout, and I certainly can’t accuse Gabriel of playing it safe. But there’s so much going on stylistically that I never really settled into the album. One minute it’s prog, the next pop, then something theatrical or completely bizarre. There are glimpses of music I really enjoy, but they’re surrounded by too much that just isn’t for me. Ultimately, this hasn’t converted me to Peter Gabriel or progressive rock. I can appreciate the musicianship and the willingness to experiment, and there are a few genuinely good songs here, but as a complete album I found it more frustrating than enjoyable. Favourite tracks: “Solsbury Hill” by an absolute mile. A genuinely great song. I also enjoyed “Here Comes the Flood” and “Down the Dolce Vita”. Least favourite track: “Moribund the Burgermeister”. Absolute nonsense and exactly the sort of prog rock I hate. Album artwork: I like it. Strange, distinctive and definitely memorable.

Based on the album art and the one song I knew already (Solsbury Hill) I was not ready for this album. I thought it would be pretty basic yacht rock. This was anything but basic, it was a wild ride the whole way through. A fun and adventurous album that I enjoyed listening to.

Pretty mid

One good song

Great album. I know Gabriel from Solsburry hill and sledgehammer, but this album has some hidden gems with "Waiting for the big one" as the song that brought me to 5 stars

Its 1977 and the likes of Peter Gabriell have been left behind. This album reflects that

I don't really know what prog rock is. This album will occasionally sound pretty good for like 10 seconds and then gets wacky for a while.

I had Peter Gabriel's third album earlier in this list and thought it was good, so I expect this to be good as well. It is good, if not quite as good as 3(Melt). It's a very sonically varied album with songs ranging from theatrical pop to folk-tinged rock to arena rock. The lyrics are frequently absurdist, delivered by the very theatrical, powerful vocals we know and love from Genesis. This album is pretty enjoyable, but it's not always his best work and can be somewhat erratic. It's still a good album for fans of Gabriel's work, though. This album is ranked #17 of 27 albums for 1977. Other 1977 albums rated by me: Rumours(1/27)-5 Exodus(2/27)-4 The Stranger(3/27)-4 Out of the Blue(4/27)-3 "Heroes"(5/27)-3 Lust for Life(6/27)-4 Talking Heads '77(8/27)-4 Low(9/27)-3 Marquee Moon(11/27)-4 Aja(12/27)-3 Zombie(13/27)-4 Bat Out of Hell(15/27)-4 My Aim Is True(16/27)-2 The Idiot(18/27)-3

Albeit a huge fan of Peter Gabriel contribution at Genesis to whom I attribute most of their success, I am unable to get the same enjoyment out of his solo career, and there is no greater example than this album. 7/10 [DROP]

Ikke det PG album jeg oftest kommer tilbage til men altid a good time. Er Solsbury Hill den mest berømte sang i 7/8 tempo?

Ret cool, lyder virkelig stort

Much more proggy than I thought it would've been.

I actually really like this, and once again it changes my opinion of Peter Gabriel - after the association with Genesis did so much damage. This is so bombastic, but in a good way. Big, dramatic instrumentation with epic and funky-wah guitars, brass, synths and more. Really really dramatic - theatrical even, and idiosyncratic, but I dig it. 3.5 rounded up.

Peter Gabriel always provides and eclectic mix of styles on his records. Progressive rock, symphonic rock, new wave and electronica as well as World music makes everyone of his albums a listening adventure. A journey to distance lands at times!

#229/1001 🇬🇧 This record is all over the place. The first track is dreadful and if i wasn't doing this project, the disc would have become a projectile. Next up Solsbury Hill is sublime. There are other good moments like Slowburn but its not an album that i'll ever feel the need to put myself through again. Best Tracks: Solsbury Hill, Slowburn.

Some was great, some was really weird.

Starts strong (Solsbury Hill + Modern Love), ends strong with Here Comes the Flood. In the middle I'm not as hooked, but this is still a pretty killer album. (Peter Gabriel 1: Car)

I love a few songs, like a few songs, and skip a few songs at this point. Great debut though with plenty of material to suggest the increasingly apparent vision, maturation, and refinement that would come on the next several albums

Helt ok, men man blir mest sugen på att lyssna på sledgehammer.. Två sista låtarna var bäst.

Inte hans bästa!

Solsbury Hill och Modern Love är verkligen skitbra låtar, men i det stora hela är albumet ganska schizo. Det känns ofta som att han försöker låta som andra artister från samma era och att han inte hittat sin egen grej än.

3/5 Låter för det mesta bra men inget häpnadsväckande

Peter Gabriel

Його ім’я знаю, а творчість ні. Це точно не для мене. Не дослухав.

I had a bad feeling when I saw "burgermeister" in the title of track one which apparently is just German for mayor but still, it sounds goofy. Solsbury Hill is pretty sick - pretty much the only song on this record I'm interested in. Excuse Me has big Randy Newman energy. Humdrum has very sick chorus melody... do more of that shit Peter. Make pop music Peter. This record just isn't for me.

[[Solsbury Hill]] is one of the greatest songs of all time. The rest of this album feels like it lives in a completely different world. There are definitely cool moments across the record but nothing reaches the heights of the Hill. The bridge of the first track with the deep voice man vocals sounds like 'Nicky Nicky Nine Doors up and down the Scarborough Bluffs' from Nirvanna the Band the Show.

An enjoyable listen while working out Singapore hotel gym. 3/5

нормалек, но местами напоминает мюзикл, поэтому 3. (соу, например, нравится больше)

LAWD HERE COMES DA FLUD

Gabriel is comparable to Bowie in creative exploration, but in my view achieved far more consistently enjoyable results.

Weird mix of operatic ballads, barbershop, and pop, but it works because all the components are well-crafted.

I loved this and it really opened my eyes. I will be going back to listen to anything that this guy has ever done.

This is the third Peter Gabriel solo album I've heard on the list and there's also Genesis from his era represented too. I just haven't got into any of them though. He seems like a good guy and very influential but maybe I just need to accept this artist is not for me

It's always good when an artist surprises you! I enjoyed Peter Gabriel 3 during this challenge and this is another where i didn't expect what I got! Each song brings something new to the table and you have to applaud the experimentation. There's a level of grandeur and theatricality that underpins all of this. The previous album, I noted the influence on Trent Reznor, and here I noted a distinct influence on Mike Patton, particularly in the opener with the sparse bits that sound like something off Peeping Tom., but more generally in how he employs his vocals to different effects I don't think this quite had the impact of Peter Gabriel 3 but still very good and Solsbury Hill is classic!

Cool

I'm not really a fan of story songs, and that's pretty much all this album is. That and lamenting over the fact that he couldn't bag a virgin.

What a waste of time. Solsbury Hill is fine, nothing else here is worth listening to.