Peter Gabriel Part One: So

Okay, say what you want but Peter Gabriel's So album is a perfect Pop masterpiece.  In 1986 the album garnered five singles that are etched in our brain for a lifetime.  I remember buying this on cassette when I was around thirteen years old and loved it from beginning to end.  It was really the start of my listening to Classic Rock and good pop music faze. I also remember how the singles off the album were on heavy rotation on MTV.  I mean who has not seen the video for "Sledgehammer" where Peter Gabriel is singing and there is a train going around his head.  It's also a quite addicting song to be honest.  Even the songs that were not released as singles are also quite interesting.

When I got the cassette of this I loved it as much as INXS Kick album. Each song, like the INXS album was better then the next.  It was music I really enjoyed.  I liked it better then most of the music I bought at that time.  I loved it more then my friends music that they were listening to.  It was with real instruments and not a fake beat or fake sounds.  What I mean by that is there was no fake drumming or fake bass sounds that a lot of the music from the 1980's had.  At this time I also started my musical leaning for Kate Bush who makes a guest appearance on "Don't Give Up." It was my first time hearing her voice and I loved it.

Each single off this album was more exciting then the previous one.  At one point I picked up the record version so I can play that in the house and at the same time I picked up the 12" version of "Sledgehammer" at the same time.  It was music I bought with my own money and was seriously happy with my purchase.  It was also parent approved.  My dad told me one day he heard a few songs of Peter Gabriel and really liked what he heard.  He heard a song one day with another musician that was not singing in English.  He loved it, he liked the interplay in the singing.  I had to grab my record  to find out the song and the other singer.

Youssou N'dour sang on a song called "In Your Eyes." and when I heard it with my dad he mentioned how he loved listening to it.  It turned out to be one of the five singles from the album and a song that was made famous in the movie Say Anything.  It was the song at many prom's or dances in middle and high school that was the go to song to dance with your loved one. It had a romantic tone to the song and it was the song to reconnect with your significant other and let Peter's words let you know how you felt about them.  One last thing with "In Your Eyes" was my one of the first steps along with Graceland by Paul Simon into World music.

Peter Gabriel got me into many parts of music interests after listening to So.  After listening to the album Peter's music made me revisit his early albums.  Those too were completely different then this.  It also got me into early Genesis.  When I heard early Genesis I was in shock how it never sounded like the music from the late 70's and the 80's.  It was interesting how both Peter's and Genesis both came out with albums in 1986 and how they were both had five songs that were singles and how opposite those albums both were.  At the time I leaned toward Peter Gabriel then Genesis.  It took a while for me to like the early years of Genesis, but once I heard his voice and got past the lengthy songs I was ready to like them even more.

One other interest that Peter Gabriel and the album So got me into was world music. It was foreign to me (no pun intended).  I would go to the local library (before I started working there 3 years later) and look through the international section and pick something out randomly to listen to. What was great was they had a Youssou N'dour album for me to listen to. I liked it just as much as the Peter Gabriel.  The music was truly inspirational and also influential for Peter Gabriel.

With all this and more Peter Gabriel So album has so much then being a mainstream classic. Every time I listen to it I hear more and more, but also it's great to hear everyone on it play with such professionalism.  His core musicians all shine, from Tony Levin, to David Rhodes to Jerry Marotta.  Others like Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell, Nil Rogers, Manu Katche, L Shankar and Kate Bush make this album magical.  I always love an album that puts musicians that we don't normally think would fit commercially and put them in a setting to make something fun and a joy to listen.  It may be a totally 1980's album but it's an album that put Peter Gabriel in the front of the mainstream.  I'm guilty of loving it and lets face it you are as well.  Every time I hear a song from this album I know that It's got greatness it richly deserves.  Enjoy!!