SECRET WORLD LIVE

I tend to have a rather critical view of music, so you can understand, that when I give out 4 stars I mean it. I cannot find one track on this album which does not deserve the applause of all who listen to it.

Not only does it feature the absolute classic, Climbing Up on Solsbury Hill, it also features a very entertaining and refreshingly new selection, including Kiss that Frog. After listening to it probably far too many times for my own good, I must stress, this is a fantastic album. As an added bonus, it has the sought after authenticity, that only a live album can really hope to grasp.

An easy way to recognise an excellent album is to reflect on whether you actually remember it, long after the album is over. I first heard this album around 7 or maybe 8 years ago, when I was first exposed to prog while riding to school with my father, playing which I realise now was Peter Gabriel's Secret World on the car stereo. Through all those years, until only a year ago, I have whistled, hummed and contemplated these songs, without any thought to the true origin of these masterpieces.

I must admit, that although this is truly one of Gabriel's best, there are still some slight imperfections, as there is with any album. The two tracks Across the River and Slow Marimbas truly annoyed me. These two tracks seemed out of place to the rest of the album, with a different pseudo African theme to them. They were good tracks, but they might have been better suited in a different album

Four stars, one of his best.