PETER GABRIEL 1 [AKA: CAR]

This was my second venture into Peter Gabriel solo territory. My first was number two. I can imagine Genesis fans at the time being disappointed with Gabriel's departure and less than enthused about this album. Number two was hard for me to get into after becoming a huge fan of the older Genesis music, but Peter went his own way and put out something not entirely different if you compare it to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

Two particular notables he assembled for this album: Robert Fripp and Tony Levin. I don't know if they were acquainted before, but this album has to be a major root of '80's King Crimson. I was looking at the credits and Fripp plays banjo, what the hell banjo? I think it may have been the only time he's played that instrument on an album.

The opening track, Moribund The Burgermeister had to be about as anti-Genesis as you could get. A parting shot perhaps? Solsbury Hill you could almost see as a Genesis song. Modern Love has similarities to Back In NYC, but in no way could I see this on a Genesis album. Excuse Me, seems Peter wanted a little more humor in music than what was done in his former band.

Back to some more seriousness in music are Humdrum (I'm listening to that one as I write this and getting goose bumps "As I drove into the sun Didn't dare look where I had begun Lost among echoes of things not there Watching the sound forming shapes in the air ") and Slowburn, two really intense tracks, but then he breaks it up again with Waiting For The Big One.

Back to seriousness, Down The Dolche Vita. (Ah Fellini Film reference I guess, never seen that one.)

The closer Here Comes The Flood is a tsunami of an ending. "Drink up, dreamers, you're running dry."