Gabriel, Peter - Plays Live

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Geffen
Catalog Number: CDPGDX100
Format: CD
Total Time: 64:49:00

This is a nice overview of Peter Gabriel's first four albums. It's not a must have piece for your collection, unless you happen to be, as they say in England ... gob smacked, obsessed, and ravenously seek out everything by the artist. Plays Live: Highlights is exactly what it says it is. Gabriel went back into the studio in Bath England to tweak the recordings; nevertheless the live atmosphere is pretty much kept intact.

I particularly enjoyed "I Don't Remember" and "Biko," which I think is his most prolific and emotionally charged song ever. Other than those two songs, a lot of what I heard was a lack of aggressiveness by Gabriel and his band. While listening to "Shock The Monkey" I was fully expecting a rousing rendition, but unfortunately everyone sounds like they are restrained. "Solsbury Hill" was good, but even that could have had more energy and oomph behind it.

Even though I felt that the sonics could have been cranked up a few notches and the energy level a few more pegs higher on the ladder when this was originally recorded, I did enjoy this. This is Peter Gabriel after all, and you always expect so much. His band was really awesome; this recording just doesn't serve his music the integrity it deserves.

Also released as regular remastered edition - CDPGDR100

[When Plays Live was originally released in 1983, it was a 2-disc set, featuring 16 tracks. This 2002 remastered version is of the single disc (hense Highlights ) version of the album, which was also released in 1983. The tracks that appeared on the two disk set, but were left off for Highlights are: "The Rhythm Of The Heat," "Not One Of Us," "Intruder," and "On The Air." Less significantly, the track order has been rearranged... and even then the 2 disc vinyl differed from the cassette version -ed.]

Tracklisting:
I Have The Touch (4:47) / Family Snapshot (4:47) / D.I.Y. (4:05) / The Family And The Fishing Net (7:38) / I Go Swimming (4:54) / San Jacinto (8:19) / Solsbury Hill (4:41) / No Self-Control (5:04) / I Don't Remember (4:12) / Shock The Monkey (7:10) / Humdrum (4:21) / Biko (6:52)

Musicians:
Peter Gabriel - keyboards, vocals
Larry Fast - synthesizer, piano
Tony Levin - percussion, crums, background vocals
David Rhodes - guitar, background vocals

Discography:
Peter Gabriel (1) (1977/2002)
Peter Gabriel (2) (1978/2002)
Peter Gabriel (3) (1980/2002)
Security (1982/2002)
Plays Live (1983/2002)
Birdy (OST) (1984/2002)
So (1985/2002)
Passion (1989/2002)
Shaking The Tree (1990)
Us (1992)
Secret World Live (1994)
Ovo: The Millennium Show (2000)
Ovo: (2000)
Up (2002)
Long Walk Home (2002)
Hit (2003)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: June 26th 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.petergabriel.com
Hits: 2670
Language: english