REVISITED

Excuse me, this ain't the trip I hoped it'd be. While some of these selections are still fondly remembered ("Solsbury Hill", "Here Comes The Flood"), revisiting GABRIEL's first two albums is a little like meeting those mountain relatives in the Ozarks, many of whom would find themselves pushed to the periphery (or back row) in the family snapshot. Atlantic retained the US distribution rights to Peter GABRIEL 1 and 2, drawing generous amounts from both, digitally remastering them, and releasing what in theory would have been the best parts of Peter's first two efforts distilled. Except that "Revisited" somehow manages to be less interesting than either of Peter's first two records. While the first pair from GABRIEL were uneven, they did build a palpable intensity from beginning to end.

By comparison, "Revisited" skips between the two willy nilly without stoking the fire for what should have been a powerful closing, "Here Comes The Flood". ("Home Sweet Home", which ended his second album, is inexplicably left off of this compilation.). The remastered sound is okay, but only in a handful of cases (e.g., "Humdrum", "Slowburn") does it represent an audible improvement over the original vinyl versions. If I take umbrage with "Revisited" (and I do), it's because the compilation does more harm than good. A shortcut to GABRIEL's early work is a disservice; fans should hear them in their entirety. The remastered sound isn't enough of a carrot for anyone looking to upgrade their vinyl, and relative neophytes duped into buying this on the heels of "Us" would have been better served by "Shaking The Tree". "Revisited" remains the last GABRIEL disc you need to own, since it brings nothing to a discussion of GABRIEL's work (whereas the live Slowburn is at least of historical significance). And I have an aversion to cash-in compilations like this.