Secret World Live - Peter Gabriel

...an audio document of the Secret World Tour. The sound is superb and the song choice excellent although it is slightly lopsided in that the first CD clocks in at an hour and the second one is only forty minutes , but that is a very minor gripe.

There was a South Bank Show special on the tour in which Peter described the preparations and you got several songs and some idea of the impressive staging of the event. It was unusual in that ...
...band entered and left through a suitcase in the middle of the walkway, a fantastic start and end to the concert. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it, but it was issued on video and hopefully will be reissued on DVD.

The songs are enhancements of their studio counterparts featuring a particularly stunning version of "Shaking The Tree" , the studio version appearing on "Shaking The Tree:16 Golden Greats" Gabriel's ... more

Effectively this is a live greatest hits package of Peter Gabriel's second phase of recording. Released in 1994 it is an audio document of the Secret World Tour. The sound is superb and the song choice excellent although it is slightly lopsided in that the first CD clocks in at an hour and the second one is only forty minutes , but that is a very minor gripe.

There was a South Bank Show special on the tour in which Peter described the preparations and you got several songs and some idea of the impressive staging of the event. It was unusual in that it featured two circular stages joined by a walkway. The band entered and left through a suitcase in the middle of the walkway, a fantastic start and end to the concert. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it, but it was issued on video and hopefully will be reissued on DVD.

The songs are enhancements of their studio counterparts featuring a particularly stunning version of "Shaking The Tree" , the studio version appearing on "Shaking The Tree:16 Golden Greats" Gabriel's greatest hits package , which I'll get round to reviewing eventually.

The album opens with "Come Talk To Me" stunning but even better with the visuals of Peter starting in an on stage red telephone box featuring an ever extending phone cable, that the reels him back to the box for the finale of the song. This is followed by an excellent version of "Steam" before slowing things down with "Across The River" and "Slow Marimbas". Then comes the stunning nine minute version of "Shaking The Tree" which features everyone in the band coming to the fore at some point.

The emotional "Blood of Eden" continues the album, then things pick up with "Kiss That Frog", "Washing of the Water" , the first CD closing with a great version of "Solsbury Hill" a refugee from the first phase of Gabriel records.

The second CD opens with "Digging in the Dirt" and the launches into a superb "Sledgehammer" which is a precursor to the long percussive "Secret World". The last two tracks on the album are "Don't Give Up" and "In Your Eyes".

All the songs are extensions of their studio counterparts , some more so than others, but this makes for a very interesting and listenable album. Sometimes you find that live albums, especially double ones are just excuses for self indulgence. This is anything but that. The band do enjoy themselves , but this is another worthy addition to the Gabriel Canon.

One problem is that it only seems to be available on Amazon as an import and is therefore quite expensive at 19.99 GBP. This is an excellent introduction to Peter Gabriel but is still worth tracking down even if you have the studio versions of the music contained herein.

The sound , as always , is perfect, and the songs all first class. A worthy addition to any music collection.

From Amazon:

What the Critics Say...
Rolling Stone (10/20/94, pp.142-146) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...this album maintains a powerful continuity that loses neither pace nor momentum; more than studio originals, these versions elaborate on the dramatic potential inherent in them..."

 

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