Classic Pop - UK (2019-11)

W

hile his former
bandmate Phil
Collins was
enjoying his
moment in the sun in 1985 as
the continent-hopping star of
Live Aid, Peter Gabriel was
ensconced in the creative hub of
his country estate crafting So, the
funky hybrid of brash pop, R&B
and World music which shot him
to global superstardom and saw
him emerge as an unlikely
poster-boy for MTV.
A decade earlier, Gabriel had
left Genesis, the band he’d
co-founded and helmed to the
pantheon of prog-rock royalty.
Regarded by many as the
creative linchpin of the group,
Gabriel was renowned for
translating the mythical mysticism
of their lyrics into their stage
shows by donning a variety of
outlandish get-ups which saw
him wearing fox heads or
pyramids, dressed as a sunfl ower
or a succession of historical or
fi ctional characters.
His shock departure from the
band, due to him being frustrated
at having his life planned for him
in two-year cycles and his
newborn daughter developing an
infection which saw her life hang
in the balance for her fi rst six
months, led to him seeking solace
in his country house and tending
to his vegetable patch. He then
slowly manoeuvred himself back
into music, only releasing the
results when he was confi dent he
could do so on his own terms.

SO CLASSIC ALBUM

PETER GABRIEL

After four solo

albums and work

on fi lm soundtracks,

Gabriel was inspired by his

travels to bring World music

to a wider audience on So.

Choosing to incorporate the

rhythms of Africa, Brazil and

Spain with his beloved pop and

R&B, it was a concerted attempt

by Gabriel to embrace a more

commercial sound. He wrote

every track and played piano

and keyboards throughout

the album.

DANIEL

LANOIS

Producer Lanois

had worked on

U2 ’s The Unforgettable Fire as

well as on tracks with Brian

Eno, Harold Budd, Michael

Brook and Martha And The

Muffi ns before Gabriel asked

him to collaborate on the Birdy

soundtrack with him, which led

to their union on So. Post-So,

Lanois produced Bob Dylan, The

Killers, Neil Young and Sinéad

O’Connor among others.

TONY LEVIN

A successful session

musician who

played on Paul

Sim o n’s Still Crazy After All

These Years, John Lennon’s

Double Fantasy as well as

records by Carly Simon

and Pink Floyd, bassist Levin

was introduced to Gabriel

by producer Bob Ezrin and

worked with him consistently

from his fi rst self-titled album.

Following So, Levin performed

with Gabriel on the 1987 This

Way Up tour and joined King

Crimson alongside session work.

MANU KATCHÉ

Drummer Manu

Katché’s fi rst time

working with

Gabriel was So, particularly

Sledgehammer, on which he

was given the brief of the track

and asked to improvise. His one

and only take of the drum track

was used on the fi nished song.

Katché has worked with Gabriel

ever since – on record and live,

as well as solo projects and

played with Sting and Tracy

Chapman among others.

THE PLAYERS

So was Peter

Gabriel’s fi fth

studio album

and released on

19 May 1986

© Getty Images

What followed was a series of

eponymous albums brimming

with ideas and eclecticism, which

allowed Gabriel to experiment

with sounds, textures and lyrics.

Punctuated with the odd hit

single – Shock The Monkey,

Solsbury Hill and Games Without

Frontiers – each album was

followed by a retreat to his

country pile where he was free to

be as creative and experimental

as he liked without deadline or

expectation – the antithesis of his

Genesis days, where the

relentless cycle of album-tour-

album-tour zapped him of drive

and creativity.

As visuals had always played

a prominent role in his art, from

the aforementioned stage

costumes, to his refusal to give

his records titles, Gabriel

naturally appealed to writers and

fi lmmakers. Director William

Friedkin (The Exorcist) had

approached him to collaborate

in the role of screenwriter, a

union which failed to come to

fruition. One alliance that did

happen, however, was with Alan

Parker, who asked Gabriel to

compose the score to his

award-winning fi lm Birdy (1984).

It was that project which

brought Peter together with

producer Daniel Lanois. Though

he was riding a wave of success

after his work on U2’s The

Unforgettable Fire, it was Lanois’

introspective work with Brian Eno

and Harold Budd which

attracted Gabriel, who was more

interested in soundscapes and

creating atmosphere. Limited

time constraints meant Gabriel

• who disliked being rushed on
  projects – would be unable to
  write an entire score, so enlisted
  Lanois to collaborate, giving him
  license to use anything from the
  banks of material Gabriel had
  amassed from earlier projects,
  which included unfi nished songs,
  alternative takes and unused
  demos, with the proviso that
  Daniel would “deliver surprises”.
  Thrilled with the result,
  Gabriel asked Lanois to stay on
  at Ashcombe House in Somerset
  to produce his next studio
  album, on which, he wrote in
  the liner notes of the deluxe
  edition of So, he “wanted to get
  back to a more traditional form
  of songwriting, to have some
  fun, to be a bit less sombre
  and mysterious”.