Peter Gabriel Appreciation Thread

[HOF]

Tony Levin on "Road to Joy." So good. 

[nick_z]

Indeed!!

[WilliamMunny]

I am stunned by Gabriel's latest (and last?) album.

I've listened to the new Gabriel a total of seven times in the last day... I'll save my thoughts on the triple mix nonsense, but regardless of which you choose, this is a ridiculously good album.

For something he reportedly spent 20 years tinkering with, I/O is remarkably concise and focused.

Also, his voice sounds is really good form. Brilliant lyrics, and quite possibly the best mastering I've heard in a modern 'a-list' album in a long, long time.

The songs are a cross between 'so' and 'up,' which is a refreshingly accessible mix of 'pop' and electronics-tinged prog.

I can't think of the last time an album exceeded my expectations like this.

I'm totally eating my words on the mixes too, bc I've listened to both.

[HOF]

Yeah, I've been alternating mixes on listens, and I'm not sure if that's a mistake or not because I'm a little mixed up on what some songs sound like. The Dark side mix seems a little more electronic and ambient? The Light side seems a bit cleaner and more open. Not even sure if there are differences in instrumentation because I'm not totally familiar with what is what yet. But I am enjoying both.

[King Postwhore]

Seeing at least 8 songs live on this tour, they were so good live.

I can say easily, I'm a fan of the Dark mix.

[WilliamMunny]

It's a toss-up for me on most songs, but where it matters (like the snare on the title track), I give a slight edge to the bright side mix.

That said, I suspect I will eventually prefer a mix of the two, depending on the song.

I want to be annoyed at Gabriel, but the quality here transcends any minor qualms or nitpicking I may have.

[KevShmev]

I'm looking forward to this, but I am almost dreading the two versions and trying to figure out which is better.  I'll likely just listen to the bright side version for a while first before trying the dark.

[King Postwhore]

Dark side is the way to go, Kev.

[Zydar]

"And Still" is so beautiful. Knowing that it's about his mother who passed away in 2016.

[HOF]

"And Still" is so beautiful. Knowing that it's about his mother who passed away in 2016.

"Playing for Time" is the one that's hit me the hardest so far. Kind of wish it was the album closer. Will have to give "And Still" a closer listen knowing what it's about.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

does anyone else hear what sounds like a People Get Ready interpolation (tho it might not be, i'm uncertain) in the last tune? specifically the verse melodies

[Stadler]

I am stunned by Gabriel's latest (and last?) album.

I've listened to the new Gabriel a total of seven times in the last day... I'll save my thoughts on the triple mix nonsense, but regardless of which you choose, this is a ridiculously good album.

For something he reportedly spent 20 years tinkering with, I/O is remarkably concise and focused.

Also, his voice sounds is really good form. Brilliant lyrics, and quite possibly the best mastering I've heard in a modern 'a-list' album in a long, long time.

The songs are a cross between 'so' and 'up,' which is a refreshingly accessible mix of 'pop' and electronics-tinged prog.

I can't think of the last time an album exceeded my expectations like this.

I'm totally eating my words on the mixes too, bc I've listened to both.

Mine just arrived yesterday (yes, Sunday) and I will be listening this week.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

enjoy, it's a real treat

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

trying out this tracklisting (just from some early impressions of the two versions)

Panopticom (Bright)
The Court (Dark)
Playing For Time (Dark)
i/o (Bright)
Four Kinds of Horses (Bright)
Road to Joy (Bright)
So Much (Dark)
Olive Tree (Bright)
Love Can Heal (Bright)
This is Home (Dark)
And Still (Dark)
Live and Let Live (Bright)

[SwedishGoose]

I'm still awaying my 2CD × BR bought from Real World bandcamp.

I saw him live back in may and bought the first released mix of the songs that were available two weeks before the concert. Have bought the rest on fullmoon.

It's a mix of bright and dark side mixes. So will be interresting to see how this will effect my enjoyment.

I'm still totally in love with the album and can't wait to get the physical release.

[ytserush]

My wife popped the red disc in last weekend. She said what mix it was but I've since forgotten. Sounded great. Going to need to spend some time with all three to work out preferences.

[nick_z]

"And Still" is so beautiful. Knowing that it's about his mother who passed away in 2016.

"Playing for Time" is the one that's hit me the hardest so far. Kind of wish it was the album closer. Will have to give "And Still" a closer listen knowing what it's about.

Playing for Time is wonderful. That ending!!

[ronnibran]

I'm just a casual Peter Gabriel fan at best, and am pretty picky about new music that isn't one of my favorite artists...  That said, I listened to the entire new album by Peter Gabriel and really enjoyed it!  Looking forward to some repeated listens. My initial favorite song is i/o (granted I've only listened to the album once yet).

[faizoff]

Having only heard the first track a couple of times, I dove into the whole album yesterday. Holy crap the entire album is amazing. the back to back sequence of Playing For Time and i/o is fantastic. Such great tunes in here.

I've only heard the bright-side mix, will get used to that before listening to anything else.

[King Postwhore]

I personally like the dark mix more but you can't go wrong with either.   

[Stadler]

Playing for Time really is the standout track here, though Four Kinds of Horses has legs too.

[HOF]

Playing for Time really is the standout track here, though Four Kinds of Horses has legs too.

I'd say about 16 of them.

[Zydar]

I actually haven't heard the Dark Side mix yet. Do they differ much?

[King Postwhore]

I actually haven't heard the Dark Side mix yet. Do they differ much?

I would say the Dark side has a "Warmth" to it.  Where the bright side is a "Crisp" sound.

[WilliamMunny]

Playing for Time really is the standout track here, though Four Kinds of Horses has legs too.

I'd say about 16 of them.

[WilliamMunny]

I actually haven't heard the Dark Side mix yet. Do they differ much?

I'd say the differences between both mixes are incredibly subtle, and only become pronounced once you are incredibly familiar with the songs.

That said, overall, I like the way the snare sits in the mix more consistently on the Bright Side mix (there's a ring to it that I love that feels muted on the Dark Side). For this reason, I prefer the Bright Side for the more upbeat songs (like "I/O, and "Road to Joy")

The Dark Side mix, however, seems to be my preference for some of the more somber, pensive moments.

So, a mix of the two is really my preference, but if I had to choose, I'd say I prefer the Bright Side mix (by a hair).

[HOF]

This is an oversimplification, but I kind of feel like the difference between the Bright and Dark-Side mixes is kind of like the difference between Us and Up. Not that extreme, but Us had a more open, natural sound to it, while Up was a bit thicker, with a more compressed sound.

I just gave the Dark Side a listen for the first time in over a week, and I thought I heard some new subtleties with the instrumentation on The Court, but now I need to go back to the other mix and confirm.

[Stadler]

Playing for Time really is the standout track here, though Four Kinds of Horses has legs too.

I'd say about 16 of them.

[Madman Shepherd]

I have not examined it closely but I feel that the Dark Side mix is a bit brighter and the Brightside is a bit darker. I'm actually kind of serious. I listened to each when only one song was released and without looking, I thought "oh this must be the brightside mix" when it wasn't. Same with the other way around. Of course the difference is almost negligible

[HOF]

Hah, that's funny but I bet having that pre-conceived idea of which is supposed to be bright/dark does color the way you hear each of them.

[PixelDream]

I'm not a PG fan per se but I liked Sledgehammer and the album Up.

This album is some sonic excellence. Good songs too. I'm quite partial to Panopticom and Four Kinds of Horses, but I just heard the bright-side mix of And Still for the first time and that song really got to me.

The two different mixes is badass. I love to get so much insight into the choices one could make and how that impacts the song. Not sure which I prefer. Love the forwardness and crisp sound of bright, but the dark mix sounds more real and dirty. It's awesome that they did this. Both mixes are great!!

[ytserush]

Think I prefer the bright over the dark although the dark has it's moments too. I really wish the lyrics were included with the CDs. I know they are on his website but it's really not the same.

[HOF]

I'm pretty firmly in the Bright-Side camp now. The Dark-Side is interesting but I don't think I prefer any of those mixes.

[SoundscapeMN]

bump.

don't know if anyone saw this coming

https://open.spotify.com/album/07Qcp9zO5cCKShwTlxNaUL

Sheryl..of course her relationship with Kevin Gilbert makes this even a little more ironic per Kevin's admiration and appreciation for Peter, even covering Solsbury Hill at 1 point.

[HOF]

bump.

don't know if anyone saw this coming

https://open.spotify.com/album/07Qcp9zO5cCKShwTlxNaUL

Sheryl..of course her relationship with Kevin Gilbert makes this even a little more ironic per Kevin's admiration and appreciation for Peter, even covering Solsbury Hill at 1 point.

Interesting. Did they just mix in PG's original vocal tracks from Us, or did he re-cut this?

On the Gilbert point, he did famously say "I think Peter Gabriel was a brilliant artist until he underwent EST training." Which I've never totally understood what he meant, but I figure based on the timeline he might not have been a fan of Digging in the Dirt so much!