Peter Gabriel OP10

"I Grieve" is maybe a little less sentimental than you think... the bridge is pretty explicitly called out as a fantasy at the end.

Up is a flat-out amazing record if you just remove "Barry Williams"

The goldfish gets me every time.

I guess the problem with BWS is it was meant to be some kind of pastiche of - was it televangelists? - and perhaps the stylistic choice was on purpose because of that but ick.

The "Growing Up" live DVD from that era is awesome, I love it when he does crazy wire work and things.

You mean the stuff about the dream? I'm not sure what to make of that. If he dreamed whatever loss he's singing about, then why does he need to grieve? Or was his dream that life carries on and on and on, and he's relieved that it does?

(x-post)

@Josh my read's always been that the uptempo "life carries on everywhere in everything" break is undercut by as the song returns to its theme. and the "news that truly shocks" verse is pretty inspired lyricizin'

@Trayce less televangelists than jerry springer (et al)... but Springer was always already a parody of the po-faced Povich style, and was already on the wane well before Up finally came out, so it just has the feel of something that's been getting stale in the can too long. Guess he just felt he needed to throw something in that sounded like a single?

Hmmm..

did i dream this belief?
or did i believe this dream?
now i can find relief
i grieve

I'd equally read that as asking "was their whole existence a dream?" and the relief thing being that they are at peace, maybe? Like, the death of an aging, very ill parent or somehting? I never really gave those lines thought in that way.

yes. it's ambivalent. negative capability and all that.

Anyone remember the proposed virtual reality theme park Gabriel was going to build in Spain (I think?) with Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno?

big ideas

How did I never do this?

1. "I Have the Touch"
2. "No Self-Control'
3. "I Don't Remember"
4. "Shock the Monkey"
5. "Family Snapshot"
6."Biko"
7. "Mercy Street"
8. "Digging in the Dirt"
9. "Intruder"
10. "Games Without Frontiers"

I'm fond of "Love Town," maybe the last good song he wrote.

top 10 PG songs (not counting shit from passion):

10) lead a normal life
9) shock the monkey
8) red rain
7) here comes the flood
6) dont give up <3 kate bush
5) in your eyes
4) games without frontiers
3) biko
2) mercy street
1) solsbury hill

― max, Thursday, October 16, 2008 9:36 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

top 10 tracks on passion:

10) wall of breath
9) it is accomplished
8) zaar
7) lazarus raised
6) of these, hope (reprise)
5) sandstorm
4) open
3) a different drum
2) bread and wine
1) passion

― max, Thursday, October 16, 2008 9:42 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i think i switched out shock the monkey for san jacinto later

Could've sworn I'd done this.

10. Mother of Violence
9. Here Comes the Flood
8. San Jacinto
7. Moribund the Burgermeister
6. Solsbury Hill
5. Not One of Us
4. I Don't Remember
3. Wallflower
2. Family Snapshot
1. Humdrum

Yeah, I distinctly remember you doing this, Noodle. I think there was another thread I started along similar but more specific lines or something.

Since everyone else forgot to include it.

1. "Sledgehammer"
2. interest wanes

I loved "Sledgehammer" at the time, but it just hasn't aged well for me.

I forgot to follow up on my original request. I went ahead and sifted through his post-"So" work and realized he's put out a wealth of one-off and compilation tracks. I reconfigured the otherwise good "Hit" best-of by removing the stuff up until "So" (because you should have it all anyway) and came up with this much improved version:

Disc 1:
1. A Different Drum
2. Here Comes The Flood (new version)
3. Love To Be Loved
4. Steam
5. Washing Of The Water
6. Lovetown
7. I Have The Touch (Robbie Robertson mix)
8. Father, Son
9. The Tower That Ate People (Steve Osbourne mix)
10. Cloudless
11. Growing Up (Tom Lord-Alge mix)
12. More Than This (radio edit)
13. Signal To Noise
14. The Drop
15. Burn You Up, Burn You Down
16. Downside Up (live)

Disc 2:
1. Blood Of Eden (soundtrack mix)
2. Summertime
3. Party Man (with The Worldbeaters)
4. Suzanne
5. In The Sun
6. I Grieve (soundtrack version)
7. That'll Do
8. Nocturnals
9. When You're Falling (Afro Celt Sound System)
10. Games Without Frontiers (with Massive Attack)
11. Animal Nation
12. Darkness
13. The Book Of Love (soundtrack version)
14. Down To Earth
15. Whole Thing

Here's 25 of my favorites.

that's a great selection

except it's 'walk through the fire'

Unless you meant 'And Through The Wire'

Does the opening of Kanye's Feedback off TLOP sample the creepy Fairlight from San Jacinto? Homage? Coincidence?