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The Stop
Released on 19 May 1986, So is Peter Gabriel’s fifth solo album - and the first to have a ‘proper title.’1 The album was a ‘watershed release’ for Gabriel as its ‘marriage of the artistic and the commercial made for an indisputable success.’ Considered his best and most accessible album, So became an almost instant success and Gabriel quickly found he’d gone from cult artist to mainstream star when the album reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to some ‘intriguing collaborations … it was the unity of singer, band and producer’ that makes it such a ‘crucial record in the Gabriel canon.’2
Deciding to continue his tradition of recording at his home studio just north of Bath in the Somerset countryside, Gabriel enlisted Daniel Lanois to produce the album.3 As the recording sessions continued and the album began to take shape, the heavy influence of Gabriel’s interest in world music - in particular Brazilian and African music - filtered and manipulated through a variety of synthesisers and other studio machines became evident. By this point in the early 1980s, ‘advances in digital recording and mastering had clarified the sound of rock records,’ and the newly released compact disc with its 74-minute capacity ‘encouraged sonic sprawl.’
So produced a number of massive hit singles including the sexual innuendo-drenched ‘Sledgehammer,’ the caricature of 1980s economic success ‘Big Time,’ and - the song described as Gabriel’s greatest love song - ‘In Your Eyes.’4 But other tracks with lyrics addressing everything from AIDs and nuclear war (‘Red Rain’), the rising rate of unemployment in the UK during the Thatcher years (‘Don’t Give Up’) and the American poet Anne Sexton (‘Mercy Street’) are just as good - if not better.5
The album concludes with ‘This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)’, a collaboration with the American avant-garde artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Though the limitations of vinyl meant it wasn’t included on the original pressings, it was added to the cassette and CD editions as the final track. Vinyl limitations also led to another change: though Gabriel had intended ‘In Your Eyes’ to be the final track, the song’s heavy bass line meant it had to become the first track on side two to allow the phonograph stylus more room to vibrate. As this restriction became irrelevant for later CD releases, the track was placed in its originally intended location.
Of course, the best - the only - way to appreciate the album is to listen to it. In 1986, So was a permanent fixture in the cassette player of whichever one of my parents cars I was able to drive, and whenever I hear one of the tracks that’s the setting I’m inevitably taken to. So, the next time you’re ready to be transported back to the mid-80s - the next time you want to listen to a truly outstanding album - follow this link (but don’t shuffle it):
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to an episode (14:52) of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, this time featuring The Smile. Composed of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, with former Sons of Kemet6 drummer Tom Skinner, The Smile incorporate elements of electronic music, post-punk, progressive rock and Afrobeat to rather amazing effect.
NPR Tiny Desk Concert: The Smile
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, the film is based on the eponymous 1951 novel by the Greek theologian Nikos Kazantzakis. Starring Willem Dafoe, Barbara Hershey, Harvey Keitel and David Bowie, it’s a controversial and provocative portrayal of the life of Jesus, focussing on his inner struggles and temptations as a human being rather than depicting him simply as a divine figure. The film was critically acclaimed on its release, but was also widely condemned by religious groups who accused it variously of blasphemy and sacrilege.7 It’s powerful and thought-provoking, and a worthy watch for anyone interested in the life of Jesus or in the intersection of religion and art. Oh, and the soundtrack - which is excellent - is by Peter Gabriel.
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Trailer
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is a selection of five of my favourite Peter Gabriel tracks8 from albums that aren’t So: ‘I Don’t Remember’ (Peter Gabriel 3: Melt, 1980), ‘Solsbury Hill’ (Peter Gabriel 1: Car, 1977), ‘Shock the Monkey’ (Peter Gabriel 4: Security, 1982), ‘Digging in the Dirt’ (Us, 1992) and ‘Mother of Violence’ (Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch, 1978). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is a lyric from Peter Gabriel’s ‘That Voice Again’:
‘It’s only in uncertainty that we’re naked and alive.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
Before So, all of his previous solo albums were titled Peter Gabriel. This evidently puzzled his American audience, so the record company gave them subtitles based on the album cover: in particular, Car, Scratch, Melt, and Security. Go figure. Anyway, in case you’re unaware, Peter Gabriel was a founding member of the English progressive rock band Genesis; he left that band in 1975.
Sources for today’s Stop include: So (petergabriel.com), So (Pitchfork), So (Allmusic) and So (Background Magazine).
Lanois, who had just completed producing U2’s The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and Gabriel’s soundtrack album to the film Birdy, would soon go onto produce U2’s monster album, The Joshua Tree. He’s also a great musician in his own right; check him out.
Featuring the Senegalese pop star Youssou N’Dour singing in his native Wolof.
My personal favourite since the album’s release has always been ‘Mercy Street’ - ranked by NME in 2012 as one of the ‘10 Most Depressing Songs Ever’. It’s beautifully devastating. And I challenge anyone to find a better song about the 1961 social experiments of Stanley Milgram than ‘We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37)'.
Sons of Kemet was a British experimental jazz band active from 2011-2022. They’re a future Stop, but suffice it to say that the only instruments used are a sax, a clarinet, a tuba and two drummers - and the result is amazing.
A vivid memory from the time is that the most vigorous protests came from - surprise! - people who hadn’t even seen it.
Choosing five tracks from Gabriel’s output isn’t easy, though I decided to stay with his solo work, ignoring his time with Genesis. And to think - there was a time I thought I'd never be able to listen to ‘Shock the Monkey’ again as - at some point when I was in university, the big Charlotte rock radio station we listened to (I can’t remember the name) decided to change its format, or upgrade its equipment or do something which meant they were off-air for 24 hours. As a place-holder they played it on repeat. Which is definitely one way to ruin a song.
Let’s be honest, the vehicle you ended up driving most often was the Country Squire wagon!
We just saw Peter Gabriel in concert last week in Columbus, Ohio. It was our first time splurging on floor seats at a concert, and it was worth every penny. He was fantastic. So and Us are my favorite albums of his, and he sang several songs from each.