Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gabriel, Peter
Label: Charisma Records
Release: 1977
Running time: 41:42
Rating: 4.5/5
In 1975 a watershed moment happened in the story of progressive rock, one that still stirs up passions among some of music’s eternal romantics. The brilliant singer Peter Gabriel, one of the most original and charismatic stage entertainers of all time, decided to part ways, amicably, with his band up to that point, the prog rock giants Genesis. Even while making his last Genesis album, “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” (1974), Peter had realized that he’d achieved everything there was to achieve with the band and had reached a creative point where the other members could no longer keep up with his wild artistic visions. It was a tough decision that shook the world of progressive rock, but it ultimately proved the right one: Genesis bounced back after his departure beyond all expectations, while Peter was finally free to open a new, hugely successful chapter of his career and start realizing his genius on levels that would have been totally unthinkable within the band. You could say the start of his solo career was a kind of rebirth for him.
After officially announcing he was going solo, he and producer Bob Ezrin managed to assemble an enviable crew of top-notch musicians led by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. For Fripp, working with Gabriel was his first musical activity after he (temporarily) disbanded King Crimson in 1974 and shoved his guitar into a corner, which says a lot about his respect for his fellow prog rock countryman. The second prestigious name is the legendary bassist Tony Levin, a grandmaster of innovative techniques on bass and the Chapman Stick, and the most in-demand bassist in the history of popular music. The best proof of his loyalty is that Mr. Levin can still boast of being the only permanent member of Peter’s backing band and the only one who has played on every Gabriel album so far. Funny twist of fate: a few years later he joined forces with Fripp in the reborn King Crimson. Another long-time Peter collaborator on the record was the American keyboardist Larry Fast, formerly of his own project Synergy and the British prog rock legends Nektar. The excellent guest guitarist Steve Hunter, who has worked with names like Alice Cooper, Jack Bruce, Lou Reed and others over his career, also played an important role on the album.
Of all Peter’s albums, his excellent debut, simply titled “Peter Gabriel” or “Car” (because of the cover), is the closest to the symphonic prog rock he cultivated in Genesis, which fits his gradual evolution into a solo artist forever searching for new modes of expression. Besides prog rock, he tries his hand at other styles on the album, such as experimental rock, pop rock, hard rock and even blues, successfully tearing down genre boundaries along the way. His transformation from eccentric storyteller and player of many roles into an all-round artist and pop music icon worked out perfectly right from the first chapter of his solo journey. “Car” embodies a successful blend of Peter’s songwriting past and future, and offers a high degree of sonic eclecticism, which would become a constant of his solo path.
That split between the Genesis legacy and the search for new sonic directions is embodied perfectly by the enigmatic “Moribund the Burgermeister”, where elements of symphonic prog, hard rock and avant-garde mix together. The grotesque monster Moribund the Burgermeister serves as a metaphor for a virus of mass paranoia over an artificially created, manipulated fear. The orchestral arrangements build a dramatic atmosphere, while the guitar effects and rhythmic flourishes in between keep pushing the composition toward avant-garde mystery, if not into outright comic waters. The evergreen pop rocker “Solsbury Hill”, an autobiographical piece about Peter’s spiritual experience on top of Solsbury Hill, where he did a lot of thinking about his split from Genesis and the new challenges that had suddenly opened up before him, is still one of his most beloved and recognized classics. Here his outstanding knack for writing pop rock standards is openly revealed for the first time. He’d shown it before with Genesis (“I Know What I Like”), but never in such a personal and ambitious way. It also illustrates his sudden change as a lyricist: the surreal, metaphysical lyrics of the Genesis days, which most people found hard to follow, gave way to more personal views of the world. A light acoustic melody is paired with joyful vocal expression coming from the depths of Peter’s heart, voicing the newly found spiritual inspiration he’d discovered in that period through things like yoga, gardening, bioenergetics and above all playing the piano.
“Modern Love”, with lyrics full of cheeky sexual innuendo, is an interesting hybrid of pop and prog. You could say it’s where he first asserted his trademark experimental art pop. Peter’s theatrical way of singing here is still quite close to his Genesis days, unlike what he’d do later on. His excellent singing is backed by juicy Fast passages on Hammond organ and beefy hard rock guitar riffs. “Excuse Me” is a fun burlesque on which Gabe proves he always had a superb sense of black humor. After an intro with jokey “Barbershop” vocal harmonies comes a comical rhythm and Peter’s mugging vocals. The lyrics carry biting satire on the emptiness of fame and excessive material wealth. The endearing British eccentricity and social satire this little number boasts would, I think, have appealed to Frank Zappa too, one of the few musical giants Gabe sadly never got the chance to work with. “Humdrum” is another visionary piece, an excellent song of shifting moods that boasts remarkable vocal warmth and also marks Peter’s first dabbling in world music elements. Those would take on epic proportions later in his career.
“Slowburn” is a hugely interesting cross between prog, hard rock and pomp, with vocal harmonies, punchy riffs and piano parts that even Queen would be proud of. The dramatic chorus fits the apocalyptic lyrics perfectly, while the piano ending is one of the most moving moments on the whole album. “Waiting for the Big One” is an unusual blues experiment and as such by far the least interesting piece on the album, since I think blues is one of the few genres where Peter’s vocal approach feels uncomfortable. No surprise, then, that he makes a rather grotesque attempt at changing his vocal tone, sounding more like a thoroughly terrified Ozzy Osbourne than like himself. The only appealing thing about this long-winded song is the excellent arrangements, with punchy guitar riffs, piano and keyboards working together.
Gabe’s flirtation with his symphonic prog rock heritage reasserts itself on the excellent epic “Down the Dolce Vita”, where grandiose orchestral arrangements and potent guitar passages reign. Here, mostly thanks to phenomenal singing and dramatic symphonic flourishes, the good old Genesis theatricality is back. The lyrics are also among the best on the album, an intelligent critique of the absurdity of war. The peak of his solo expressiveness and maturity, though, is the shattering closing ballad “Here Comes the Flood”, where you can already spot the artist’s compositional future. His piercing vocal performance, warning of the tragic consequences of humanity’s reckless gambling with the environment, lodges itself in your heart in an instant over delicate piano accompaniment and subtle guitar solos. It’s a composition for the ages and undoubtedly one of the highlights of his solo path. A rearranged version of it can be found on Fripp’s solo debut “Exposure” (1979).
“Peter Gabriel (I)” is a superb debut that heralded the magnificent solo career of one of the most original musical artists of recent decades. It was followed by three more albums with the same title, which Gabriel’s devoted fans gave serial numbers or named after their covers. It’s worth remembering that at the time of his debut Peter was still a young musician (27), hungry for new musical and life challenges, yet already experienced enough not to shy away one bit from experiments that would have been practically unthinkable within Genesis. In the world of progressive rock he had long since held the status of immortal icon, while with this move pop and art rock gained one of their greatest heroes. Peter’s untamed creative freedom, which can grab a listener’s deepest emotions in an instant, can be felt throughout the entire album. Even the first chapter of his career clearly shows his gradual maturing and a unique bridge between the search for new musical challenges and a magnificent legacy.
Lineup
Peter Gabriel – vocals, keyboards, flute, recorder
Robert Fripp – electric guitar, classical guitar, banjo
Tony Levin – bass guitar, tuba, leader of the Barbershop quartet
Larry Fast – keyboards and programming
Steve Hunter – electric guitar, acoustic rhythm guitar, pedal steel
Allan Schwartzberg – drums
Jim Maelen – percussion, Barbershop
Jozef Chirowski – keyboards, Barbershop
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Dick Wagner – backing vocals, guitar solos on “Here Comes The Flood” and on the ending of “Slowburn”
London Symphony Orchestra on”Down The Dolce Vita”
Michael Gibbs – conductor and arranger
Production
Bob Ezrin
Track list
1. Moribund The Burgermeister
2. Solsbury Hill
3. Modern Love
4. Excuse Me
5. Humdrum
6. Slowburn
7. Waiting For The Big One
8. Down The Dolce Vita
9. Here Comes The Flood
