Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel by: Helen Stasa Mon:08-Oct-07 Label: Atco Records Year: 1977 WB rating 86 out of 100

Peter Gabriel’s eponymous album is his first solo release, and certainly makes for intriguing listening. Best known as the frontman of British band Genesis, which he helped form in 1967 (whilst still at Charterhouse School), Gabriel’s distinctive vocal style, somewhat unusual costume changes, use of lasers, and penchant for performing in the dark were integral to Genesis’ live success.

However, it would be incorrect to say that Gabriel’s Genesis contributions were only as the “resident oddball”. He played a key part in composing the lyrics for many of Genesis’ songs, and his departure has proved to be a major loss for the band, at least creatively. The critically and commercially popular Selling England by the Pound (1973) and the more obscure concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974), with its prog-rock epics and lengthy, complex songs, both display clear evidence of Gabriel’s divergent influences, particularly his willingness to experiment with different sounds. And while the Collins-led Genesis’ have already reached commercial heights far outweighing those of the Gabriel period, it is questionable if the band can reach the same level of artistry.

Gabriel’s spirit of experimentation is immediately apparent on Peter Gabriel, from blues (on ‘Excuse Me’) to jazz (‘Waiting for the Big One’) to opera (‘Down the Dolce Vita’), his musical vocabulary and brilliant, eloquent lyrics are the main factors in the album’s success. His handling of such wide-reaching material is similarly superb, individual styles combined without sounding fragmented or fractured, Gabriel’s voice chameleon-like; both qualities a testimony to his undoubted musical skill.

The album begins with the rocky and intriguingly titled ‘Moribund the Burgermeister.’ After a distortion-filled introduction, the song breaks into its pop-infused structures. While references to ‘pop’ may raise questions as to Gabriel’s creativity, downplaying his experimental leanings, the song is coloured with sampled vocal effects, a spooky voice intoning “I will find out”. Vocally, Gabriel’s voice reminds the listener a lot of Split Enz singer/songwriter Tim Finn. Both Finn and Gabriel have the same swooping, soaring quality to their vocals, as well as a tendency to indulge in slightly camp melodramatic delivery.

The second track, ‘Solsbury Hill’, is without doubt the strongest song on Peter Gabriel. A relatively traditional song by Gabriel’s standards, consisting of a straightforward verse-chorus structure, its acoustic guitar introduction, with the guitars creating a shimmering, chiming effect, is a highlight. The lyrics fit the mood of emptiness perfectly, with Gabriel mixing religious imagery, such as references of “turning water into wine”, with messages of alienation and loneliness, “I’m never where I want to be/And liberty, she pirouette/When I think that I am free/Watched by empty silhouettes”.

Although ‘Solsbury Hill’ is its most immediately appealing track, the strength of the album is consistency. ‘Excuse Me’s fantastic barbershop quartet introduction, morphs into a convincing blues number, finally resolving in a ragtime shuffle. Similarly, ‘Waiting for the Big One’ starts with a slow, sleazy groove, the kind of rhythm which you would hear in a smoky jazz bar late on a Saturday evening. The piano gently draws the melody, before the guitars swirl in, changing the tempo entirely. The many faces of Peter Gabriel keeping the listener glued to the speaker.

Admittedly, on occasions, Gabriel could be accused of trying a bit too hard, and sometimes his incessant experimentation and musical cleverness becomes a touch grating – most obvious on ‘Waiting for the Big One’, where on three occasions the songs veers off on strange tangents. Still, this is only a very minor quibble; for the most part Gabriel manages to resist the lure of excess, his debut an album which should be enjoyed for years to come.