Peter Gabriel – So

In the Spring and Summer of 1986(and a long time after that), if you turned on MTV, you saw the ubiquitous video of Peter Gabriel’s hit Sledgehammer.  There was no way to escape this video. Of course, MTV was a whole other different media outlet than it is today. Now, in late 2012, Peter Gabriel is releasing a 25th (and a half) Anniversary Edition of his 1986 album So.

Looking back, there was something about that video. Of course, it went on to win a handful of Video Music Awards. This video was a visual onslaught. We see Peter Gabriel voicing the lyrics of the song and the things he mentions in the lyrics are recreated visually around his head and face. Lyrics talking about a “Steam Train” and “blue skies” and “bumper cars bumping” are all there in the video. His face then contorts into a claymation version and his hands morph into sledgehammers as he hits himself in the head. I personally remember watching the video once (for about the upteenth time) and thinking “I’ll walk away and get to my housework after the dancing chicken scene(about 3:25 into the video)”

With all the videos that were overplayed at the time, I never felt like I hated or disliked Peter Gabriel or the music. I obviously grew tired of the video. But, when that video was new and hot, you could not walk away from watching. There was so much in it to see.

By then, I had started to make a conscious effort to be a little more open-minded past my standard hard rock/generic heavy metal tastes.  I hadn’t known a lot about Peter Gabriel before this. Looking back, I probably knew a little bit more than most. I had a guitarist friend in High School who had a cassette of Gabriel’s album Security with the single Shock the Monkey.  Being a drummer, I had been a fan of Phil Collins. So, I was educated about the whole Phil Collins – Genesis – Peter Gabriel connection.  But, for a young man that loved heavy drums and distorted guitars, Peter Gabriel was just a little “weird” and “odd” to me.  During the summer after So came out, I vaguely remember sitting and talking with my friend John G about this album.  As I stated in my blog on Queen’s A Night at the Opera,  John and I had many conversations about music. John definitely opened my ears and eyes to different artists at the time. We were at his house with tons of LPs and he dropped the needle on this album. I remember a little bit of Red Rain then into the giant hit Sledgehammer.  Then there’s this intimate duet with Kate Bush called Don’t Give Up.  I knew very little about who Kate Bush was at that point. That may have been how we got into the meat of this album. I think we listened to some of Kate Bush’s solo stuff after that too. But, I remember thinking that Kate Bush’s vocals sounded very unique and pure. Even now, I can’t think of anyone who sounds like her. Soon, after that, MTV debuted the video for Don’t Give Up and it was very simple in contrast to the visually busy Sledgehammer  video.

Gabriel and MTV soon followed with the video for Big Time.  This was another video that was visually stimulating. There was so much to see. This was a commentary on the big lives that encapsulated the decade of the 80’s. I even remember my younger brother pointing out at one point in the video that there was a character from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe that was dancing.  I still love the ultra-happy Gabriel at the beginning of the video with “HI THERE!”

By now, MTV was following and reporting everything Peter Gabriel was doing. This album was a big musical event. The entire music community seemed to paying attention to Gabriel’s avant-garde style that had somehow produced hit singles and was selling well.  In the December 1987 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, there was a cover story on Peter Gabriel’s new drummer Manu Katche.  Manu was a Frenchman and had played on the majority of the So album. This piqued my interest.  I remember reading the article and there is discussion in the article of the “Theatrical live show”. For some reason, I was put off by this. My mindset had been that musicians play their instruments and that theatricality was for Broadway musicals.  As the years have gone by, I’ve realized that both are performers performing for an audience.  So, both have their own “show” to put on.

A few years would pass. I wasn’t a huge Peter Gabriel fan. I just never felt compelled to buy the So album. Then, this album began to appear on some celebrity favorite lists.  The one that threw me for a loop was Eddie Van Halen. What?…
Edward –the King of all Hard Rock/Heavy Metal guitar histrionics and playing prowess-Van Halen was a fan of Peter Gabriel’s So? Then I saw it listed in a year end/decade end issue of Guitar World as an 80’s favorite by guitarists like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.

Then, my record store buddies Bob and Forrest and I got together one night over Christmas break. We had rented some movies to watch. One of the movies we watched was Cameron Crowe’s 1989 movie Say Anything.  If you’ve seen the movie, you know of the iconic scene where John Cusack’s character Lloyd Dobler stands outside his girlfriend’s house with his boombox stereo held high over his head while it plays Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes.  So many people have felt a connection to this scene(myself included).  Perhaps that is why it still remains an iconic scene.

Another friend of mine had mentioned that the “Boombox” scene was a cool and modern way to “serenade” a fair maiden. Looking back, I still think of that too. Recently, actor John Cusack joined Peter Gabriel live onstage with a boombox as Gabriel performed the song.

By this time, I was having serious thoughts of buying this album. When I moved to Omaha in 1991, I bought a used cassette copy so that way I had a way to listen to it. I then moved back to Kearney in 1994 and worked at Dustys Records again until the store closed in the summer of 95. We had a copy of Peter Gabriel’s new double live CD – Secret World Live for in-store play.  Dusty’s daughter Wendy was now an employee. She and I would often listen to the live album. We may have been bigger fans of that CD than any of the other employees at the time. After repeated listens to the live album, I decided it was time to buy a copy of So on CD. I had read interviews with Gabriel’s bass player Tony Levin about how he would play some songs on his bass with two drumsticks(cut down) on his fingers.

 

The sounds the bass made drew me in.  Eddie Van Halen had introduced his signature Music Man guitar in the early 90’s and Gabriel’s guitarist David Rhodes had been playing that model of guitar. Manu Katche played some of the most flowing expressive drumming on the live album. So, all the endorsements for this band and the music were there and I finally bought a copy on CD. I would often listen to it as a “wind-down” album. It felt like a soothing salve to a long day or week of stressful work.  I loved the sentimental romantic message of In Your Eyes and I had hoped that someday I could play that song for my future wife. Then, the woman who ended becoming my wife told me she HATED Peter Gabriel. She had a tough life in the 80’s and hated much of the music of the 80’s. Maybe now I can look back and see why she’s now my EX wife. I’m kidding. We all have our different tastes.

When I heard that there was to be the anniversary edition of the So album, I thought I would write up a memory blog for the album. I saw Peter Gabriel on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show promoting the package. Jimmy Fallon was exuberant about this anniversary package as he talked about it. It only excited me too. I also see that the Eagle Rock entertainment group is releasing a Classic Albums DVD featuring the So album.

Now, I’m facing a change in my life. I have a job that I’m not at all happy to go to. So, I’ve been listening to Don’t Give Up and the song continues to play through my head as I head through the monotony of an 8 hour workshift.  It becomes like a mantra to make it through to the next step in my life.

don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's a place
there's a place where we belong

As I wrap this blog up, I’m thinking how odd it is that an album that I mildly enjoyed when it was first released is now in my consciousness everyday of my current life and one song(in particular) continues to resonate in my mind and my heart and soul.