PETER GABRIEL 3 PETER GABRIEL III PETER GABRIEL MELT

Didn't we poll this?

"I Don't Remember" for the opening shouts and that piledriving bass.

― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:18 (3 years ago) Permalink

Melt is 3

― secret smdh-i (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

oh shit i knew that

― max, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

haha in fact i looked it up on wikipedia to make sure

― max, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

Can only be "Biko".

― anagram, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:20 (3 years ago) Permalink

i might vote family snapshot

― max, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:23 (3 years ago) Permalink

And Through The Wire

― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:24 (3 years ago) Permalink

i think i have to go "biko." the last songs on PG albums are often v. dope.

― secret smdh-i (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:27 (3 years ago) Permalink

Can't believe anybody's voting anything other than "Family Snapshot", melodramatic as it is.

― STFU Alumni (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

this is the best pg album fwiw

― secret smdh-i (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

Can't decide between "Rhythm of The Heat" and "The Family And The Fishing Net", but since neither one's up there, it doesn't really matter...;)

― Ceci n'est pas une display name (Myonga Vön Bontee), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

i thought melt was the third one?

― the archetypal ghetto hustler (history mayne), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:39 (3 years ago) Permalink

Melt is 3

― secret smdh-i (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 15:19 (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oh shit i knew that

― max, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 15:19 (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

― anagram, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:40 (3 years ago) Permalink

"And through the wire," though "Biko" and "Games" will always get more attention for their lyrics. I find "Wire" more exhilarating musically, which for me trumps lyrics.

― Michael Train, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

(oh, it's fixed already, never mind xxxpost.)

― Ceci n'est pas une display name (Myonga Vön Bontee), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 14:45 (3 years ago) Permalink

"family snapshot" no question

― get a goal (rionat), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:09 (3 years ago) Permalink

"and through the wire" such a sick guitar riff

― get a goal (rionat), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:10 (3 years ago) Permalink

"games without frontiers" sickest drum machine intro of any 80s jam including in da air tonight

love kate's vox on "no self control"

― get a goal (rionat), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:14 (3 years ago) Permalink

gwf

― that guy who doesn't get it but doesn't know he doesn't get it (M.V.), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:17 (3 years ago) Permalink

"Biko"

― begs the question, when is enough enough (Euler), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:23 (3 years ago) Permalink

"And Through The Wire". Wonderful middle-eight.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:23 (3 years ago) Permalink

And btw. the correct name for this album is "Peter Gabriel". Just like the first two (and the original UK edition of the 4th one/"Security")

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:24 (3 years ago) Permalink

this album is good, gonna listen before voting tho cuz it's too many that fits into the awesomes category here

― Anton Levain (jdchurchill), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:35 (3 years ago) Permalink

Going "Intruder" myself. Perfect way to start off his best album.

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:38 (3 years ago) Permalink

lol geir

― get a goal (rionat), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 20:41 (3 years ago) Permalink

Gotta go with "And Through The Wire." Like "Modern Love," it's something of a Who pastiche, but this time he got a stone Who obsessive (Weller) to play on it.

― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 21:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

no losers here though i agree it comes down to "and through the wire" v. "biko"

― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 22:47 (3 years ago) Permalink

and geir is otm: that middle eight rules. BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU TREAD!

― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 2 March 2010 22:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

Paul Weller playing guitar on 'And Through The Wire', no less. Where does Dave Gregory appear?

― PaulTMA, Tuesday, 2 March 2010 23:17 (3 years ago) Permalink

can I vote for the german version of something

― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 3 March 2010 01:00 (3 years ago) Permalink

The correct name for this album is "The Lamb Lies Down On Broad Street" btw.

― Goulburn Years (King Boy Pato), Wednesday, 3 March 2010 07:53 (3 years ago) Permalink

This album doesn't feature the definitive version of "Biko" therefore any votes for it should be struck from the record.

― STFU Alumni (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 3 March 2010 08:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

"games without frontiers" sickest drum machine intro of any 80s jam including in da air tonight

Not sure whether GWF has a drum machine but the drums on "In The Air Tonight" were all played by Collins.

― anagram, Thursday, 4 March 2010 19:33 (3 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Friday, 25 June 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

""games without frontiers" sickest drum machine intro of any 80s jam including in da air tonight

Not sure whether GWF has a drum machine but the drums on "In The Air Tonight" were all played by Collins.

― anagram, Thursday, March 4, 2010 7:33 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark"

yeah man i heard they like processed his real drums in a special so as to sound just like a cr-78. but it was all played by phil of course. real drums played by a real man

― wavestation (r1o natsume), Saturday, 26 June 2010 00:16 (2 years ago) Permalink

family snapshot

― cutty, Saturday, 26 June 2010 00:18 (2 years ago) Permalink

No Self Controwull

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Saturday, 26 June 2010 00:40 (2 years ago) Permalink

Every track on this is solid, though.

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Saturday, 26 June 2010 00:40 (2 years ago) Permalink

"games without frontiers" sickest drum machine intro of any 80s jam

^^^^^

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Saturday, 26 June 2010 00:46 (2 years ago) Permalink

Abbott otm re: every track, but still, Family Snapshot. What a song.

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:02 (2 years ago) Permalink

I wish I could love this album, but find it unlistenable in a harsh early-80s production nightmare kind of way

― calstars, Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:03 (2 years ago) Permalink

Haven't played this in a long long time, though I just pulled my copy out right this second. But I would've said "Games Without Frontiers" 30 years ago, and I doubt I'd change my mind now. Runners-up: "I Don't Remember," "And Through The Wire." Always thought "Biko" was more relevant (obviously) than great to listen to, but I like it fine. (Have never found early '80s production "harsh"; I don't get that at all.)

― xhuxk, Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:10 (2 years ago) Permalink

I found out the other day that "Games Without Fronteirs" (as performed by Peter Gabriel) is on Pure Moods 3. Which I could *kind of* understand, except for lyrics like "whistling tunes we piss on the goons in the jungle."

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

I mean, that song is dark & violent & sarcastic as hell.

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:23 (2 years ago) Permalink

I just listened to this again last week - it's still damn good, though I understand the comments about production. PG was starting to integrate some world influences and his stuff just sounded like nothing else at the time.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 26 June 2010 01:37 (2 years ago) Permalink

Dave Gregory / Paul Weller

― PaulTMA, Saturday, 26 June 2010 02:03 (2 years ago) Permalink

I think I prefer the live versions on Plays Live to these album versions, actually. Not the case with the Security/4 tracks.
Some of the over-filtered guitar and plastic sax sounds on 3 may have been influential and new back then, but they haven't dated very well to my ears.

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 03:41 (2 years ago) Permalink

Dang... "Start" is the only one that I didn't give serious thought to voting for. What a collection.

I went with GWF, possibly a sentimental pick, since it's what first made me aware of the album back then. And Through the Wire was first runner-up. In ten minutes, my vote might change, but it's cast now. So be it.

― Dodo Lurker (Slim and Slam), Saturday, 26 June 2010 03:47 (2 years ago) Permalink

Love how simultaneously old school ("before punk") and new (HI DERE WE LOVE PUNK SYNTHS) this sounds -- uncomfortably so. Which is why the intro and backing vocals on "I Don't Remember" work beautifully.

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 26 June 2010 04:57 (2 years ago) Permalink

SHES SO FUNKULAR

― cutty, Saturday, 26 June 2010 08:24 (2 years ago) Permalink

http://www.kissthisguy.com/sub_vote.php?id=33411

― cutty, Saturday, 26 June 2010 08:25 (2 years ago) Permalink

Quite a few of those, btw. "she's got floppy ears" (also lol at "don't you know you've got a chocolate monkey")

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 17:42 (2 years ago) Permalink

"And Through The Wire". Believe I have voted for that one before.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:10 (2 years ago) Permalink

SHES SO FUNKULAR

― cutty, Saturday, June 26, 2010 9:24 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark

hahaha is that what they're saying? never clocked that. so classic

― wavestation (r1o natsume), Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:30 (2 years ago) Permalink

Kissthisguy is a misunderstood lyrics repository, so no, that's not what they're saying :-)

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:34 (2 years ago) Permalink

family snapshot, tho the whole thing as mentioned is great

― AESTHOLE (jjjusten), Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:35 (2 years ago) Permalink

Until he mentioned it during a show I saw a couple of years ago I had no idea that Family Snapshot was based on a notebook found under a bridge in Washington DC containing mad writings by a guy who had tried to shoot governor Wallace from Alabama. Later published as The Diary Of An Assassin, it was also the inspiration for Taxi Driver.

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:44 (2 years ago) Permalink

Uh.. An Assassin's Diary, that is. And Milwaukee. (Dude who wrote it is Arthur Bremer and he was paroled in 2007)

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 21:55 (2 years ago) Permalink

hahaha is that what they're saying? never clocked that. so classic

no. she's saying "games without frontiers" in french

― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Saturday, 26 June 2010 22:22 (2 years ago) Permalink

NO SHE IS SAYING SHE'S SO FUNKULARS

― cutty, Saturday, 26 June 2010 22:27 (2 years ago) Permalink

Cut Banny

― StanM, Saturday, 26 June 2010 22:32 (2 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Saturday, 26 June 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

i think its "jeux so funkular"

― max, Saturday, 26 June 2010 23:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

Love albums like this that earns love for almost every track. I think "Security" would generate even more votes for every track.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 27 June 2010 00:15 (2 years ago) Permalink

"She's so funkular" would definitely be better than "jeux sans frontieres".

― Sean Carruthers, Sunday, 27 June 2010 15:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

wait so "funkular" is french for frontiers?

― AESTHOLE (jjjusten), Sunday, 27 June 2010 20:07 (2 years ago) Permalink

Games without funkulars

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Sunday, 27 June 2010 20:32 (2 years ago) Permalink

Simon Reynolds says, in the Rip It Up discog:
" he banned the use of hi-hat and cymbals at the sessions
to achieve that stark Joy Div/Comsat Angels sound; sang songs of
tension, paranoia, and unease."

Is that right? Is that what he was after do you think?

― piscesx, Monday, 28 June 2010 00:13 (2 years ago) Permalink

how would we know better than SIMON REYNOLDS

― cutty, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:34 (2 years ago) Permalink

x-post

What I heard is that he banned the cymbals because their sustained ringing blankets a range of frequencies and he wanted to use that range for other sounds. I also suspect that the general lack of cymbals in tribal drumming was an influence.

― Hideous Lump, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:37 (2 years ago) Permalink

cymbals are also fuckin stupid

― max, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:38 (2 years ago) Permalink

he didnt ban SYMBOLS tho thats for sure, in 'games without frontiers' GAMES symbolize WAR and DIPLOMACY for example

― max, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:39 (2 years ago) Permalink

XD

― cutty, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:43 (2 years ago) Permalink

I remember reading that a lot of the drum sounds in "GWF" are traditional drum tracks sped up, and that much of the racket at the end is the drummer and Lillywhite trashing the percussion, chucking it against the wall and whatnot, then speeding that up, too.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 28 June 2010 01:51 (2 years ago) Permalink

David Byrne does I Don't Remember http://stereogum.com/423262/david-byrne-i-dont-remember-peter-gabriel-cover/mp3s/

― piscesx, Tuesday, 29 June 2010 21:35 (2 years ago) Permalink

There was a ***GERMAN*** version of PG3???????????

― The Most Typical and Popular Girl Rider (Crabbits), Friday, 5 October 2012 18:03 (7 months ago) Permalink

AUF DEUTSCH???

― The Most Typical and Popular Girl Rider (Crabbits), Friday, 5 October 2012 18:03 (7 months ago) Permalink

I've seen it, but not heard it.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, 5 October 2012 18:18 (7 months ago) Permalink

Definitely ought to be heard: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/peter-gabriel-peter-gabriel.html

― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Saturday, 12 January 2013 19:40 (4 months ago) Permalink

You did it justice. The dollar book Freud of "Family Snapshot" is the only track I skip these days.

In fact it goes quite a distance beyond even the extremities of the McCartney record; was this, of all Peter Gabriel records, really a number one album? It has some of the least compromising music I’ve heard on any other number one album, before or since, and subverts most of what is “conventional” about the music, even though it goes some way towards inventing the standard eighties rock template.

and it got to #22 in the States!

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 January 2013 19:46 (4 months ago) Permalink

Great piece, and interesting dot-connecting re: Rudd on the Haden record!

― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Saturday, 12 January 2013 19:50 (4 months ago) Permalink

Great post! Incredible that an album this dominated by percussion manages to do it minus anything metal (ie cymbals), and one not necessarily big on melody turns out to be so hooky and memorable. It's Gabriel's sheer sense of will and invention that helped this album become some sort of new normal (see also: "So," which is also pretty weird, in its own way, but has become a pop template).

Fun fact: a lot of the sounds at the end of "Games" are Lillywhite and Marotta chucking things around the studio and then speeding up the recording.

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 12 January 2013 20:32 (4 months ago) Permalink

Simon Reynolds says, in the Rip It Up discog:
" he banned the use of hi-hat and cymbals at the sessions
to achieve that stark Joy Div/Comsat Angels sound; sang songs of
tension, paranoia, and unease."

Is that right? Is that what he was after do you think?

― piscesx, Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:13 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I always heard it was because they wanted to record them separately so they could control the sound better and then either forgot to record them or just liked the way it sounds

Either way it would be a funny project to make a version of the album with cymbals.

― lol cassidy fan club (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 12 January 2013 20:55 (4 months ago) Permalink

why doesn't ILM get right to work on it

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 January 2013 20:57 (4 months ago) Permalink

Either way it would be a funny project to make a version of the album with nothing but cymbals.

― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 13 January 2013 03:56 (4 months ago) Permalink

is the German version of this worth checking? the idea of a German-language "Intruder" is just so delightful

― berner herzog (fadanuf4erybody), Sunday, 13 January 2013 05:16 (4 months ago) Permalink

i remember the german version being quite successful. gabriel's german was pretty good, his accent not very pronounced. i'm not sure but in a way the german language seems to fit quite well with the oppressive and dark nature of the album.

― alex in mainhattan, Sunday, 13 January 2013 22:09 (4 months ago) Permalink

― il caresse sa dingding (Paul in Santa Cruz), Sunday, 13 January 2013 23:00 (4 months ago) Permalink

I much prefer the German version to the English – partly that the original version is a bit overplayed for me, partly that there's a hint of motorik beat throughout and a skronky off-kilter funk that suits his German phrasing. Plus the air of menace that hearing in a foreign language heightens for me.

When I was young and stoned, I swore I discovered the hidden meaning of this album: a concept piece on criminality that moves from the personal (Intruder) to the political (Games, Biko); and the album cover has him in prison stripes and his melting face = the dark impulse in all of us. Heavy shit, bro.

― SongOfSam, Monday, 14 January 2013 18:21 (4 months ago) Permalink