New Blood is a continuum of Peter's previous `Scratch My Back' album - the song-swap project where he covered the songs of others, all to an orchestral backing. Thanks to the precise arrangements by John Metcalf and Peter, the treatment was so successful that Peter very quickly knew where he wanted to take it next, and work began to apply the same principals to his own songs. Great care has been taken - and much discussion shared - in deciding what songs were included on New Blood. It wasn't simply a case of giving the big numbers an orchestral re-rub. Indeed, some of the big hits are missing in favour of lesser-known material. But the intention wasn't a deliberate obliqueness; it was more a case of finding the songs that would be enhanced by the massed strings, brass, woodwind and percussion "The orchestra provides different dimensions to the music that weren't there initially," confirms Peter. "Rock artists work slowly in studios, building up layer by layer, and one of the great, powerful advantages of an orchestra is all these musicians playing at one moment with all sorts of colours and personalities." And in front of orchestra, taking centre stage when necessary, retreating into the shadows when not, is Peter's rich voice. Retaining its trademark emotive power, it returns to lyrics written 20 or 30 years ago, reinvesting them with new meaning and heightened poignancy. New life, new blood. A musical transfusion. The songs live on.

Originally released in 1986. Remastered in 2002. May 1986 saw the release of So, and within three months the album and its singles had topped the charts in both the UK and USA. "Sledgehammer" was both a huge hit musically and as a video, charting new territory in the relationship between contemporary film and video work, and music. Produced by Dan Lanois (U2).

Originally released in 1982. Remastered in 2002. Peter Gabriel 4 which was titled Security in the U.S., continues where the third Gabriel album left off, sharing some of the same dense production and sense of cohesion, yet lightening the atmosphere and expanding the sonic palette somewhat. The gloom that permeates the third album has been alleviated and while this is still decidedly somber and serious music, it has a brighter feel - partially derived from Gabriel's dabbling in African and Latin rhythms. These are generally used as tonal coloring, enhancing the synthesizers that form the basic musical bed of the record. 4 flows easily and enticingly, as well as the eerie "San Jacinto," "I Have the Touch," & "Shock the Monkey." 4 remains a powerful listen, proving that he is becoming a master of tone, style, and substance, and how each part of the record enhances the other.

Originally released in 1980. Remastered in 2002. Peter Gabriel's third eponymous album finds him crafting work that's artier, stronger, more song oriented than before. Consider its ominous opener, the controlled menace of "Intruder." He's never found such a scary sound, yet it's a sexy scare, one that is undeniably alluring, and he keeps this going throughout the record. For an album so popular, it's remarkably bleak, chilly, and dark, even radio favorites like "I Don't Remember" and "Games Without Frontiers" are hardly cheerful, spiked with paranoia and suspicion, insulated in introspection. For the first time, Gabriel has found the sound to match his themes, plus the songs to articulate his themes. Each aspect of the album works, feeding off each other, creating a romantically gloomy, appealingly arty masterpiece. It's the kind of record where you remember the details in the production as much as the hooks or the songs, which isn't to say that it's all surface, it's just that the surface means as much as the songs, since it articulates the emotions as well as Gabriel's cubist lyrics and impassioned voice. He wound up having albums that sold more, or generated bigger hits, but this third Peter Gabriel album remains a masterpiece.

Originally released in February 1977. Remastered in 2002. The first of three solo albums by the ex-Genesis singer, all officially released as only "Peter Gabriel". There was much anticipation for the first solo effort from the flamboyant Gabriel. Three years had passed since his swan song with Genesis. He had certainly exited on a high note with "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". While fans shouldn't have worried about the survival of Genesis without their original lead singer, neither would they be disappointed in his solo debut. Produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper), he addressed the split with his band mates in the allegoric hit "Solsbury Hill", while retaining the art-rock sensibilities he had pioneered. There are other concert favorites, such as "Moribund The Burgermeister", "Modern Love", "Excuse Me", "Humdrum", "Slowburn", "Waiting For the Big One", "Down The Dolce Vita" (featuring the London Symphony Orchestra) and "Here Comes The Flood".

Peter Gabriel has never been one to stand on tradition. The former Genesis singer bends and hammers fashionable pop forms to his liking (à la his massive MTV-fueled hit "Sledgehammer") or uses the obligatory soundtrack assignment to explore the world music that has been his obsession for decades (as in "Zaar" from Passion). This 16-track anthology explores the width--and, crucially, depth--of Gabriel's rich post-Genesis music, from the post-prog obliquities of "Solsbury Hill" and "Here Comes the Flood" to the African musical and political concerns of the title track (available only on this collection) and the epic "Biko." But what makes the compilation even more compelling is the way it eschews the chronology of its decade-plus body of music, instead weaving and segueing Gabriel's music into a tapestry of compelling mood and color. It's a rewarding listening experience for fan and novice alike. --Jerry McCulley

Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo in March 2011, "Live Blood" captures Peter Gabriel performing live with the 46 piece New Blood Orchestra. The repertoire mixes cover versions from his "Scratch My Back" album with classic tracks from across his solo career in brand new orchestral arrangements. Gabriel is a renowned live performer and his onstage charisma and instantly recognizable voice combine brilliantly with the orchestral sound palette to breathe a new sense of wonder into familiar songs. This is truly a live experience not to be missed.

Peter Gabriel s Scratch My Back album project is the first part of a series of song
exchanges in which Gabriel and other leading artists reinterpret each other s songs.
To help craft his recording of the album s eclectic array of cult favorites and classic
tracks, Gabriel enlisted former Durutti Column member John Metcalfe, composer,
arranger and the expertise of producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd s The Wall , Lou
Reed s Berlin ) and engineer, mixer and producer Tchad Blake (Suzanne Vega,
Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits).
Gabriel describes this as a very personal record with twelve songs performed only
with orchestral instruments and voice. He made the choice not to include guitar or
drums. The album s richly diverse sounds include the sparse romance of Lou Reed s
The Power of the Heart , the powerful musical journey of David Bowie s Heroes
and an epic arrangement of Arcade Fire s My Body Is A Cage. Gabriel and his
collaborators recorded the album at George Martin s Air Lyndhurst Studios and the
Real World Temple with further editing and mixing at his own Real Worlds Studio in
Wiltshire. The Scratch My Back release is one of the most creative and engaging
records from an iconic artist in a long time. The marketing focus is to penetrate
Peter Gabriel s core fan base as well as fans of all genres and in all demographics
given the scope of artists being covered as well as its depth of composition.

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