Peter Gabriel-Plays Live (1983)

"Plays Live" is the final summary of the most interesting stage of Peter Gabriel's solo career; the one between volumes III and IV. If his lyrics are pure conscientious message, the same can be attributed to the live performance. From the select band that accompanied him to the arrangements. The "Plays Live" tour is the one between 1982 and 1983 that featured volume IV. The band consisted of Jerry Marotta (Drums), Tony Levin (Basses and Stick), David Rhodes (guitars) and Larry Fast (on keyboards). An example of the work behind the arrangements was on Marotta's drum set, where Gabriel did not allow crashes and rides; When Marotta asked what he should do after a roll if he couldn't play a crash Gabriel told him to play another drum, snares or whatever. Gabriel wanted a drum kit that sounded more tribal, more African.
"Plays Live" comes from the American tour and shows very fresh and compact versions; with the necessary tension in the slow and half time and the dynamism in the fast ones. The musicians are very correct and respectful of Gabriel's musical sense.
At the same time that his fame was growing, but always on a more underground level than what we knew at the end of the eighties, Gabriel was cultivating a certainly interesting repertoire that he defended live on successive tours. One of them, the one that collects this formidable double album, regained that personal theatrical aspect that Gabriel made his own on previous tours with his ex-group Genesis. Gabriel has always understood a concert as a form of expression that goes beyond the musical, endowing his shows with visual and interpretive nuances that differentiated it from most of the great shows of his time.
"Plays Live", with that wonderful cover is an absorbing double album, impeccable in its sound, the double album is structured in a very intelligent way. In the first, we find several of the most complex and fascinating songs of his early years. All of them in powerful versions, capturing all the nuances of his voice and live sound. In the second he collects the first classics of the musician.
The beginning with "The Rhythm Of The Heart" already warns us that we are facing a different proposal, far from the classical parameters. Then comes the riveting and flawless "No One Of Us" Gabriel's voice, portentous in those years, floods such powerful songs as “D.I.Y” or “Intruder”, the first little classics of his repertoire. He even dares to present a new song called "I Go Swimming" which is excellent. A bridge song between the Gabriel of that time and the one that would come a few years later with albums like "So".
The second disc is reserved to include the hymns of his early days. A set of songs essential to understand the music of the early eighties. Recognizable classics such as “San Jacinto”, which improves and by far the original, “Solsbury Hill” (the best song in his entire repertoire), the danceable “I Don´t Remember”, the highly personal “Shock the Monkey” or the monumental "Biko", a song that is the perfect climax to this double live album.

Peter Gabriel-So (1986)

Peter Gabriel's fifth album represented a series of changes with respect to his previous works in a very significant way, to begin with it was the first that he would not title with his own name and in the second it represented a radical turn to experimentation, the "world music" style and dark compositions as in their first four albums, here it is impregnated with a more conventional sound with less complex themes and even close to pop, with songs that even became common on the radio and the charts.
From the catchy "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time", to the whispery and beautiful "Don´t Give Up" where he performs a duet with Kate Bush, passing through the energetic and in a way a memory of the past "Red Rain", the environmental "Mercy Street" or the funk "Big Time" makes the album contagious and easily assimilated by the general public and this would be endorsed by the millionaire sales of this spectacular "So".

Peter Gabriel- III (1980)

After leaving Genesis, Peter Gabriel took several years off from the music world, seeking new horizons and inspiration to reignite his enthusiasm for his solo career. He opted for a style far removed from the progressive rock sound of his former band, exploring more experimental and creative sounds without sacrificing commercial appeal in his first four albums, all of which were essential to his public recognition and subsequent chart success. 

Peter Gabriel III, released in 1980, and as its name suggests, was his third album and the best of all the solo albums released by the members of Genesis. For this album, Gabriel collaborated with Phil Collins, Kate Bush, Robert Fripp, David Rhodes, Larry Fast, Paul Weller, Dick Morrissey, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, and others, and was produced by Steve Lillywhite. 

With this stellar lineup, Gabriel created his finest work, perfect from beginning to end, where everything from the haunting "Intruder" to the politically charged "Biko" are sublime and legendary creations. But Gabriel also knows how to move towards more melodic and commercial sounds, as in the impressive "I Don't Remember", "Games Without Frontiers", and "Not One Of Us", while the more experimental sounds of "No Self Control", the equally melancholic and epic "Family Snapshot", and the more conventional "And Through The Wire" make up a superb work of full compositional maturity from this brilliant, timeless musician.

Peter Gabriel-II (1978)

A year after releasing his first solo album, Peter Gabriel returned with his strangest and most eccentric work yet. From the self-mutilation of its cover to his continued refusal to give it a proper title (something that undoubtedly displeased his record label), and the sheer musical extravagance on display, this album demonstrates that Gabriel was still searching for his identity away from his original band, Genesis, slowly progressing with an avant-garde and experimental style. Produced by Robert Fripp, Gabriel enlisted a stellar lineup of musicians, including Larry Fast (synthesizers), Jerry Marotta (drums), Tony Levin (bass), Sidney McGinnis (guitars), and Robert Fripp himself (guitars). Unlike his first album, this one leaned more towards new wave and post-punk/electronic rock sounds. Bittersweet songs like "Mother Of Violence", electronic experiments like "Exposure" or "Flotsam & Jetsam", rock songs like "On The Air" and "Animal Magic" or the intense atmosphere of "White Shadow", make up a meritorious album that is less accessible than their debut due to its strange compositions and its unusual and opaque production.

Peter Gabriel-Peter Gabriel I (1977)

Peter Gabriel's first solo album, released three years after his last studio recording with Genesis, "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", and two years after his final departure from the band, is undoubtedly one of his most accessible and versatile works. For this debut album, Gabriel enlisted the help of a vast array of talented musicians, including guitarists Robert Fripp, Steve Hunter, and Dick Wagner; bassist Tony Levin; drummer Allan Schwartzberg; keyboardists Larry Fast and Jozef Chirowski; and the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded during the final months of 1976 in various studios in Canada and London, and produced by Bob Ezrin, it showcases a Peter Gabriel far removed from his past work with Genesis, with the exception of the opening track, "Moribund the Burgermeister", which almost sounds like an outtake from "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". The rest of the album is eclectically crafted, with each track possessing a distinct style. Forays into rock with the powerful “Slowburn”, blues with “Waiting For The Big One”, prog rock with “Down The Dolce Vita”, electronica with “Humdrum”, pop rock with “Solsbury Hill”, and the epic “Here Comes The Flood”. With all of this, Peter Gabriel would demonstrate that he could easily have a life without his former band. Even with the help of some of the great musicians of the 70s, such as Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and synthesizer wizard Larry Fast, Gabriel is the true star of the album. With its powerful and vibrant production and exquisite arrangements, this prodigious debut album is undoubtedly a testament to his greatness as a composer, singer, and musician.