The Man Who Loved the Earth/The Hand That Sold Shadows
The Time of the Turning (Reprise)/The Weavers Reel - Peter Gabriel, Evans, Richard [Bas
Father, Son
The Tower That Ate People
Revenge
White Ashes
Downside-Up
The Nest That Sailed the Sky
The Tree That Went Up
Make Tomorrow
Dutch limited edition version of the artist's soundtrack tothe show he created for the Millenium Dome in London. This special edition includes a bonus CD single, comic book, multimedia tracks, a bonus track and comes packa... more »ged in a slipcasewith a standard« less
Dutch limited edition version of the artist's soundtrack tothe show he created for the Millenium Dome in London. This special edition includes a bonus CD single, comic book, multimedia tracks, a bonus track and comes packaged in a slipcasewith a standard
CD Reviews
Just to clarify a couple things..
07/22/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As you can deduce from these comments, Ovo is not the next proper Peter Gabriel album. It's more like the soundtrack to a stage show he co-wrote, although that's not entirely accurate either. Peter wrote and played on the songs and sings on four of them. Peter's usual band plays on much of the album as well, and they're joined by a large cast of other musicians from around the world. The songs can stand on their own as a complete album, although they also come together in the context of the larger story. There's a talented blending of all kinds of different sounds and musical styles in all the songs here.
The 'regular' import version contains the regular 12-track audio CD including the "Story of Ovo" rap song (a wretched selection, I'm sorry to say). The limited edition has almost the same CD minus that track, plus one more instrumental cut ("The Nest That Sailed the Sky"), plus a couple extras. There's a slipcase cover and a booklet with the Ovo story told in comic-book style. The aforementioned omitted rap song is included on a separate disc, also with several extra CD-ROM features including lengthy movie clips of the show.
If you like PG, especially Passion or Security, Ovo is definitely worth a listen. If you just appreciate good music, it's still worth a listen. If you're like the rest of us still suffering the interminable wait for the release of Up... well, it's much better than nothing."
Millenium hopes
Stephen J. Swellander | San Antonio, Texas USA | 08/10/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I ordered this special import thinking it was a live CD of the now legendary millenium show. In case you are harboring similar misconcenptions, it's not live. It's the OVO album with a few extras. It has an OVO rap single (you may or may not like it), a fairly cool color booklet with pictures from the show and some PC extra video from the show--abstract looking aerial shots of show choreography.
If you already have the standard OVO disc, you won't be getting much new here. It all depends on how serious a collector you are. Fortunately, I hadn't bought OVO yet, so the import, though a little pricey, filled the bill. Unlike some Peter Gabriel fans, I happen to like OVO very much. I think it is one of the most interesting and innovative musical projects he has designed. Hopefully one day he will release a DVD of the show (certainly someone must have filmed it!). It was an historic occasion, apparently a very big show, and many of us Gabriel fans across the world were unable to see it. C'mon Peter. Share the fun."
Very Fine new Gabriel work ...
mnensel | Silver Spring, MD USA | 08/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Peter Gabriel returns with this very fine soundtrack to "OVO: The Millennium Show". Now I haven't deciphered many of the lyrics yet,nor have I read the comic storybook. This review concerns the music and whether this CD is a good listen, and my initial response is O yes this is a good one! Many of Gabriel's Real World co-horts appear, both vocally and instrumentally, so the overall sound is rich, textural, with heavy ominous synth drones and much exotic percussion. In some ways it is similar to "Passion" in its musical 'heavyness', but its tone is a bit more optimistic, as the piece seems to be about the evolution and future of man. Its story seems to be both about the wonderment of man's possibilities, and exasperation and mourning for man's failings. In other words, Gabriel's typical espressions of insight and melancholy. Track 1: "Low Light" is a gorgeous and dramatic synth drone with vox from the great Gaelic/Afro Celt Sound System singer Iarla O Lionaird. Track 2 "Time of the Turning" is in a similar airy, dramatic vein, with very Gabriel-ish vocals from Richie Havens, and lovely singing from Alison Goldfrapp, as well. Track 3 "Man Who Loved the Earth" is an instrumental electronic beat and soundscape. Track 4 "The Weavers Reel" is exactly that - a very lively Celtic reel. Track 5 "Father Son" is a new slow Peter Gabriel classic, emotional and elegaic, somewhat like "Here Comes the Flood". Track 6 "Tower that Ate People" -- Gabriel goes industrial, with guest electronic treatments by BT and a good moderately funky beat. Track 7 "Revenge" is an instrumental Drums and effects track. Track 8 "White Ashes" is a way out, nightmarish track of effects, electronics, and chant-like vocals. Track 9 "Downside Up" is superb -- group vocals with Elizabeth Fraser, Paul Buchanan (from the Blue Nile, also sounding very Gabriel-ish); midway thru the song starts rocking, and the "OVO" refrain arrives. The coda features Gabriel's distinctive and stately piano - you know it's him, you've heard that sound before! Track 10 "The Nest .." is a beautiful spacy soundscape .. music to roam the desert by. Track 11 "The Tree that went up" is a dramatic instrumental climax-building tune, kind of like the closing track of 'Passion', but a bit more ominous. Track 12 "Make Tomorrow" is a gorgeous epic track with Buchanan, Havens, Fraser and Gabriel all contributing vocally. Some lyrics stand out: "when it seems hopeless, make tomorrow today", and Gabriel's god-like yet wistful observation: "sitting in a spaceship looking down at the earth, what're they all struggling for, what's it all really worth" -- awesome! The extra CD "Story of OVO" is downright bizarre - a trudge-paced tune with a rapped vocal and odd background vocals and sounds -- kinda like the weirder 'Passion' tracks, but with rap and a Gabriel-sung chorus. All in all, "OVO" contains riches to keep Gabriel fans content for months to come! Well done Pete!"
The great "lost" album in PG's career
Michael Topper | Pacific Palisades, California United States | 10/01/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Because it is an import-only soundtrack to an obscure project,
"Ovo" was completely overlooked in the USA, where most people believe his first studio project since "Us" was the 2002 ambient instrumental soundtrack "The Long Walk Home", and then finally the proper rock/pop followup "Up" which has now just been released. However, like all Gabriel projects "Ovo" is an essential purchase, and one which will delight and surprise in unexpected places. First, although it is the soundtrack to the "Millenium Dome" project, it is not an instrumental work--8 of its 12 cuts feature lyrics and vocals, which would make it the proper studio followup to "Us" (indeed, several of the songs for this and "Long Walk Home" actually derive from the initial sessions for "Up"), the only deviation being that Gabriel chose several other singers to work with him on his songs. Second, it has a narrative storyline, which would be the first time he has attempted such a thing since Genesis' "The Lamb" (or maybe the abandonded late 70s concept "Mozo"). Thus, "Ovo"'s ambitions are indeed quite grand; the amazon[.com] reviewer is right in that it is at times over its head, with bright moments getting lost in a tapestry that may be a little *too* eclectic, but there are more than just a few "OK" songs here. The only real regret I have about "Ovo" is that, although I like Paul Buchanan, Richie Havens and Elizabeth Frazer, I think Gabriel should've taken the lead on every track and used them only for backup vocalists. This would have made the album sound more consistent, for his voice is still supreme and these are his songs; they all bear his stamp so vividly that even when someone else is singing, I hear Peter. The songwriting is very strong, the melodies are as melodic and the rhythms as innovative as ever, with all of it reminding one of his past work while pointing to a further evolution of the sound: one
unexpected feature of the album is that while Gabriel has been particularly fond of Middle Eastern and North African world music elements in his music for nearly two decades now, in the attempt to be truly global for "Ovo"'s millenial aspirations, elements of indigenous Western forms are blended to the mix to
create a fusion unique to the record but that would then inspire the sound of the following "Up".Highlights include the touching minimal piano ballad "Father Son" (which could be on any of his albums), the grindingly energetic and innovative techno-rocker "The Tower That Ate People" (a potential hit if only it had been promoted more), the graceful opening "Low Life", "Downside-Up" (Frazer's best moment here) and the 10 minute (!) closing "Make Tomorrow", an epic which involves all four singers and the kind of atmospheric, multi-sectional writing that would mark "Up". This edition of the CD is better than the other, which opens with a rap rendition of "The Story Of Ovo" that is unnecessary, and is replaced with the innocuous but better-fitting instrumental "The Tree That Went Up". I don't understand the couple of reviewers who charge this album is boring--"Long Walk Home"'s ambient instrumentals may have provoked a snooze or two, but "Ovo" is constantly changing styles, moods and singers, and at least one track ("The Tower That Ate People") ranks with his toughest and most danceable rockers. In short, "Ovo" is a great PG album, and makes a good pair with "Up"; I just wish he had sang all the leads."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1