PETER GABRIEL 1 [AKA: CAR]

After leaving Genesis in 1975, Peter Gabriel began his solo career with this eponymous debut in 1977. This was the first of what would be a series of untitled albums. Gabriel originally wanted his albums to be considered as consecutive issues (like a magazine), rather than as individual works. Although he did this for four straight albums, his fans still gave them names. Because the album cover featured a picture of a car, this album is often referred to as Car and sometimes just as Peter Gabriel I.

Gabriel brought a number of talented musicians to perform on his first solo effort. These included the famous bassist Tony Levin, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, guitarist Steve Hunter (known for his work with Lou Reed), popular session percussionist Jimmy Maelen, synthesizer expert Larry Fast, and guitarist Dick Wagner (known for his work with Alice Cooper).

With an experienced line-up, Gabriel put forward a very nice debut effort. But if you were expecting more of Genesis, you were definitely not going to get it on here or on any future solo releases. Instead, Gabriel crafted some really intelligent music more in the vein of pop/art rock. About the closest contemporary artist I could compare this with is David Bowie, although the two of them sound completely different. In many ways, Gabriel sort of moved Genesis in this direction on their Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album, which featured many more radio-friendly shorter pieces.

Gabriel still retained some progressive tendencies, and for the most part would on future releases. Songs like Waiting for the Big One, Here Comes the Flood, and Moribund the Burgermeister showcased some minor nods to Gabriel's Genesis era. His lone hit off this album, Solsbury Hill, became a popular fan favorite and is the one song most associated with Gabriel's name.

A very enjoyable album and an excellent contribution to artsy-style rock, but because it's more in the pop rock vein, three stars seems like an adequate rating for this.