Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gabriel, Peter
Label: Charisma Records
Released: 1980
Runtime: 45:32
Rating: 5/5
Legendary singer Peter Gabriel strode into the ’80s as a confident, versatile musical artist with two excellent solo records already behind him, not to mention the legacy he’d built with prog rock giants Genesis. With every new album, Mr. Gabriel stirred up open excitement among music connoisseurs around the world, because each one brought something completely new to sonic experimentalism and redefined him as a one-of-a-kind musical adventurer. And Peter’s vision for innovative recording and sound technologies shone in all its glory on his third solo record, once again self-titled. Thanks to its striking cover by Storm Thorgerson, featuring the singer’s “melted” face, it’s often simply called “Melt”. The project turned out to be one of the artistic and commercial peaks of Peter’s career and gave him two peace-minded hits with “Games Without Frontiers” and “Biko”. That cemented his place as an important player in popular music.
On “Melt”, the horizons of this brilliant artist began soaking up completely new sonic dimensions that had never appeared on his musical menu before. Around this time Peter developed an almost devout love of world music. He started weaving it, along with elements of hard rock and the then-popular new wave, into his unpredictable sonic experiments. Besides his sudden infatuation with the rhythms of world music, especially African, Peter was becoming more and more of a perfectionist when it came to all kinds of recording tricks and sound effects. He polished the available technology to the bone on “Melt”, and you can hear it in the superb production. In this area, too, the album would become a kind of yardstick for all his future releases. It earned extra fame as the first album in music history to feature the revolutionary “gated” drum technique. That technique didn’t involve the use of cymbals.
Stylistically, the sound of “Melt” could be labeled progressive or experimental rock, and thanks to the sonic innovations and variations described above, it’s a long way from the prog rock leanings of his Genesis past. And speaking of Genesis, I can’t forget to mention that Peter’s old Genesis comrade Phil Collins guested on the album as an extra drummer. Collins had taken over the vocal spot after Peter left the legendary band. Phil played a very important role here: following Peter’s instructions, he used an innovative drumming technique that’s one of the key charms of this excellent album. The list of collaborators includes legendary names such as Peter’s favorite bassist Tony Levin, guitar maestro Robert Fripp (King Crimson), popular singer Kate Bush, and singer/guitarist Paul Weller. Then again, Peter was always known for recruiting legions of the best possible guest musicians for his studio projects.
“Melt” surprises from start to finish with its eclectic nature, beginning with the gloomy “Intruder”, where the most fascinating thing is the drum and percussion technology that was revolutionary for its time. Collins would later use the same technique with Genesis and on his first solo hit, “In the Air Tonight”. The dark atmosphere created by the echoing drums, special effects, percussion and grotesque voices fits perfectly with the story of a burglar describing his experiences in his trade. Peter was always an outstanding singer/actor of character roles, so it’s no surprise at all that he slips into the intruder’s role so vividly. That dark atmosphere, the peculiar drum technique and the use of crazy effects carry through the whole album, and the darkly comic, paranoid “No Self-Control” seals the deal, with Peter venturing into the murkiest corners of the human psyche. Xylophone sounds flow beautifully through punchy riffs and mighty drum fills, while Peter’s chameleon-like vocal performance paints a mental picture of someone whose last scraps of sanity are coming apart.
The jazzy instrumental “Start” provides a brief moment of subtlety, with waves of synthesizers and a sax solo creating a very pleasant atmosphere. The sarcastic pop rocker “I Don’t Remember”, dominated by Levin’s pulsing bass lines, Fripp’s unmistakable guitar solo and a string of special sound effects, is one of Gabe’s overlooked classics. The lyrics deliver a biting critique of all sorts of attempts at control by “well-meaning” institutions. On “Family Snapshot”, Peter again touches on the dark sides of the human psyche, as the lyrics are about the psychopath Arthur Bremer, author of the notes later published as the book “An Assassin’s Diary”. Bremer wanted his “fifteen minutes” of fame by assassinating the racist American governor George Wallace, even at the cost of a human life. His story reportedly partly inspired the cult film Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro. The course of the song follows the assassin’s feelings superbly. After a calm jazzy intro, where we can picture the would-be assassin drawing up his plan, it morphs into a punchy hard rock section. Then comes a dramatic turn depicting the attack itself and the fateful shot. After that, the heated mood falls back into a calm section, where the killer remembers his unhappy childhood and begins to regret the consequences of his crime.
“And Through the Wire” is a less complex creation with plenty of hard rock passages, a rich collection of rhythmic patterns and Peter’s usual vocal chameleonism. Next up is the fantastic classic and hit single “Games Without Frontiers”, where Peter is joined on backing vocal harmonies by popular singer Kate Bush, known for her unique voice. Her vocal lines woven into this immortal composition, ruled by synthetic rhythm patterns, add a special, let’s call it icy-cold breeze. Peter’s singing and lyrics are among the most sarcastic of his career, a sharp critique of wars and nationalism. Above all, it’s an original satire of the tragic history of wars between European countries, seen through the lens of children’s games. The successful collaboration between Peter and Kate would later yield “Don’t Give Up”, one of Gabe’s best hits. Peter also tackles social alienation on the hard rock-tinged “Not One of Us”, which also contains a varied bag of new wave sonic experiments. “Lead a Normal Life” is an ambient-avant-garde piece built on xylophone and piano sounds. Its mostly calm structure is occasionally cut through by sonically manipulated vocal harmonies that bring a chilling atmosphere.
At the end of the album sits one of Peter’s best pieces of social criticism, aimed at racism, and one of the most beautiful tributes to the beauty of the human spirit, which over the years has earned the status of a true world anthem for all the oppressed and persecuted. “Biko” is a harrowing funeral dirge and protest anthem dedicated to Steve Biko, the Black South African anti-apartheid fighter beaten to death by police serving a brutal racist regime. On this majestic classic, Peter dove headfirst into the rhythmic elements of world music. Despite the melancholy mood, the anthemic chorus carries a glow of hope, further confirmed by the line “you can blow out a candle, but you can’t blow out a fire”. With this chapter of his career, Peter earned his place for all time among the greatest musicians in the world and the fighters for human rights. He later often used this evergreen classic to close his concerts, with an ecstatic crowd singing along.
“Melt” ranks among the finest gems in the legendary singer’s career, the record where his love of world music fully blossomed for the first time. On top of that, with his original, socially awakening lyrical expression, he established himself as a fighter for the rights of the overlooked and oppressed. Besides successfully experimenting in songwriting territory that was completely new to him, Peter squeezed the absolute maximum out of what some innovative sound technologies had to offer. Headed by “Biko”, “Melt” holds a collection of nothing but compositional high points that, it seems, will keep thrilling listeners with undiminished power decades after their release. With this monumental move, the master of constant sonic redefinition and innovation stepped into the most fruitful period of his solo career.
Lineup
Peter Gabriel – vocals, piano, synthesizer, bass synthesizer, percussion
Robert Fripp – guitar on “I Don’t Remember” & “Not One of Us”
Tony Levin – Chapman stick on “I Don’t Remember”
Phil Collins – drums on “Intruder” & “No Self Control”; special drums on “Family Snapshot”; surdo on “Biko”
Kate Bush – backing vocals on “No Self Control” & “Games Without Frontiers”, uncredited backing vocals on “I Don’t Remember”
Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
Larry Fast – synthesizer, bass synthesizer
John Giblin – bass guitar
Dave Gregory – guitar
Dick Morrissey – saxophone
Morris Pert – percussion
David Rhodes – guitar, backing vocals
Paul Weller – guitar on “And Through the Wire”
Dave Ferguson – screaming on “Biko”
Production
Steve Lilywhite
Track list
1. Intruder
2. No Self Control
3. Start
4. I Don’t Remember
5. Family Snapshot
6. And Through The Wire
7. Games Without Frontiers
8. Not One Of Us
9. Lead A Normal Life
10. Biko
