Peter is one of extremely few artists in any genre across human history who has been able to operate at "God level" consistently. He is, as you said, an absolute phenomenon.
Given how young you are...your opinion that the Genesis years are his most enduring really took me by surprise! (I'm a big fan of Genesis, particularly from Nursery Cryme through to Wind & Wuthering...) I adore Gabriel and am very much enjoying the new collection of songs - that he made a record this good at this point in his career is really something. I find I most often return to Peter Gabriel III - there is something so perfect about it to me - so fresh and modern sounding, even now.
I appreciate the comment. I’ve been trying with Gabriel III and it hasn’t quite stuck. Agreed on Nursery Cryme through Wind & Wuthering being the best Genesis run!
Agreeing with everything you've said , including re Gabriel3.....an early solo career masterpiece! The latest though is also truly special! I've been listening to this man's music in and out of Genesis for decades, and am thrilled he has produced something as good as this after all these years!
To me, "Selling England ..." and Lamb .." are the best from the Genesis area. But we need to remember that these are band works, and Gabriel wrote most of the lyrics but lesser of the music. While not every Gabriel album is perfekt throughout, but the post Genesis work is far more modern. Even the older albums do not sound as dated as Genesis often does, except the first one. I/O lines up with his best from the 70's and 80s, and it's sound is absolutely stunning in some parts.
I am 65 and impressed by your understanding of both Gabriel and Genesis. I first saw Genesis just after Gabriel left the Band and "Trick of the Tail" was released. I was and still am a prog rock fan as I followed Yes and ELP at the time. I don't remember how I got caught up in music at the time, and specifically Peter Gabriel. You are right about the first 3 albums. The music will take you in. You have a keen understanding of his music and I applaud your review. I hope you got to see him on this tour. He can still hit the high notes vocally.
Strong contender for album of the year for me. Very few artists can churn out such a brilliant album so late in their career, but Gabriel certainly broke the mould.
Great review, thank you ! For a bit of context I'm a PG fan since birth, i attended the Growing Up tour while still a foetus and it might have had an impact on me. More seriously, I love everything he did and I discovered his Genesis years later on, I like most of it (Trespass and Selling England on top). This year I was his 2nd listener on Deezer with 160h, I need to calm down a bit. About I/O, I had mixed feelings through this whole year, but ultimately it was a great journey. When Panopticom came out I was so thankful to witness a new PG work and I was stunned by the quality of it, so so good. My most listened song of the year in fact. Bright side all the way for that one, so powerful. The Court was strange but welcome, fantastic production, original voicing and parts that fit really well together, especially the bridge. Dark side I guess, but it's close on that one. Playing for time was pretty boring at first, not gonna lie, but I've learned to like it, and the final part reminds me of Washing of the water, which is great news. No deep difference between both mixes here. I strugle with I/O, I stand by you when you say the lyrics are a limitation here. Pretty pointless and not doing a favour to the melody in my opinion... The chorus stays in the head but that's all... Bright side for this one, but it might change. Four Kind of Horses had me skeptical at first, I found the chorus disturbing, but I really like it now, a real sense of emotion displayed during the song with a climax at the end with the orchestra, but still in control. Dark side mix for me, might be because it came out first but I find it deeper. Road to Joy !! Was shocked when I saw it live before it came out, with this... Explicit visuals (go see the live version, it is worth watching). When it came out I loved it instantly, it is so good in every sense, the riff, the lyrics, the production, the end... Bright side, no doubt, for David Rhodes riff on the chorus which makes the song perfect. Dark mix is interesting too, but too empty for me. Not a lot to say about So much, a beautiful song all in all, a welcomed break between Road to joy and Olive Tree. Dark side for the far away percussion on the chorus. Olive Tree is great. Came out during summer holidays, so it will remind me good times forever. The bass / drums combo on the verse is really good, and the transition into this powerful chorus works very well. It just gives a powerful and happy vibe, thank you PG. Hard to make a decision here, both mixes are very good in their own way, so I won't give a preference. Love can heal is beautiful, and was even more beautiful live, with the transparent screen... There's a lot of emotions in the cello and I'm glad it's on the album. Need to listen to it more to embrace it fully. No preference once again between both mixes. When I heard This is Home I said "yeah..." and after that I listened to it on repeat for the month. Great groove really, good lyrics and beautiful voice from Peter. It's a bit like the anti-I/O, really discrete but well made. Great bright side mix, extremely good production, stunning with a headset, but dark side is also good, a bit more humble. And Still looked like the boring piano song once again, and it was a good suprise. I didn't remember it from the show because the melody is hard to get, but it has a great sense of resolution, every part goes away freely but ends right, if that makes sense. Dark Side at the moment, might evolve... The best for the end as we say in France. I was scared for Live and let live. I had a fantastic and powerful memory of it from the show : in the last part, everyone stood up and sang with the band, it was magical because no one in the room ever heard that song before, and yet everyone was fully invested. But I was scared it wouldn't be as powerful on the studio version. When I woke up last week to hear this song I realised during the listening that it was the last time I would be listening a new PG song for a long time, maybe forever... And during the last part, tears came instantly. Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of gratitude, of something bigger than that, that surpasses me entirely. The numerous voices singing this hymn together got me and I guess they will do forever. In fact, I regret this song doesn't last forever, what an ending to an overall great and intimate album. Bright mix works better for me, it's a song that requests light. Well, that was intense, I listened to the album while writing these paragraphs, and it sums up well everything I feel about it, even if there is so much more than this. The way it was released make it so personal, because we got to learn to know it and to live with it a whole year. Thanks PG, and thank you if you read this through. See you all later folks
Thank you Mr Oort for YOUR song-by-song analysis of the entire album. Maybe you ought to startup your own reaction channel as well. I feel like I just got a 2 fer one with your, and Matt’s, reviews! Love them both.
I feel the same about i/o (the song). It's weak lyrically and the line "stuff coming out stuff going in" - I mean, 30 years in production and you can't come up with something better. Road to Joy, The Court, Olive Tree, This is Home - the standouts. Weak points - i/o, And Still
Great fair review of the music as a just released straight forward LP. The music was so greatly enhanced for me by listening to each track as PG released them on each full moon this year with an intro to the song with some explanation of what he was trying to achieve musically, and to express in the lyrics, mood, etc of the song. Also enhancing the album for me was seeing him in concert on his I/O tour this summer. The concert was elevated by masterful use of technology, and visual and performance art. I'm in my sixties and a long time fan of progressive rock music, and I feel that this is the most profound album I've experienced since the dawn of prog rock. I was so pleased you were able to appreciate his artistry even without all those enhancements available this prior year. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that we are lucky to have an artist like PG continuing to make music. Thanks for your interesting and concise review.
Wow, man. Great review, you know your stuff, I’m impressed. As an old prog rocker I’m very fond of PG and especially his work in Genesis. He has such a brilliant, emotive, versatile voice. But his solo work is really good too. One of my favourite tracks of his is the version of Here Comes The Flood as it appears on Shaking The Tree, with its diminutive piano arrangement and that chilling soaring vocal in the second to last line. It is so much better than the overorchestrater original version. So now I’ve been listening to i/o for a couple of days and I think this is the crown on his work. What a brilliant, diverse album, what fantastic vocals and production. The fact that I can choose between three different mixes for every song is a nice novel idea and it kinda works, although I tend to gravitate towards the Dark Side mixes a lot. The song that I seem to like best so far is Playing For Time, maybe because it sounds like a sequel to that Here Comes The Flood off Shaking The Tree. I’d give it a rock solid 9/10 too and I hope PG has enough time to squeeze out another album. I really, really hope so.
10 out of 10 for i/o. Every track is amazing. A great review by you Matt, and it was nice to hear you mention his years with Genesis. I've been a Gabriel fan since since 1971 (Nursery Cryme). His voice blew me away then, it still does now. Cheers.
In my opinion, a superb review! Gabriel is a great guy who makes interesting music. Gabriel's Angels, or Genesis, recorded their best albums when Pete and Steve were in the band. The Lamb is the most exciting and adventurous album ever made even if it wasn't the happiest of times for them. Gabriel's first four albums after leaving Genesis are my favorites of all his solo work. PG2 is criminally underrated. I'm glad that i/o finally is released and I love most of the songs. 9/10
Never heard your reviews but was caught by the Peter Gabriel hook as he is by far my favorite artist. Saw his show three times in Europe then once back in states. I was surprised by your take on the title track i/o as that is my favorite. I worked out a guitar version and have sung it for several gigs and have a friend who is a choral director that wrote a jazz choral version. I get how you might think the lyrics are earthy-naturey but you are young! I was relating to them as quantum, molecular and even a divine concept of “everything is one” and for Peter that includes the beauty and the shit side of life. I’m also closer to him in age so Playing for Time and wrestling with the eventualities of human existence are a little more prevalent and forefront. Anyway, thanks for your PG review. Really enjoyed it. I’m awaiting the surround mixes!
Matt as a whole Peter Gabriel fan I’m all in. I knew this next album was going to be called I /O since up came out. He is the essential artist we need in this world. I really enjoy all these songs I went on the quest with him for just about a year. Now that I finally have the album it sounds really awesome. I have all his “proper’ albums. And a few of his greatest hits. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 from this fan on this journey. But then again anything he touches becomes gold at the end of the day.
Peter Gabriel has been one of my favorite artists since college back in the 80s. I just love his music - the complexity of it, the simplicity of it (sometimes), the lyrics, the uniqueness of the Gabriel sound. The only item on my bucket list was to see him in concert, which I did on October 18th in Austin (5th row and worth every one of the 130,000 pennies for 2 tickets)! I cannot wait for that concert DVD to come out. I just received the CD a couple of days ago, and had only hear the songs on their full moon releases on RU-vid (and in concert). I immediately pulled out the in-side mix, which is in Dolby Atmos. I don't have Atmos speakers, but I do have 7.1 surround. It is simply a phenomenal listening experience. I loved the songs on this album immediately, unlike Up, which was an acquired taste for me, but did become one of my favorite albums. I'm looking forward to listening to both the bright-side and dark-side mixes to see which I like better. It may just depend on my mood at the time. In my opinion, Gabriel is one of the most talented contemporary artists on the planet, amid a sea of mediocrity. But if I had to say, I think his music appeals to the type of people who tend to go their own way and don't care what other people think. Also to people who are very creative in their own right (maybe not musically, but in other professions), e.g. I'm betting Gabriel is popular among engineers like myself. I'd also venture to guess that most Gabriel fans are also Pink Floyd fans. Anyway, quit reading my ramblings and go order the CD or vinyl, everyone!
I grew up in the 80s, and knew the big pop hits of Gabriel like Big Time and Sledgehammer. I didn't really know much about early Genesis. I happened upon Watcher of the Skies on here recently, and was just realty mesmerized by Peter's performance. After diving into the early Genesis years and Peter's solo career, I understand this latest album. In about 20 years you might change your mind on the i/o song and its meaning/feeling. The way Peter has bared his soul to the world through his music and activism has made the world a better place.
It is good to know that young people, like you Matt will keep Peter‘s music longer alive. The unique genius Peter Gabriel gave me so much. His livegigs were always an unbeleavable experience. I saw his comcerts from the end of the 70s until this year. He is of course older, but in a good shape for his age(73). Let us listen to his music further on and enjoy.
I loved early Genesis Lamb leis down on Broadway being my favorite although I do think Melt and Security were the most interesting, groundbreaking and influental albums the 2 first solo albums were great also and the 2 after So and Us were also fantastic was happy for him when So broke him out of the underground because the mainstream could experience his unique talents. then I liked the sountrck he did for the last temptation of christ ,Passion great work . after that I lost track a bit but he has always been one of my most revered Artist that I grew up with , I look forward to hearing this record I'm also a fan of some of his regulars like Tony Levin for example.
Really good review. I’m 53 and my entry album was So when it came out, and then listened to all his other solo stuff from there. My personal favourites are PG3 and PG4, but I think the new one is excellent and his best since So. Like both mixes too, with a small preference for the Dark Mix version of most tracks. Only songs I don’t like that much are I/O (too poppy) and So Much (although lyrics resonated with me). Your review makes we want to check out those early Genesis albums, which I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never heard. Thanks again
I absolutely love this album, and have loved Peter Gabriel's work since the early Genesis days. His music is 'complex', and I mean that in the best possible way. It is sophisticated. Every instrument receives the same amount of attention to detail. There is no other artist like him, and his body of work will be beloved for generations.
Great Review-the Randy Newman comment was what I thought-listen to Toy Story & you got a friend in need-four kinds of horses,both tie at the emotional strings. So love this album.
Us and Up are probably still my favourite Peter Gabriel albums but I/O is very good none-the-less. So glad it's finally here. Looking forward to his next record.
In Peter's Full Moon video on Live and Let Live he mentioned about a song he decided not to put on I/O, instead it's going to be on his next one.@@MattOLearyMusic
Thank you for such a heartfelt, wonderful review. I love PG and have been a fan since Genesis' early days, yes, Im 63 years young and this album is glorious. I loved the full moon releases and now I cant wait to get my album to hear it in sequence on repeat. I was lucky enough to see him in concert at MSG in NYC and in Buffalo with my 2 daughters who I would guess are around your age. They finally got to experience the artist their Mom has been in love with all these years and they werent let down. So thanks again for a very truthful, heartfelt review. Now go see him live if he ever comes around again.
Great refreshing words. Love your spontaneous pov. My personal Gabriel fav are PG3 and PG4, from his Genesis days I pick from Trespass till Selling England. In my firsts listening I had more doubts than claps... definitely I must listen it again. Later...
Hackett for sure. I’ve had a harder time with Marillion and a lot of 80s neo prog, save for a few albums here and there. Would love to hear what I’m missing. Thanks for watching
Hi Matt. I can’t thank you enough for this review of the latest album by my favorite solo artist of all time. I’ve been a Genesis and Gabriel fanatic since I was in high school in the late 70s/early 80s. Gabriel and Genesis, along with the likes of the Beatles, Steely Dan, Yes, ELP and Rush, are among my rock ‘n’ roll heroes. I’ve been fortunate to have seen Gabriel perform live nine times, dating back to an early show in 1980 when I was a junior in high school on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen Gabriel perform live, but it is truly an experience, as he puts as much attention to detail in his live performance, as he does in his recording process. If you haven’t seen him live yet, I truly hope you get the opportunity. I am looking forward to seeing the Canadian theatrical band “The Musical Box” re-create the early Genesis/Gabriel concert experience in January. I’m also curious if you have ever heard of the band, Simon Apple. Their 2006 progressive rock album, River To The Sea, features guest/cameo performances by rock legends, like Tony Levin (bassist for Gabriel), Buck Dharma (lead guitarist for Blue Oyster Cult) and John Helliwell (saxophone for Supertramp) on a few tracks. I hope one day you get a chance to give this album a listen! Thanks again for your review and excellent taste in my favorite genre of music!
Simon Apple is added to my to dos! Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment. I haven’t seen Peter live, but I’m seeing Hackett’s band in March.
@@MattOLearyMusic - I've been told Hackett's band is a real treat, although not everyone is in love with the singer. If it was my band, I'd have the guy (Ray Wilson) who sang on Genesis' final album, Calling All Stations, sing. I'm going to see for the first time The Musical Box for my birthday next month. They re-create the live experience of Genesis tours from the 1970s. This time they are doing Selling England by the Pound in honor of it's 50th anniversary.
Really impressed by your review. It belies your age. Please don’t find that patronising. Read and listened to so many reviews on this Masterpiece of an album but I can honestly say I enjoyed yours the most. Very thoughtful, honest and devoid of all the pseudo intellectual claptrap. Gabriel era Genesis could never be matched by anything that followed. When you think how young he was when recording Trespass (my favourite album) it’s truly astonishing.
Saw him earlier in the year and he was brilliant, obviously not as energetic as in his younger days but a great show. I first saw him in 83, so a long term fan and have always lived Gabriel 4, which possibly had his best life show. I've been listening to the album for the last couple of days and really love it.
Thans for the review . I look forward to exploring this album . I was lucky enough to see him on his last tour with Genesis , and his solo tours from his debut through to his Security tour . He was always great live . Cheers !
I’m not gonna lie, I heard this album finally for the first time last week when I was taking a trip 😉. That’s how it was made to be heard and dude…it’s a MASTERPIECE
Very good video! I streamed the album today and really like it, so I’ll buy the vinyl. Which mix did you like, I might buy the bright first and the dark later. I grow up listening to Genesis w/ Gabriel, then his solo albums, and I got to see him perform in the early 90’s, excellent show. Analogue Productions are reissuing some Genesis albums, great sound for the first one, Selling England.. you might like it.
@@MattOLearyMusic I would get Selling England by The Pound, excellent sounding album, one of my favorites. I just got their live album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, 4 LPs, I’ll let you know how it’s. My first Genesis album was Mama, I was in London when it came out, and it was playing everywhere so I had to buy it. Fun pop album but I prefer their old albums and of course Peter Gabriel.
I'm 64 and first discovered PG via Solsbury Hill back in high school. It wasn't played much on the radio but I loved it the first time I heard it. Rock radio was still playing The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (song) at that time, albeit somewhat rarely. While I appreciate the musicianship and complex arrangements of Genesis up through TLLDOB I have always been a bigger fan of his solo work. I think his voice got better and better and for the most part the songs were better and lyrically more straightforward. I love iO and feel it ranks up there with Melt and So.
I love the pompous prog, but the more I hear people talk about the glories of his solo catalogue, the more I feel that it might be a “had to be there” thing. I didn’t grow up on anything resembling his 80s output, so it’s foreign to my musical DNA. I can appreciate it more than I enjoy it. Anyway, thank you for watching and sharing
nice review! I really am enjoying i/o, although I'm still trying to figure out how to listen to it with both mixes. I am a Peter Gabriel fan. I really got into him around the time of Up in 2002, although I, like you, got into the Genesis stuff 1st and did and have always preferred it. I find Up though to be my favorite, but I enjoy a lot of tunes from every record of his. In the Retro Album of the Year videos I'm making, I likely will try to revisit every record (I just did with Car, the 1977 debut, the other day. Which is 1 of his more popular records largely because of it having Solsbury Hill). I went to the show at the X in St.Paul back in September and Gabriel played most of i/o that night and my feeling was uplifted about the record. I don't find it perfect, but the majority of the tunes work for me.
Good review mate generally. I like I/o the song more than you I think but I get most of what you say. When you get to 73 (I’m 65 btw) I’m sure you’ll understand better the feeling of being as one with other worldly things. Youth is on your side (for now). A brush with death tends to make you re evaluate.
Genesis is what Gabriel is best known for, amazing band, the Atlantic 75 series by analogue productions has reissued Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lays Down on Broadway so far, I just picked up Selling England, so excited to hear it mastered AAA on 45rpm by Chris Bellman ❤ thinking of picking this new one up for my mum who is more familiar with his later music.
Nice video! I recommend to you to listen the dark side mixes (panopticom for example,there is no acoustic guitar and it's a more agressive take on the song)
Mi sorpresa es cómo mantiene ese timbre de voz, ha envejecido, pero parece como estuviera en Génesis. Gran aportación por tu parte, eres muy joven, pero con mucho conocimiento de este gran artista. 👍🎶🎶😍😍👏👏👏
Wow, a hit record at 74, the Tony Bennett of Prog. Saw this guy in '77 and '82. That was a long time ago. I'm somewhat amused at his lasting appeal. This record is very...Peter Gabriel.
Interestingly, his (possibly) last album will turn out to be his best album. It's between "So" and "i/o" for me - the former has some of his most beautiful songs (Don't Give up & In Your Eyes - his greatest song), but on the other hand it's a bit too commercial sounding and too much 80s produced. The latter is a very good album, maaaaybe a bit overproduced and on the more mellow side (it lacks 1 or 2 more harder songs for me to be a masterpiece). Overall, very very nice album and PG proves that he's a genius and one of the greatest artists in rock history.
"So much", is the only track that I have connected with, emotionally. I love most of Gabriel's Genesis catalogue and admire his early solo work but frankly this album, like most of his later work obsesses over perfect production and winds up sterilizing the sound, to my ear. The music that engages me most is never perfect or about being perfect. It is about a group of musicians finding a groove and conversing in a passionate and free wheeling way. I also agree with the critic here that some of the lyric is pithy new age and not really from the heart and soul of an artist in his mid 70's. This record is mostly an MOR adult contemporary version of Darkstar, without the searing honesty of an artist nearing the end of his life.
I enjoy the pop sensibility, and don't find these songs to be overly stiff or sterile. Sure, they're perfectly produced, but I still hear a swagger and tremendous joy & curiosity. Thanks for your comment.
@@MattOLearyMusic fair enough. If you haven't had the chance, I would recommend listening to Nick Cave's, "Ghosteen". The existential depth of this record is far beyond the scope of i/o in my honest opinion.
Is it the word "vague" you are uttering? at 3:57 'a little bit more of a vague concept of justice..." That word should rhyme with the Hague, the war court, not bag. It is a long a sound and I was distracted enough to look it up to see if some faction of the world pronounces it as you did there. Well just an minor error I assume. Enjoying the review, none-the-less!
I never had any problem with his music unless maybe that it often is a bit depressing. But I have a problem with his way of presenting himself , say ...too much arty and serious. In that way that I can more appreciate a band like Gong for not takin' themselves serious and still produce good music. And though I'm very much a prog fan , I fully understand the punk bands who had enough of those pretentious prog bands.
genesis? no - the 3rd and 4th are the pinnacle, I do love 2 due to Fripp's work... everything I've heard about the new album screams overproduction... but it's Gabriel's overproduction...
I hear what you're saying about the interconnectedness theme. But have you tried listening to it on magic mushrooms? You might find a new lease on life.
Thank you for this wise, intelligent and relevant review. I saw him in concert for the first time on 13/9/1978. He sang his first solo album and came back for the encore (the lamb) wearing a belgian cycling champion jersey! Tony Levin was already on his side. This last album is a masterpiece.
Great review. Like your perspective and mostly agree. I’ve seen Peter live most years since’85 so I think I have a good frame of reference. I think Olive Tree is the most “classic Gabriel” track on this one. Keep up the good work!