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Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live CD (album) cover

SECRET WORLD LIVE

Peter Gabriel

 

Crossover Prog

4.26 | 213 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars This live performance took place almost one decade before the "Growing UP" video, but the overall quality of the show was also remarkable. Of course, Gabriel looked much younger and much more energetic - stage act wise. Having, seen the amazing show of "Growing UP" dvd I still enjoy - very much - the "Secret World" video. Before the DVD came out in 2003, I had the laser disc video and audio CD that I purchased sometime in 1995. Due to the availability of technology at that time there were different set list between audio and video version. The video version contained "San Jacinto" that I love it very much but did not have the "Red Rain" (which actually I love as well). While the audio CD had the other way around: it had "Red Rain" but did not have the "San Jacinto". It's funny then when the DVD version was released in 2003, "Red Rain" was not included despite the larger capacity of DVD. Well, it's probably the video master in this part has lost or gone. The show line-up includes Manu Katche (drums), Tony Levin (bass, vocals), Paula Cole (vocals), Peter Gabriel (lead vocals, keys), David Rhodes (guitar, vocals), Jean Claude Naimro (keys, vocals), Shankar (violin, vocals), Levon Minassian (doudouk). The huge stage was designed by Robert Leppage. The live show took place on 16-17 November 1993 at Palasport Nuovo, Modena, Italy. Well, I don't know why Peter Gabriel (and Leppage of course) always choose Italy as the venue for live video shoot. It's probably Italy is the largest fan base for Peter Gabriel.

Overall, this is an amazing show of Peter Gabriel to promote "US" album that was released around the time of the show. Regardless you are a fan of Peter Gabriel or just a music buff, you would enjoy this video. It's a wonderful live act featuring best tracks of Gabriel until "US" album. It starts off excellently with "Come Talk to Me" where Gabriel sings inside the telephone booth. His stage act is fantastic where he sings with a theatrical style in confident manner. Paula Cole who appeared suddenly on stage through a hatch at stage that has an access underneath the relatively tall stage floor. It's a very nice duet with great solo drum. Yeah .. Manu Katche rules! I like his drumming style and sound. I guess, Manu Katche is one of the best rock drummers in the world. IMHO his style is similar with Phil Collins drumming with intense influence of African and world music. Bravo Katche! You did a great job throughout the show!

"Steam" is performed differently compared to studio version. The intro part has been added with a melodic segment, in ambient style, featuring Gabriel speaks Italian and some additional singing of "In your steam, we learn everything we've seen .." (or something like that..). Despite the disco nature of this track but I love it very very much, especially in this live version. I like the part where Rhodes and Levin walks to the front direction of the stage with almost the same body language when they voice "Stand back! Stand back!" . uughh man . what a wonderful shot! Well, I think the beauty of this track is on the uniformity of stage acts of three guys: Rhodes, Levin and Gabriel. "Across the River - Slow Marimbas" features Shankar on violin. "Blood of Eden" is my favorite track and performed amazingly by the duet of Gabriel - Cole. It's a mellow track with a great melody and composition. "In the blood of Eden lie the woman and the man ." what a tasty melody this segment is! "San Jacinto" is another favorite as well. The tempo is slow but the way this song was composed has made it "heavy" to my ears. It has powerful textures that project the song to have an emotional impact to listeners. I feel it that way whenever I listen to this track from Gabriel 4th album "Security". The music is basically empty with a lot of quiet passages but it creates a powerful nuances, especially performed live! "I hold the line - the line of strength that pulls me through the fear ..".

"Washing of the Water" is even a much more quiet track featuring mostly the powerful voice of Gabriel - the instruments sound appear very thin at the back, accompanying Gabriel's voice. Lyric-wise, this track is probably best to describe the tsunami experience that has just happened recently on 26 December 2004 in my country. Look at the lyrics:

"So deep, so wide will you take me on your back for a ride / If I should fall would you swallow me deep inside/ River, show me how to float / I feel like I'm sinking down. / Thought that I could get along. / But here in this water. / My feet won't touch the ground / I need something to turn myself around" "Going away, away toward the sea/ .. / Letting go, it's so hard/ The it's hurting now/ To get this love untied / So tough to stay with this thing ."

[Sorry for being melancholic. The real situation is really bad in areas impacted by tsunami, especially on rainy situation nowadays - thousand people have no shelter. With a great music like Gabriel's creation, I symphatize to the root and feel deeply connected with the people who are suffering with this disaster. -- Would appreciate if Peter Gabriel come over to Indonesia doing a gig for the people impacted by tsunami. He did visit Bali couple years ago for travel pleasure and sound experiments with other three top notch musicians. No gig at that time.]

I also like the modified intro of "Sledgehammer" where Peter Gabriel steps into the stage with a predetermined motion accompanied by a bass and drum in quiet mood. Whwn he reaches at the front of the stage then the music starts to hammer the audience. In "Secret World" there is a huge dome that moves down from top to the stage floor when the song ends. This is probably the trademark of this live set while in "Growing UP" Gabriel uses huge steel platform. "Don't Give Up" is another excellent track, performed flawlessly by the band. I like the positive lyrics of this track.

Well, sorry for long review. You don't have to read actually. For me personally, this show is so great that it deserves a review as thick as Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" novel, I think. I can do that, but I'm sure that you will not be interested with it at all - as I'm not a novelist .. BUY THIS DVD!! And . Keep on Progging!!

Progressively yours,

GW - Indonesia.

Gatot | 5/5 |

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