Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel [1]

Peter Gabriel tells why he left Genesis in "Solsbury Hill," the key track on his 1977 solo debut. Majestically opening with an acoustic guitar, the song finds Gabriel's talents gelling, as the words and music feed off each other, turning into true poetry. It stands out dramatically on this record, not because the music doesn't work, but because it brilliantly illustrates why Gabriel had to fly on his own. Though this is undeniably the work of the same man behind The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, he's turned his artiness inward, making his music coiled, dense, vibrant. There is still some excess, naturally, yet it's the sound of a musician unleashed, finally able to bend the rules as he wishes. That means there are less atmospheric instrumental sections than there were on his last few records with Genesis, as the unhinged bizarreness in the arrangements, compositions, and productions, in tracks such as the opener "Moribund the Burgermeister" vividly illustrate. He also has turned sleeker, sexier, capable of turning out a surging rocker like "Modern Love." If there is any problem with Peter Gabriel, it's that Gabriel is trying too hard to show the range of his talents, thereby stumbling occasionally with the doo wop-to-cabaret "Excuse Me" or the cocktail jazz of "Waiting for the Big One" (or, the lyric "you've got me cookin'/I'm a hard-boiled egg" on "Humdrum"). Still, much of the record teems with invigorating energy (as on "Slowburn," or the orchestral-disco pulse of "Down the Dolce Vita"), and the closer "Here Comes the Flood" burns with an anthemic intensity that would later become his signature in the '80s. Yes, it's an imperfect album, but that's a byproduct of Gabriel's welcome risk-taking -- the very thing that makes the album work, overall. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits A-Lex Organizer Allan Schwartzberg Director, ?, Drums Allen Schwarzberg Drums Armando Gallo Photography Bob Ezrin Producer Brad Owen Photography Brian Organizer Brian Christian Engineer Craig Richardson Original Mastering, Mastering Dan Blore Sleeve Restoration Dan Roe Assistant Engineer Dave "DW" Harris Engineer David Gregory Vocals, Guitar David Lord Keyboards, Synthesizer David Rhodes Guitar, Vocals Dick Morrissey Saxophone Dick Wagner Vocals (Background), Guitar, Soloist Edel Griffith Assistant Engineer Ekome Dance Company Drums George Graves Original Mastering, Mastering George Marge Recorder Hipgnosis [Design Group] Cover Design, Original Sleeve Design, Cover Art Jerry Marotta Vocals, Drums Jill Gabriel Vocals Jim Frank Engineer Jimmy Maelen Vocals, Trombone, Group, Synthesizer, Percussion John Ellis Guitar, Vocals John Giblin Bass Josef Chirowski Keyboards, Vocals, Group Kate Bush Vocals Keith Grant Assistant Engineer, Engineer Keith Smith Organizer Larry Fast Programming, Photography, Synthesizer London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, ? Marc Bessant Graphic Design Mekon Design Mic Smith Research, Introduction Mike Gibbs Conductor, Arranger Morris Pert Percussion Paul Weller Guitar Peter Gabriel Vocals, Flute, Voices, Keyboards, Recorder, Drums Peter Hammill Vocals Phil Collins Drums Richard Chappell Engineer Robert Fripp Guitar (Classical), Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Banjo Robert Hrycyna Engineer Robert Stasiak Assistant Engineer, Engineer Roberto Laneri Saxophone Rod O'Brien Assistant Engineer, Engineer Roy Bittan Keyboards Sid McGinnis Vocals, Guitar Steve Hunter Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Pedal Steel, Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar, Guitar (Steel) Susie Millns Design Coordinator Terry O'Neil Photography Terry O'Neill Photography Tim Capello Saxophone Todd Cochrane Keyboards Tony Cousins Remastering Tony Levin Leader, Group, Tuba, Vocals, Bass Tony Smith Organizer