Peter Gabriel

So

"So" Amazing

Review Score:

(10/10)
Peter Gabriel capped his troika of five star albums with what became his commercial high-point, the energetic (for him, anyway) "So." I guess when you say energetic in regard to Gabriel, that definition comes from the hits "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time." The hard hitting rhythms and memorable videos from those two songs made them huge hits and -- peculiar enough -- dance floor sensations. The hook in "Big Time" is so mammoth that it has since been used to do everything from promote movies to selling automobiles; ironic, considering the song's focus on falsity of the commercial world.

For those who viewed this sudden burst of commercial acceptance as sell out, "So" has something they obviously missed. This is Gabriel's most spiritual album. "Mercy Street," "In Your Eyes" and "Don't Give Up" are unbelievably uplifting songs. Having explored African music for the basis of much of "Security," this time Gabriel enlisted one of that continent's foremost vocalists. The exuberance of Youssou N'Dour at the close of "In Your Eyes" and the angelic (I can't think of any other way to describe it) lead of Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up" make both of these the kind of songs I turn to in moments of despair.

In addition to N'Dour and Bush, "So" has an amazing list of player's players contributing. Everyone from Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, Michael Been of The Call, Nile Rogers of Chic, and producer Daniel Lanois all contribute to making "So" a stunning album of rich musical tones. In fact, this may be the Peter Gabriel album that benefited the most from its remastering. Lanois' production tends to lean on more organic sounds, and this new edition of "So" finds them sounding more crisp and spaced.

The remastering did leave me with one gripe. How come "In Your Eyes" got pushed to the end of this CD as opposed to the track five slot of the original? (This CD's participants' track listing didn't change the guest musicians/running order, either!) On original discs, "In Your Eyes" came between "That Voice Again" and "Mercy Street," leaving the album to end with the more peculiar (and more satisfying) "This Is The Picture/Excellent Birds."

That's just a minor question in perspective to the overall impact of "So." This was one of the Top 5 albums of 1986, and along with albums by Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Simple Minds, one of the best of the eighties as a decade.

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