PETER GABRIEL 1 [AKA: CAR]

I must admit to having quite a little soft spot for this album. I got it when it came out, not too long after I had completed my acquisition of the complete GENESIS back catalog (my intro to GENESIS was with the release of "Trick of the Tail"), and so I was still growing in my appreciation for the 'Gabriel-era' Genesis at the same time as his solo career was launching. (I'd already heard his awesome version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" on a BEATLES tribute album released in 1976). Yes, every song on this album is completely different from the others, and, yes, there are some really weird styles represented here ("Excuse Me," "Moribund," "Waiting for the Big One"!) But there are also some really good, very memorable songs here. I remember all of the hullabaloo surrounding the fact that Bob Ezrin--of KISS fame--had been chosen as the album's producer. I think he did a very nice job. A good album with some great music.

My faves are "Humdrum"--which was amazing in concert--"Moribund" and "Slowburn."

2015 update: I have revisited this album and many of its songs in the past couple of years with typical enjoyment but a surprising discovery of the amazing compositional achievements of each and every song here. I think I had always downgraded it before because it was so diverse--"too" diverse for a prog album--and because it was not a flowing concept album. But, these are all GREAT songs and deserve to be recognized as such. Upgrade to four stars.