Games Without Frontiers: When Peter Gabriel Went Political I New British Canon

[@rk41gator]

Excellent summary. I love how you note Phil Collins's contribution to Peter's third album. He was cool with 'No cymbals' and later ran with the accidental gated drum sound that took over the '80s soundscape. Also, highlighting Kate Bush's contributions is essential. The discussion of his lyrics is thoughtful and reveals the depth of Gabriel's mind. And his integrity to his music comes through and through. Poking a finger in Atlantic Record's eye was brave, if risky. Always pushing the envelope Peter found getting hugely popular was the best revenge. He is a knockout!

[@carne_verde]

Even decades after learning that the line " _Jeux sans frontières_ " was Kate Bush prettily crooning as she always does, i still have a hard time not believing it's PG just singing "She's, so funky-ee-oo" in falsetto, which i assumed in 1981-82, when i heard it on the local rock radio station here. Of course i loved it, & consider _Peter Gabriel 3_ a masterpiece of back-to-front unskippable listening magic which PG touched upon often, but never equalled in his career since. No shame there - 'PG3' or '_Melt_ ' set a benchmark that pretty much any artist (just ask Sting) has yet to acheive.

[@michellebarnes7640]

I thought it was him too!

[@confusedwhale]

I always hear it as, "she's so popular."

[@asnark7115]

I'd argue that So and the Last Temptation soundtrack were the aesthetic peak crowning his creative idea growth. It's not that he lost anything afterwards, it's more like there were many others stepping into his shoes musically.

[@thekillingfieldsable]

His score for Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ is breathtaking.

[@Moveplaylift]

a stunning work... agreed

[@ballhawk387]

Indeed. And yet, with a superb original baroque composition.

[@brianhughes3312]

I listen to it regularly and have been for years and years. Masterful score

[@3dfreak2000]

Also Alan Parker's "Birdy", masterfully performed by Mathew Modine, and Nicholas Cage. Gabriel did all the soundtrack.

[@stellarobado4269]

I've listened to Passion a million times and only saw Last Temptation once. I mean it's a good movie, but Passion is just amazing on its own.

[@AB-ej3ye]

Peter G is a genius. Very few artists in the UK can pretend to this title. Roger Waters is another one. Beside their superior artistic skills which goes beyond music, it is their humanity and their ability to connect with it that make them stand out and transcend the boundaries of space and time.

[@paranoidandroid6711]

Roger is a jerk.

[@Nobodyreallyatall]

Waters stuck his head up his ass in 1980 and kept it stuck there, while Peter freed himself with the 3rd album in 1980

[@Jay-l1i1z]

Roger Hodgson deserves a mention

[@kkhome9576]

I was lucky enough (and am old enough 👵) to have attended this concert in San Francisco back in the day. Went with my first boyfriend, who was a huge Peter Gabriel fan, having been a long time Genesis fan. The show opened with the band members entering one by one from the audience, after flashing on hand-held spotlights. As we we watching this, a light flashed on right next to my boyfriend, and there stood Peter! The pure surprised joy on my boyfriend's face is something I remember to this day.

[@halcyon289]

Saw the same show in Cardiff , Wales .

[@davidellis5141]

Great memory & Great Comment 👍 .. Shame to see Trash 🗑 Theory channel being invaded by Trolls & Bots but this 100 % legitimate comment by you made my day Kristen ..Thanks 😊

[@mpickett9283]

Wow! Great memory you brought back! That was a great show (old too!).

[@scottmelville3476]

China 1984 Tour

[@kkhome9576]

​@@davidellis5141🙏🌞

[@OneBentMonkey]

I feel Peter Gabriel is chronically under appreciated if not forgotten about by those who either aren’t music nerds (used endearingly) and therefore may not know the history of Genesis or weren’t glued to MTV in the early 1980s. In an oh-yeah-I-forgot-he-did-that-song sort of way until it randomly comes on the radio. He’s one of rare personalities in the industry in that he’s not just a song writer, or a lyricist, or vocalist, or a musician…he’s an artist in the purest and truest definition of the word.

[@Brainscan666]

Can I just say as a music lover I am in awe of you. The amount of work you put into these videos and your knowledge on the minutiae of these artists is just immense. Keep doing what you are doing mate. You are a star and should have way more views.

[@austintrousdale2397]

Another Trash Theory video, another well-deserved like 👍 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@r7coo]

Agreed it a fabulous channel with great subjects.

[@johnpolitis7929]

@johnallen6945 I think it is possible to be both political, progressive rock, and English at the same time. A person can be proud of their heritage without being racist or nationalistic. The Battle by The Strawbs is a good example of an anti-war song that is rooted in medieval history without being preachy and still rooted in being British, English folk rock, and progressive rock. Peter Gabriel failed here on all 3 counts by equating English culture with oppression in one broad stroke as he ditched his English heritage. A person can be proud of their heritage without being racist or nationalistic. Dave Cousins of the Strawbs proved him wrong with the song The Battle.

[@TubeMeOeight]

Brilliant, sir. - I just "ECHOED'...what you said. ----- Adding an extensive... APPRECIATION. Peter Gabriel....EXPLORED and CHALLENGED, ⬜ Himself ⬜.. and the other Musicians. All... All... ..All. And ⬜⬜⬜ BIKO ⬜⬜⬜

[@TubeMeOeight]

​@@johnpolitis7929 🇬🇧 British INSIGHT. 🛐 Thank You [ TILLINGHAST ]

[@n.nealparadise3963]

For a long time, I thought Kate Bush was singing, "she's so funky, yeah!" And I just thought it was a computer effect or something, and then went, "wait... that's an actual PERSON??" That was the first time I had heard of Kate Bush, and my mind was blown.

[@crnkmnky]

🎯 She's so funky, yeah.

[@MissKrystalKnight]

It's "She's so Popular" 🎶not 'she's so funky' .

[@crnkmnky]

@@MissKrystalKnight She's so popular _because_ she's so funky. Yeah.

[@andrekuz]

I always heard it similarly as: “She’s so funky now!”

[@OneBentMonkey]

Those are exactly the lyrics I thought she was singing as well! It wasn’t until I started taking French in school that I slowly started to be able to suss out what she was actually singing

[@sunandablanc]

Wow, was this good. One of your best--let it rain kudos upon you. I don't think enough can be said about the run of 5 albums Peter Gabriel made from his first solo effort through So (plus the amazing Plays Live in 83). Constant searching, constant innovation, not a song in the lot that sounds dated or irrelevant even today. That series of records had an impact on popular music and culture so diverse and far-reaching it is hard to track or even take in. But you zeroed in on one album right in the middle of it all and did a phenomenal job. Great writing, cohesive presentation--a total justification of why I subscribed to this channel in its earliest days and have never missed a video.

[@timriley4543]

I was a huge early 70's Genesis fan. The way they mixed prog and pop was genius, IMHO. Selling England by the Pound remains one of my favorite albums ever. When Gabriel left I lost interest. Then? Out came Peter's "Melt" album and it just fractured my musical mind. It's got to be one of the greatest albums of all time. Peter's a titan, there's just no doubt about it. Thanks for the tunes, Pete.

[@mikearchibald744]

Selling England was most certainly a political album. Its just not 'obvious' in the way that most political albums are or the way Games without Frontiers was. I actually quite liked Trick of the tale as well as And then there were Three. But there's no doubt that Peter was stretching out musically all over while Genesis was constricting themselves. They basically admit their innovations pretty much stopped.

[@evankeal]

​@mikearchibald744 yawn

[@timriley4543]

@@mikearchibald744 The “Melt” album was so out there only Mercury Records (troubled at the time) would take a chance on it. It was a sonic adventure into an extremely talented artist’s complicated mind. Kinda reminds me of the new Kim Dracula debut album, another fabulously talented and adventurous artist. He’s getting some sharp, negative push-back. Well, when you break the mirror, sometimes you get cut by a shard.

[@timriley4543]

@@evankeal - Don’t you have a Douche Fuk convention to attend?

[@blackmore4]

A "titan"? I think he's a musical midget and a lyrical pre-schooler. Each to their own I suppose but I'd love to understand what you all see in him.

[@davidellis5141]

Jane Plays With Willy & Willy Is Happy 😊 Again.

[@2degucitas]

I can't unhear it this way

[@Mynnia]

Ursula!

[@welshhibby]

Mary loves Dick, Mary loves Dick 😂

[@stevebird9510]

So Willy was invited but Willy couldn't come ?

[@slimequeensupreme3437]

He was talking about Willy Brandt - names of world leaders. You need to get out more.

[@draco220]

Once again, you have produced a phenomenal video. From Eurythmics to Sade to the evolution of industrial music, I am continuously inspired with the production, layout, pacing, and depth you present to us, making you're videos number one in my likes percentage. Carry on and rock on.

[@FHL-Devils]

While I've always liked the song, I had absolutely no idea about the depth behind Gw/oF. What a staggeringly brilliant piece of art.

[@Jaceno]

He is constantly evolving his sound and his live performances, that is what I like about him. I went to his concert in Stockholm this year and he had a great performance with his speeches about the passage of time.

[@sunalwaysshinesonTVs]

Trash Theory and absolutely fantastic historical work, truly no other current music channel does it better! Having lived through the 80s, growing up with all these songs, and Biko laying the foundation for my budding political consciousness when I heard the song for the first time watching Peter Gabriel perform it at the Amnesty International tour (him, Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, and others over an 8hr show) , this was moving video to watch. Later, I would read Biko's "I Write What I like", discover how Hegel influenced his political thought, and learn the empowerment of "black consciousness" (ergo why S.Africa had him killed), Gabriel's song will always capture the spirit of political change and empowerment for the people. On a side note, since Phil Collins, did you know "In the Air Tonight" has nothing to do with Collins watching a man drown, rather the banal matter of his divorce.

[@WromWrom]

I find it forever funny, that one of the most pornographic songs of Gabriel ("Sledgehammer", go and check out the lyrics...) flew under the radar of all the censors, whilst the video for GWF was considered something it utterly wasn't. (and Stewart Copeland being hired to just play the hihat on Red Rain is another of those in-jokes)

[@Bassdriver]

It was "She's so popular" for me too! Anyway - thanks for finally covering Gabriel. One of the most important voices of the 20th century, still resonating strongly in the 21st.

[@splintert4231]

Same!

[@tanyet]

Yep. I can’t hear it any other way.

[@FionaOfMountLawley]

Same.

[@JamesBurrTV]

I can't believe it's taken me 43 years to find out it isn't!

[@wagnermike4180]

she so punctual for me

[@bpdlr]

OMG did you really have to play a clip of Psychedilic Furs "Sister Europe"? 2 hours later and I've gone through their whole discography and come to the conclusion that a) "Sister Europe" is their first great song b) their 2nd album Talk Talk Talk was their best. Another great video covering one of my favourite musicians.

[@aestroai8012]

Thanks for making this. Peter Gabriel has been one of my favourite musicians my whole life. As a teen I discovered Melt, Car, etc in guitar shops. Then in my early 20s I discovered the dark, and mysterious Genesis which existed before a Golden voiced drummer took over. As a boy I loved the Sledgehammer video. The man's whole career has been an artwork, and as an artist I'm enamored.

[@mightyroy2064]

What are a couple of songs you recommend from genesis?

[@aestroai8012]

@@mightyroy2064 That's tough since they changed slightly with every era. I like how dark the stuff on Nursery Cryme, and Lamb Lies down on Broadway gets. But all their best albums are solid listens end to end. I like Fly on a Windshield, Dancing out with the Moonlit Knight, The Burning Rope, The Knife and of course their masterpiece Suppers Ready! Also, check out this stuff live. There's a ton on YT. It's unreal how talented they were.

[@dxfifa]

Golden voiced my arse, Phil Collins mediocre singer and artist

[@iLikeTheUDK]

Kate Bush also provided backing vocals on No Self Control. Those repeated yelps in the verse, the slightly breathy voice in the B section, and then as the B section ends trading the "no self control" refrain with Peter

[@ianallan8005]

Doesn’t Kate Bush also do backup on Salisbury Hill with the “boom, boom” lyrics

[@iLikeTheUDK]

@@ianallan8005 not that I know. It also doesn't make much sense time wise - Kate just recorded her first album in the summer of 1977, and wouldn't meet Peter Gabriel in-person for another 2 years. The video itself already said they performed together on the memorial concert for Bill Duffield, the lighting engineer they both shared while on tour

[@foxbasealpha]

Still one of my favorite songs 40+ years later. I always heard Kate singing it as either “She’s so popular” or “She’s so funky, yeah!”

[@mikemeengs5720]

I heard it "She is so popular". Lol

[@starrywizdom]

I've tried REALLY hard to hear it as one of those, since so many people claim it sounds like that to them, but I absolutely CAN'T. On the other hand, no one else I know thought it sounded like Blind Melon were singing about androgynous cheese. There must be something in my ears...

[@200405InVision]

I thought either Poplar in London or popular. Poplar being associated with the right wing newspaper media at the time. Also Bowie's Absolute Beginners single has backing vocals channelling KBs on Peter Gabriel 3 imo. Just me 😊

[@ReggieandMiloTheCat]

“She’s so funky yeah”. Took me years before I finally read the lyric sheet

[@johns3106]

Ha ha! I always heard it as, “She’s so f-kin’ weird”. Once you hear it wrong as a youngster, it’s hard to ever hear it correctly!

[@zeaJ]

Thank you for this. I've always wanted to scratch under the surface beyond his hits! The line "Collins instantly knowing that it sounded f*cking awesome" made me laugh out loud. 😂😂

[@AutPen38]

If I had a time machine, I'd love to go back to the stone room in Townhouse studio and tell Phil Collins that not only would gated tom-toms become a signature of his own wildly successful solo career, but that the sound would also be used to signify the end of each episode of the UK's favourite TV show in the late '80s. The "dum-dum, dum-dum, do-da-do" tom roll of 'Eastenders' wouldn't have been a thing without Peter Gabriel's decision to avoid cymbals on his third album half a decade earlier.

[@r7coo]

Peter is an absolute icon ,a man without peer. He makes innovative & yet timeless music he is a gift to humanity.

[@treadhead1945]

I was today years old when I found out Kate was singing French. I always thought it was "she's so popular"

[@nectarinedreams7208]

You're far from the only one

[@christophercastanon2277]

SAME.

[@celestialnubian]

This is the quality content that MTV should be doing. Tip of the hat to you sir.

[@johnpresnell]

Well done, this is one of your best videos yet. A true artist follows his own muse, regardless of trends, and “Melt” is easily his solo masterpiece. Also, in light of what’s known today about TOTP presenter Jimmy Savile (emphasis on “vile”), Gabriel’s observation about “the minds of the people who ran” it shows what a keen observer he is, and of course that trait comes through in his work. If any musician is deserving of being called “important,” he is.

[@mhoppy6639]

Although he gets a never-ending wall of stick, Pip Collins has undoubtedly got a real ear for a good melody and is responsible for a couple of awesome songs. If you set aside the pastiche of things like “love don’t come easy” And “groovy kind of love” (both covers!), “In the air tonight” really hits hard and that caveman drum fill is impossible to criticise. I love it. Gabriel’s work has come to me late (I was more of a Bunnynen, New Order, etc person) but his writing is world class. Great vid as per usual.

[@moreheff]

2 things. 1, Had no idea it was Kate Bush on Games (despite Melt being one of my bandmates favourites) and 2, good to see XTC getting a nod. Not as commercially successful as they deserved to be, because they were just too damn good. One of the favourite videos of yours I have seen. Great work

[@vinylarchaeologist]

Not many people know this, but Gabriel also put out a German version of this album (and his next one), and it‘s an interesting listen, with rawer vocals and different mixes. Biko for instance has sections that are not in the English version. Great video, thank you ❤

[@chefebispo]

I have both and agree. The throwaway titles of those two German albums ("ein deutsches Album" for Melt and simply "deutsches Album" for Security) were also very much on brand. He didn't do any of those German versions when I saw him live in Germany in 1987, but did do a German version of "Here Comes the Flood" and all the talk between songs was in German as well.

[@MikeGraceJediDad]

Oh please, please tell me someone has uploaded these!

[@vinylarchaeologist]

@@MikeGraceJediDad Sure, just look for "Deutsches Album", they're both been officially re-released.

[@charmelizabeth8584]

I didn't know about these versions! Thank you so much for sharing😊

[@iainargent2789]

The German version of "Biko" features the South African national anthem (and ANC anthem) "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"

[@rgs8970]

It cracks me up that Peter Gabriel was imagining how people would *dance* to "Solsbury Hill" when the use case is clearly blasting the song as you drive away from your shitty ex's apartment, on your way back to university to finish your undergraduate degree!

[@nkwhite]

I had NO idea it was Kate Bush until watching this video 😱 I always heard it as Gabriel singing in falsetto!!!

[@thenomadicpen]

Great video. Usually artist re-cap vids about PG annoy me because they trumpet information that is already generally well known and act like they've unearthed never before known artifacts from the sand. Ive been a devoted PG fan since 1982 and I learned a number of cool facts from this video. Its well done, and I thank you.

[@drummessiah88]

AAHH! Im so happy you made an episode on Peter Gabriel! I've been wanting a video like this from you. Greatly curated and you really solidified how briliant and fearless of an artist he was and still is. Well done man. Really hope you make an episode on XTC in the Future! Please! Cheers

[@Nick-vu9yu]

XTC, what a great idea

[@jasonbowen3842]

Peter Gabriel is a great example of an artist that cares deeply about the craft and beyond, a curiosity that pushes boundaries and takes risks, transforming the texture of our very experiences.

[@TheGlobalfrog12]

I saw him on the Amnesty Tour in 1988 with Youssou N'Dour in Toronto ... The man is incredibly artistic in every aspect...

[@2degucitas]

I was living in Mali at the time and Youssou N'Dour was well known to us, even though he's Senegalese. Griots are like rock stars there.

[@Onizukachan915]

Ditto, but in Buenos Aires. What a line up, Cheryl Garcia, Youssou, Tracy Chapman, Sting, and then Bruce Springsteen was the closer, but his performance beat everyone’s. No contest.

[@MrOtistetrax]

"She's so comfortable" I never loved Genesis of any era, but Gabriel's "Passion" (the score for The Last Temptation of Christ) and "Us" are two of my favourite albums of all time. "Us" probably saved my life at one point.

[@MaliciousChickenAgenda]

Cool! Something to watch whilst I eat dinner. Peter Gabriel is brilliant 😃

[@roelandrutgers]

Eating requires too much glances at the plate; you'll miss too much!

[@MaliciousChickenAgenda]

@@roelandrutgers I watched it again precisely because of this reason 😂

[@alexe.6995]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Games Without Frontiers was also a commentary on US' denial to play in 1980 Olympics in Moscow (due to... well, obvious political reasons). Anyway, thanks for the video! PG is very underrated by general audiences and that's a serious crime! I would love to hear about So on New British Canon (or even Security, my favorite PG album). Thank you!

[@AutPen38]

It might not be obvious to younger generations, but the US boycotted the Moscow Olympics ostensibly because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Americans were pissed off because it should only be America that is allowed to bomb foreign countries.

[@jonsrecordcollection7172]

I can definitely hear continuities between Phil Collins's minimal drumming on Peter Gabriel's 3rd album & the drum solo he created on In The Air Tonight. The latter sounds like a more commercial version of the more experimental stuff from the Peter Gabriel album.

[@OroborusFMA]

Many people have said "In the Air Tonight" was Collins doing Gabriel. And for that matter some of Gabriel's later, much more mainstream music was Gabriel doing Collins.

[@shaneborger9054]

They are close friends and they bonded over both being drummers and having very similar tastes in music. Both loved Motown and soul music. Otis Redding in particular for PG. it’s no wonder they would mirror each other.

[@AutPen38]

Have you ever watched 'Eastenders'? The iconic tom roll at the end of each episode would almost certainly not exist if it hadn't been for Peter Gabriel's insistence that there would be no cymbals on his third album; a rule that Collins also followed on 'In the Air Tonight'. The "gated reverb tom roll" was already considered cheesy/clichéd by the time it was used on the EastEnders theme, but the success of that programme helped legitimise Gabriel's arbitrary artistic decision.

[@hpoonis2010]

I would suggest that "In the Air Tonight", had it been recorded by Peter G instead of Collins, would be considered as far less of a commercial offering. As an experiment, in your mind, replace Collins' voice with Gabriel's and see if it then sounds more like a protest song, or something with a more political aspect than just background music to a cheesy cop show.

[@althejazzman]

Record labels need more rebels, more badly than they realise. No-one innovates by doing what they're told. I really appreciate how you intertwined Phil Collins' career into this as well.

[@dionmcgee5610]

Record labels have become purely corporate (same as movie studios) and corporations don't want innovation, they want regular product that they can consistently sell. Innovation is messy and unreliable. Popular mediocrity is the highest virtue.

[@gcarraig]

“Melt” is probably the most important album of my teen years. Although six-to-eight years old at that point, it still remained challenging, inspiring, terrifying and THRILLING, while existing in an 80’s soundscape heavily influenced by it.

[@TheSquidgal]

Great report....the eyes of the world are watching you now. I was lucky enough to see Peter Gabriel on the Melt tour. It remains one of the top 5 concerts I have attended. I am of the camp that Melt is his best work. I will never forget a bald-headed Peter glowing in a black light walking from the back of the theater to take the stage. As for the music .....incredible.

[@markgatland977]

Peter Gabriel's 3rd album, ('Melt'), is the best album ever made. This is a fact 😉

[@nectarinedreams7208]

Melt and The Lamb... Gabriel's peak, imo.

[@PeterMayer]

Yup!!!

[@ballhawk387]

I won't argue, except when I'm in the mood for something fun, in which cast The Who Sell Out gets a spin.

[@200405InVision]

It's really good and an epiphany for me personally at a difficult time in my life. Thanks Peter. ❤

[@jmdavison62]

It certainly typecast Gabriel, at least for those whose first exposure to him was his third solo album. Later on, when songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" came out, it was hard to shake the impression of a character who whose voice is raspy and cracking because he's desperate and crazy (because he played that character so well on his third solo album). None of Gabriel's other albums makes as strong an impression as his third, and it casts a shadow on everything else he's done.

[@danieldorfsman9093]

This was very well done. Usually when I watch these music history videos, they're just hosts reciting Wikipedia. This was deeply researched and I learned a lot about an all time favorite artist of mine. Great job.

[@JamesChristopherHill]

I always thought "Gee, that sounds like Kate Bush" and a friend of mine correcting me and saying "It's NOT her! You are OBSESSED with her and her music" which I was of course! LOL I fell in love with her music in 1983 thanks to a show on PBS called "Totally Wired" I was airing at a local classical station at the time and it had the song that forever sealed my love for her music "Under Ice" from "The Ninth Wave" from the "Hounds of Love" album she came out with. When I finally saw what she looked like in 1987 from the video anthology of her music, I was blown away by her beauty and her dynamic performances and videos! I was "in love with her" forever after that. 🥰 I even created a photoreal painting of her in 1989 that all of my friends wanted a print of but I couldn't make at the time as the cost was too prohibitive. - To answer the last question - I always thought she was singing "She's so popular" too! Funny! 😃🤣 Btw, this was a very inspiring and incredibly made documentary on Peter and his work/art as well as how artists SHOULD be in real life. Follow your intuition - always!

[@petermgruhn]

[The minds of people at Top of the Pops] That aged very well.

[@K.J.734]

I'm always so thankful for such musicians as Peter, Bowie, Eno, David Byrne, Kate & the list goes on (& on). This vid reminds me of how much I would look forward to new releases from these Artists. Thank you for your diligent work in providing such a great vid on one of my fav musicians. ❕️🤟❕️

[@SpaceHCowboy]

Another absolutely fantastic music study.. Love this guys stuff. I honestly think Steely Dan would make a phenomenal video subject from this guy. 🙏🏼

[@SamanthaWritesThings]

I'll be honest and say I liked this before I even watched it. Gabriel during his time in Genesis is one of my biggest creative/life inspirations and I'm excited to settle in with this video.

[@wsmccallum5069]

I always thought Kate Bush was singing : "She's so fun today!" and I have a PhD in French...

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

His Steam music video is still something my shroom trips come back to.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

I had a strong dislike for him as a young adult, but of course I loved him as a little kid in the eighties. He's actually a really cool guy. Rock on, Peter

[@TheTwangKings]

Peter Gabriel is an artist without frontiers.

[@analogousdoom]

If you haven't already made a video on him, I'd love to see one made for Frank Tovey/Fad Gadget.

[@crnkmnky]

That would probably be an episode covering that whole scene/era…

[@MartinInBC]

The whole Mute Records and Daniel Miller sound would make a really interesting video (if you haven't done one already), because it was influential far beyond its record sales, and because a lot of the interactions between the participants are often unknown (e.g. there's a bunch of "bands" produced by Miller which were just Miller himself working in the studio: 1) The Normal with the iconic and groundbreaking use of 'found sound' on TVOD and the 'noise-instrument' of Warm Leatherette; and 2) the beautiful throwaway synthpop of Silicon Teens, a group of four non-existent young people who had to be hurriedly 'created' for a music video when the cover of Memphis Tennessee unexpectedly charted ... with the lead singer role being played by none other than Fad Gadget!).

[@edsterling5258]

This was the most well researched and informative retrospective on an artist that I've ever heard, and I'm a 53 year old musician and YT documentary fiend. WELL DONE, A+

[@brenthatcher5748]

Once again I watched a whole video about someone I don't even like. These are always good.

[@ErikSeverinson]

Incredible video! About ten years ago I got hired to sing a Genesis tribute show. Having never heard Gabriel before, it took a few months to really wrap my head around his voice and lyrics. It wasn’t until I read and heard the lyric “heracleum mantegazziani” in Return of the Giant Hogweed that I realized I was working on something from a whole other level. He’s the musical artist of our times - an uncompromising hero.

[@Captain_MonsterFart]

Interesting and very cool you got to do that! I'm glad he sunk into you.

[@scottfree2248]

Have not seen many comments on Peter's brilliant next album Security. I think it's overlooked due to how groundbreaking Melt is. Security deserves a profile of it's own. It has moments of tragic beauty with San Jacinto while songs like the Rhythm of the Heat burn into your soul. Pete created a masterpiece with Melt and followed it up with another in Security.

[@OroborusFMA]

Security is great though I wish it had a couple of more songs on it.

[@shaneborger9054]

Security is a great listen start to finish.

[@estebanmorales6487]

As a general rule, I'm not a fanboy and I avoid establishing parasocial relationships with my favourite artists. Peter Gabriel is my only exception to this rule. I even seriously considered naming my son after him.

[@AaronAnaya]

It’s interesting what songs breakthrough in the UK vs the US. Games Without Frontiers failed to reach the top 40 in the US, but Shock the Monkey was Gabriel’s first hit single here and is very fondly remembered with an outsized amount of play on rock radio to this day.

[@daviddalrymple2284]

When it came to deciding what UK music was popular in the US in the 80s, so much came down to three sources: WLIR in Long Island, KRock in Los Angeles, and of course MTV. Unless a programmer at one of those stations was really enthusiastic about a particular song or video, it got lost in the shuffle. Meanwhile, "Games Without Frontiers" was a big hit in Canada at the time (although it never had the classic rock radio immortality enjoyed by the likes of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time"), which suggests that CBC or City/Chum was a big fan of it.

[@OtisNotibrus]

HOORAAAAY! A PETER GABRIEL VIDEOOOOO! WOOOOT!

[@PetefromSouthOz]

Brilliant as usual. Thanks again. I still have the Peter Gabriel 1, 2, 3, 4 Vinyls. I got 2, 3, 4, as soon as they were released. Eventually tracked down 1 a couple of years after it was released. (got to love Australian Music stores at the time). I will never forget hearing Biko for the first time, I cried and then felt so so angry. It still sends a chill through me to this day. All of this stuff is Timeless and relevant given what's going on today.

[@petemellows]

Wow! Thank you for reminding me just how incredible Peter Gabriel is. Thanks for enlightening me on the origin of that huge 80s drum sound too. Where would we be without true artists?

[@HamiltonMechanical]

pop will eat itself did a fabulous cover of it too, if you're into PWEI :) interesting take on it anyway.

[@LivyathanAD]

I genuinely love this album and it's my favourite of all of his stuff. I saw him live last month (June 2023) as part of the I/O tour in Manchester, UK. He was amazing.

[@blortmeister]

Oh thank Ghod! I thought I was the only one who heard "She's so popular". Even though I'm Canadian, I completely missed that it was in French until a friend pointed it out. I felt the right prat, I tell you.

[@msmirk]

I already was a longtime fan of Genesis and Peter when I was working in the culture section of a newspaper here in São Paulo back in 1988. I was attending a Sting's show, in an open space, and by the end of the show I was walking around backstage when I found Peter chatting with some people under a tree. It was a total surprise, no one in the press knew that he was in the city... I was completely speechless... but managed to find the show's producer and book a interview with Peter in the hotel the next day. I don't remember (...) if I did a good interview, probably not, but was a honor to be a few minutes in person with him.

[@CarolinaPortugalmd]

Ola! Sou muito fã do PG desde o início da adolescência e é super difícil achar coisas super interessantes como esse vídeo sobre a carreira dele... ainda consigo acesso a essa entrevista?

[@eduardoromero5629]

"you should sound like the doobie brothers" lol why would you sign peter fucking gabriel then

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

I know, very often some people in positions of power just don't get it.

[@xDEEZKNIGHTSx]

This opened up a new segment for New British Canon: Phil Collins

[@thomhollyer4102]

I've gone through the Eurythmics, Bananarama and this video in the last few days, and I have to say the quality of your videos, the research and connections you make have continued to get better all the time. One of the best video essayists (and possibly the best music essayist) out there.

[@chaos.corner]

It's relevant to the lyrics that the show was known as "It's a knockout" in the UK.

[@le0np0we]

Love your vids, man, superb stuff! Even with artists I'm quite familiar with, you always impart something new. Love it! Thank you!!

[@Zantsak]

Ironic that he used the bagpipes for the Biko song as the bagpipes were played by the oppressors of both the Zulu and the Boers. Love his music just find it funny how he missed that considering the research he said he did.

[@ilabelle1]

PG3 and Security are both groundbreaking albums. They sound unique and kinda stick out a bit. They are also very different from each other. After Security Peter went on to mass popularity as we all know. He turned into a bit of a unit shifter. And like Genesis he also put an odd spin on pop that sounded pretty cool. Then there’s his voice! When I first heard Looking for Someone off of Trespass I was immediately struck by the quality of his voice. It has a certain calming creepiness to it. Family and the Fishing Net, Red Rain and Don’t Give Up are incredible vocal performances. Both Peter Gabriel and Jon Anderson are hands down my favourite male singers of all time. 🤘😳🤘

[@rudy6884]

As a punker in the 80s it was easy to embrace "Melt" into my musical library. It made sense.

[@aboutsoundandvision]

Peter Gabriel is one of my favorite artists ever, music or otherwise. I was introduced to this album as a kid on long roadtrips via my dad's cassette copy. As a kid I remember being introduced to the single Games Without Frontiers on the radio with some background on the history from the host, I think that moment really set me towards my deep love of music. I still love early Genesis albums they just have a timeless quality to them. I really owe a lot to Peter Gabriel and his passion for music, to me he is a truly inspirational artist.

[@michaelfischerbassmaster]

I've been waiting ANXIOUSLY for this video to post!!!!🙌🏻

[@godzilla2721]

This is one of my all time favorite albums. I played it and nothing else for 2 months in 2020

[@petestanton1945]

I always thought that was just PG using falsetto for the chorus, cool story!

[@turnoverDG]

I love that Tony Banks is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan

[@brianmiller1077]

Do you think it's to piss off Bill Bruford being a Boston Bruins fan (or he wears the logo)

[@christophercastanon2277]

I had to look that one up in Google Images. Him and the band had worn different NHL jerseys. North Stars, Mapleleaf, Canadians, and Canuck ones. Hell, I even saw a pic of Rick Wakeman in a Flyers one.

[@Fygee]

I'm thrilled thar you finally did a Peter Gabriel video, but doing one focused on Melt? Absolutely brilliant.

[@strudders2112]

Peter Gabriel changed my life. I was a new dad at 22 into prog space rock and not open to new music. I had bailed on everyone and gone to GLASTONBURY at the very last min without a ticket. It Was 1994. On the friday I saw the Levellers which my girlfriend had been playing on tape when I went to see her. I never thought much about them. However they were amazing. Then on the Sunday I went right to the front for Gabriel. Was the last band to see before facing the mess I had bailed from and he totally blew my mind. I was in shock for the whole set and he opened me up to a whole world of music outside of Rush, yes and Hawkwind. I will always be thankful for him and the levs.

[@Chief_Brody]

It's 1994 and you're listening to Rush, Yes & Hawkwind??

[@strudders2112]

@@Chief_Brody Pretty much… most of my music collection was prog rock etc. RATM we’re on before the Levellers, was up for that. My scope of music was very narrow at that time. . Life can be like that.

[@karlt1180]

For years I thought it was "She's, so obvious".

[@Armakk]

Been listening to this amazing track almost 40 years and always heard it as "piss on the dunes" holy shit my head just exploded

[@hpoonis2010]

Ah! but where would you find dunes in a jungle?

[@clubderunzensiertendichter]

THANK YOU ! 🌻👍👍🙏❤🙏👍👍🌻 In solidarity with the fighters for peace, love, freedom, justice and truth, we express our feelings with music on our channel. Greetings from Germany, CLUB OF THE UNCENSORED POETS 1984 was supposed to be a warning not an instruction manual ...

[@wallac11]

Gabriel was a unique artist who was the heart of Genesis but was able to re-invent himself for his solo career. Those three self titled albums are amazing. Excellent work as always.

[@danielmcbriel1192]

4 - Security was only for the USA Security. It was 4 for the rest of the World.

[@navasaband]

U2 also stole PG’s “Biko” [I-IV-repeat] song structure for a number of their songs including “Bad”

[@ChaunceyGardener]

Peter Gabriel's solo career is the example of a solution looking for a problem.

[@RobBCactive]

Or a solution causing a problem!

[@davidellis5141]

🎶 We Do What We're Told 🎶

[@nickdryad]

His solo career was a solution to a problem which was having to compromise and negotiate with the other musicians in Genesis. It was, in his words, the “committee” approach to writing albums.

[@RobBCactive]

@@nickdryad yet that "committee" music is a far greater legacy than a few pop hits.

[@TheTwangKings]

An artist doesn't need a problem. He or she needs inspiration to create.

[@Studio-62]

I thought it was “Whistling tunes we’re kissing baboons in the jungle.” Yes at the time I thought Gabriel had done something really new with the 3rd album. Security then went even further. Great music. I saw the Security tour twice.

[@hpoonis2010]

That was the sanitised radio version.

[@TheGreatGuigui32]

The other Bowie. Creative and free minds. Love them both ❤❤❤

[@gunclemark8440]

I also misheard "jeux sans frontières" as "she's so funky yeah", which I happen to mention in a video I made about new wave songs that didn't make the US Top 40. What I find amazing about Peter Gabriel is how deeply emotional his music can be. Biko, Red Rain, and Don't Give Up will always bring me to tears. Whereas any attempt by Phil Collins to show emotion comes off phony for me.

[@trance9158]

Games without frontiers is my favorite Gabriel song

[@aidavladoiu3579]

I'm learning a lot about music with this channel. Thank you so much for offering information and details very hard to find elsewhere. Please keep it up! I'm always so happy when you post a new video. Greetings from Belgium. ❤

[@jasonblalock4429]

It's really hard to think of a band breakup that went better than Genesis. Gabriel, Collins, and Genesis itself all ended up doing their best work thanks to it.

[@AutPen38]

I think the Take That split is a close rival. Who can forget the great solo output of Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, and the towering poetry of the little one whose name I can't remember?

[@hpoonis2010]

Ultravox came close. The band did far better than John Foxx whose post Ultravox! output is a footnote in the obscurity of popular, or even innovative, music.

[@michaelfischerbassmaster]

Another tremendous effort, I so greatly appreciate these mini-documentaries. Then, I heard you tease the next video will cover a Third Wave Ska act!!! WOW, I SERIOUSLY CAN'T WAIT!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@GlynDwr-d4h]

Given how things turned out in South Africa, songs like Biko are embarrassing. I love how people who have never been to South Africa and don't know the first thing about it will always end the story in the 1990s. There's never an epilogue.

[@chefebispo]

Embarrassing?! How on earth? "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire" proved prescient.

[@maguffintop2596]

Saw him in Chicago August. Paid a frgn fortune for good seats. VERY DISAPPOINTED! He acted depressed - like get me the hell outta here. Had just seen Anita Baker a few months before. Never cried from joy during a concert. What an amazing artist, showed so much love to the audience- Mike Jordan there. Wanted to get money back from Gabriel- but tix were a gift from hubby. His heart was in the right place.

[@johnmavroudis2054]

When I first heard it, I thought Kate was singing “She’s so fucked to me”… learned the truth as soon as I read the lyric sheet in the album. Lol Thanks for doing this excellent video. Gabriel’s 3rd album is a masterpiece… and spawned my obsession with XTC, The Jam, Kate Bush…

[@LesleyPicking]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one with a dirty mind. I hear "she's so fucked in the head".

[@ampzamp]

...the prog father... oh dear. Very intelligent man indeed, significant contributions obviously, but the father of prog? For God's sake, that is asinine. Pink Floyd flattened everybody.

[@j0eblden342]

omg I just found this sing a week ago from the americans and i'm OBSESSED with it, its SO good

[@davidellis5141]

Troll Alert ⚠️

[@j0eblden342]

no troll here, just some honesty and some fat fingering

[@jeshkam]

​@@davidellis5141what troll? This song was featured in "The Americans", very good series.