Peter Gabriel Retrospective: Album 09- I/O (Bright Side/Dark Side Mix)

 

Album:  I/O

Year Released:    2023

Lineup: 

Principal musicians

• Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, backing vocals, treated vocals (on "And Still") keyboards, synths, piano (on "The Court", "So Much", "Olive Tree", "Love Can Heal", "And Still" and "Live and Let Live"), programming (on "Panopticom", "The Court", "I/O", "Road to Joy", "Olive Tree", "This Is Home", "And Still" and "Live and Let Live"), percussion (on "Four Kinds of Horses", "Love Can Heal", and "Live and Let Live"), manipulated charango (on "Road to Joy"), glass harp (on "And Still")
• David Rhodes – guitars (except on "Playing for Time"), acoustic guitar (on "Olive Tree"), acoustic 12 string guitar (on "So Much" and "Olive Tree"), backing vocals
• Tony Levin – basses
• Manu Katché – drums (except on "Four Kinds of Horses", "So Much","Love Can Heal" and "And Still")
• Ged Lynch – percussion (on "Olive Tree", "Love Can Heal", and "And Still")
• Tom Cawley – piano (on "Playing for Time")
• Evan Smith – saxophone (on "Olive Tree")
• Josh Shpak – trumpet (on "Road to Joy" and "Olive Tree")
• Melanie Gabriel – backing vocals (on "The Court", "Four Kinds of Horses", "So Much", "Love Can Heal" and "Live and Let Live)
• Ríoghnach Connolly – backing vocals (on "Panopticom", "Love Can Heal" and "This Is Home")
• Jennie Abrahamson – backing vocals (on "Love Can Heal")
• Linnea Olsson – cello (on "Love Can Heal"), backing vocals (on "Love Can Heal")
• Angie Pollock – synths (on "Love Can Heal")
• Brian Eno – synths (on "Panopticom", "The Court", "This Is Home" and "Live and Let Live"), bells (on "Panopticom"), percussion (on "The Court"), rhythm programming and progressing (on "Four Kinds of Horses" and "Road to Joy"), electric worms and additional synths (on "Four Kinds of Horses"), manipulated guitar and ukulele (on "Road to Joy"), rhythm programming (on "Live and Let Live")
• Oli Jacobs – synths (on "Panopticom", "Playing for Time", "I/O" and "This Is Home"), programming (on "Panopticom", "The Court", "I/O", "This Is Home" and "Live and Let Live"), piano (on "Four Kinds of Horses"), tambourine (on "This is Home")
• Don-E – bass synth (on "Road to Joy")
• Katie May – acoustic guitar (on "Panopticom" and "I/O"), percussion (on "The Court", "This Is Home" and "Live and Let Live"), Rickenbacker guitar (on "I/O"), synths (on "I/O"), rhythm programming (on "Four Kinds of Horses"), guitar effects (on "Love Can Heal")
• Richard Evans – D whistle (on "I/O"), mandolin (on "Olive Tree")
• Richard Chappell – programming (on "Panopticom", "The Court", "I/O", "Olive Tree", "And Still" and "Live and Let Live")
• Richard Russell – filtered percussion (on "Four Kinds of Horses")
• Hans-Martin Buff – additional percussion and synths (on "Road to Joy")
• Ron Aslan – additional synths (on "Road to Joy")
• Oli Middleton – percussion (on "This Is Home")
• Paolo Fresu – trumpet (on "Live and Let Live")
• Steve Gadd – brush loop (on "Live and Let Live")

Orchestral and choral musicians

• Violins: Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Louisa Fuller, Charles Mutter, Cathy Thompson, Natalia Bonner, Richard George, Marianne Haynes, Martin Burgess, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, Odile Ollagnon
• Violas: Bruce White, Fiona Bonds, Peter Lale, Rachel Roberts
• Cellos: Ian Burdge (including solo cello on "And Still"), Chris Worsey, Caroline Dale, William Schofield, Tony Woollard, Chris Allan
• Double basses: Chris Laurence, Stacey Watton, Lucy Shaw
• Trumpet: Andrew Crowley
• Tenor trombone/Euphonium: Andy Wood
• Tenor trombone: Tracy Holloway
• Bass trombone: Richard Henry
• Tuba: David Powell
• French horn: David Pyatt, Richard Bissill
• Flute: Eliza Marshall
• Orchestra conductor: John Metcalfe
• Orchestra leader: Everton Nelson
• Orchestral arrangements: John Metcalfe, Peter Gabriel (on "The Court", "So Much", "Olive Tree", "And Still" and "Live and Let Live") and Ed Shearmur (on "Playing for Time")
• The Soweto Gospel Choir: (on "I/O", "Road to Joy" and "Live and Let Live")^[66]
  • Soprano: Linda Sambo, Nobuhle Dhlamini, Phello Jiyane, Victoria Sithole
  • Alto: Maserame Ndindwa, Phumla Nkhumeleni, Zanele Ngwenya, Duduzile Ngomane
  • Tenor: George Kaudi, Vusimuzi Shabalala, Xolani Ntombela, Victor Makhathini
  • Bass: Thabang Mkhwanazi, Goodwill Modawu, Warren Mahlangu, Fanizile Nzuza
  • Soloists: Phello Jiyane (Soprano), Duduzile Ngomane (Alto), Vusimuzi Shabalala (Tenor), Fanizile Nzuza (Bass), Victor Makhathini (Male voice Zulu improvisations), Phumla Nkhumeleni (Female ululating and chanting) (on "Live and Let Live")
  • Musical director / vocal arranger: Bongani (Honey) Ncube
• Orphei Drängar: (on "This Is Home")
  • Conductor: Cecilia Rydinger [sv]
  • Choir arrangement: Peter Gabriel with Dom Shaw and Cecilia Rydinger

Track listing:

1. "Panopticom"         5:13

2. "The Court"         4:20

3. "Playing for Time" 6:17

4. "I/O"                         3:52

5. "Four Kinds of Horses" 6:47

6. "Road to Joy"                 5:21

7. "So Much"         4:50

8. "Olive Tree"         5:59

9. "Love Can Heal" 5:59

10. "This Is Home" 5:04

11. "And Still"         7:41

12. "Live and Let Live" 6:46

Overall Thoughts:

Twenty one years passed between Gabriel's last album of original matieral (Up) and I/O.  I/O was composed of twelve songs, and each song had two different mixes- a 'Bright Side' and a 'Dark Side'.  Taking advantage of social media, Gabriel released one song at the New Moon every month before finally releasing the album in 2023.

And it's... OK.  There's no bad songs here.  But there's nothing memorable.  I keep listening to the songs and none of the songs are sticking with me.  This album seems to speak to a lot of people, but it's eluding me.  And because I can't understand why, I can't offer an explanation.  There is no lyric or music that is having any staying power.  It's technically excellent but completely forgettable- to me.  I'd be fascinated what other people who are fans of Gabriel think of the album.

As this is the final Gabriel album, I appreciate everyone who has read these.  In the past year I've gone through the discography of two of my favorite musical artists.  I don't know if I'll continue these with another artist, but it's been fun.  Thank you all for reading.

Ranking of Peter Gabriel Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. So
2. Up
3. Peter Gabriel (Melt)
4. And I'll Scratch Yours
5. Us
6. Security
7. Peter Gabriel (Car)
8. Scratch My Back
9. I/O
10. Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

Top 10 Peter Gabriel Songs (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. "In Your Eyes", So
2. "Don't Give Up", So
3. "Mercy Street", So
4. "Red Rain", So
5. "Solsbury Hill", Peter Gabriel (Car)
6. "Darkness", Up
7. "That Voice Again", So
8. "Sky Blue", Up
9. "Only Us", Us
10. "Wallflower", Security

NBA Predictions 2024-2025

Last year, I correctly predicted the Boston Celtics to win the NBA Title.  Let's see how this year goes!

Eastern Conference:

1.       New York

2.       Boston

3.       Cleveland

4.       Orlando

5.       Indiana

6.       Milwaukee

7.       Philadelphia

8.       Miami

9.       Atlanta

10.     Detroit

11.     Chicago

12.     Charlotte

13.     Toronto

14.     Brooklyn

15.     Washington 

Playoffs:

·      (play-ins):   Philadelphia over Miami; Detroit over Atlanta; Miami over Detroit

·      New York over Philadelphia; Boston over Miami; Cleveland over Milwaukee; Orlando over Indiana

·      New York over Orlando; Boston over Cleveland

·      Boston over New York

Western Conference:

1.       Oklahoma City

2.       Minnesota

3.       Dallas

4.       New Orleans

5.       Denver

6.       Sacramento

7.       Phoenix

8.       Memphis

9.       Houston

10.     San Antonio

11.     LA Lakers

12.     Golden State

13.     LA Clippers

14.     Utah

15.     Portland

Playoffs:

·     (play-ins):  Phoenix over Memphis; Houston over San Antonio; Houston over Memphis

·     Oklahoma City over Houston; Minnesota over Phoenix; Dallas over Sacramento; Denver over New        Orleans

·     Oklahoma City over Denver; Minnesota over Dallas  

·     Minnesota over Oklahoma City

More notes:

·     The East- I think Philadelphia and Milwaukee are old and so top-heavy that a couple of nagging injuries could cripple either team.  Especially with younger teams on the rise in the East.  

-    I really think New York has a great team; I also think they have a coach who burns out their players, which will hurt them in the playoffs

·     I'm a Cleveland Cavaliers fans, and really want to argue they are better than Boston.  But at the moment, if everyone is relatively healthy, I can't.  Boston wins the East

         

·     The West will be a dogfight.  I'm going against the older teams (Lakers, Phoenix, Golden State) and favoring the younger teams (New Orleans, Houston, Minnesota)

·     OKC will have the best record, and will be favored.  But I like Minnesota, and I think the KAT trade willr eally help the team.

·     MVP?  The past five years have been centers or power forwards; this year, it's a guard.  I'm in on Anthony Edwards

-     ROY?  No idea- Reed Shepherd?

-     Lottery?  Lately, the top franchise picks goes to the West.  Absent any other reason, I'll argue that Cooper Flag ends up in Utah.  

·     Finals?  Boston's back for a second year.  But the player Anthony Edwards reminds me most if Dwayne Wade.  And I really like their team- it has depth, and they have experience.  And running it back to the finals twice is tough.  

      Minnesota in 6.  

Peter Gabriel Retrospective: Album 08b- And I'll Scratch Yours

 

The companion studio album to Scratch My Back

Album:  And I'll Scratch Yours

Year Released:    2013

Lineup: 

"I Don't Remember"

• David Byrne – vocals, instruments
• Patrick Dillett – mixing

"Come Talk to Me"

• Sean Carey – drums
• Rick Lockwood – voice
• Kimberly Lockwood – voice
• Justin Vernon – all other instruments

"Blood of Eden"

• Joe Mendelson – production, arrangement, instruments, mixing
• Jack Dishel – production, arrangement, instruments, vocals
• Regina Spektor – production, arrangement, instruments, vocals

"Not One of Us"

• Stephin Merritt – production, recording, mixing
• Charles Newman – production, recording, mixing

"Shock the Monkey"

• Joseph Arthur – moog guitar, bass

"Big Time"

• Bruno Coon – production, mixing

"Games Without Frontiers"

• Arcade Fire – production
• Mark Lawson – recording
• Korey Richey – recording
• Tom Elmhirst – mixing

"Mercy Street"

• Elbow – production
• Craig Potter – mixing

"Don't Give Up"

• Mocky – organ, synthesizer, production
• Leslie Feist – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, pedals, production
• Taylor Kirk – vocals, guitar
• Paul Taylor – percussion
• Mika Posen – violin
• Morri$ – production
• Renaud Letang – mixing
• Robbie Lackritz – recording, engineering

"Solsbury Hill"

• Lou Reed – production, mixing
• Eric Kramer – engineering
• Mike Rathke – additional guitar
• Sarth Calhoun – additional programming

"Biko"

• Mark Stewart – cello

Track listing:

1. "I Don't Remember"         David Byrne                         3:38
2. "Come Talk to Me"                 Bon Iver                                 6:20
3. "Blood of Eden"                 Regina Spektor                 4:39
4. "Not One of Us"                 Stephin Merritt                         3:49
5. "Shock the Monkey"         Joseph Arthur                         5:49
6. "Big Time"                         Randy Newman                 3:29
7. "Games Without Frontiers" Arcade Fire                         3:22
8. "Mercy Street"                         Elbow                                 5:28
9. "Mother of Violence"         Brian Eno                         3:00
10. "Don't Give Up"                 Feist feat. Timber Timbre 5:28
11. "Solsbury Hill"                         Lou Reed                         5:24
12. "Biko"                                 Paul Simon                         4:19

Overall Thoughts:

And I'll Scratch Yours is the counterpart to Peter Gabriel's previous album Scratch My Back.  The concept was Gabriel would perform songs by twelve other artists, and then the artists would cover twelve of Gabriel's songs.  Delays pushed back the reciprocal by three years, but the album was finally released in 2013. 

It's not a complete recirprocation- David Bowie did not participate, but Brian Eno, who co-wrote "Heroes" with David Bowie, performed "Mother of Violence" for the album.  Neil Young and Radiohead also did not send in any songs; they were replaced by Joseph Arthur and Feist.  

The album works and delivers on the concept- reimagining Peter Gabriel's songs in the styles of other artists.  "I Don't Remember" gets a techno remix, "Come Talk to Me" is played in a bluegrass style, "Blood of Even" is a folk ballad.  

To me, the standouts are Bon Iver's version of "Come Talk To Me", Brian Eno's "Mother of Violence", and Feist's "Don't Give Up".  Not only are all excellent performances, but their covers bring different elements to the songs.

(And on a side note, Randy Newman is the ideal artist to cover "Big Time".)

My criticism of Scratch My Back was that the songs were all reimagined the same way- slowed down with piano and orchestral music.  It made the songs all sound the same.  That does not apply to And I'll Scratch Yours.  The album delivers what is promised

Ranking of Peter Gabriel Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. So
2. Up
3. Peter Gabriel (Melt)
4. And I'll Scratch Yours
5. Us
6. Security
7. Peter Gabriel (Car)
8. Scratch My Back
9. Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

Top 10 Peter Gabriel Songs (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. "In Your Eyes", So
2. "Don't Give Up", So
3. "Mercy Street", So
4. "Red Rain", So
5. "Solsbury Hill", Peter Gabriel (Car)
6. "Darkness", Up
7. "That Voice Again", So
8. "Sky Blue", Up
9. "Only Us", Us
10. "Wallflower", Security

MLB 2024 Playoff thoughts

Man, what a weird year in baseball.  The Athletics last year in Oakland, where the fanbase and the owner hate each other to the point that The A's will play in Sacramento for three years while waiting for the stadium in Las Vegas to be built. 

The Chicago White Sox were historically bad.  How bad?  Every other team in the AL Central finished above .500- and the entire division was still 35 games below .500, thanks to the White Sox.

The likely NL MVP is a DH (try imagine saying that 30 years ago)- and Ohtani has been so impressive that few will object.

And, on the day before the playoffs, Pete Rose died.  Take it from someone who was a massive baseball fan during his chase of Ty Cobb's record- no one in baseball was as famous as Rose was for years.  And no one fell harder when his gambling was exposed.

Like I said- a weird year.  No team won 100 games, but 14 teams won 85 games or more.  

Honestly, any team could get hot and win the World Series.  So I'll rank the teams by my preference over who I want to win first, then make my predictions based on who I think will win:

Who I want to win:

1. Cleveland Guardians   
   
   (large gap)
   
   
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. San Diego Padres 
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Kansas City Royals
6. Philadelphia Phillies
7. Detroit Tigers
8. Atlanta Braves
   
   (large gap)
   
   
   
9. New York Mets
10. New York Yankees
11. Los Angeles Dodgers
12. Houston Astros

Who I think will win:

Wild Card:

• Detroit over Houston
• Baltimore over Kansas City
• Milwaukee over New York Mets
• San Diego over Atlanta 

Divisional Round:

• Cleveland over  Detroit
• Baltimore over New York Yankees
• Philadelphia over Milwaukee
• Los Angeles over San Diego

League Championship Series:

• Cleveland over Baltimore
• Los Angeles over Philadelphia

World Series:

• Cleveland over Los Angeles

Your 2024 World Series Champions:  The Cleveland Guardians!

Peter Gabriel Retrospective: Album 08a- Scratch My Back

 

The eighth studio album by Peter Gabriel.

Album:  Scratch My Back

Year Released:    2010

Lineup:  

• Peter Gabriel – production, arrangement ("The Book of Love"), design concept
• Bob Ezrin – production
• John Metcalfe – arrangement (except "The Book of Love" and "I Think It's Going to Rain Today"), mixing (except "I Think It's Going to Rain Today"), orchestration (except "The Book of Love"), additional "Oxford" recording
• Nick Ingman – arrangement ("The Book of Love"), orchestration ("The Book of Love")
• Will Gregory – arrangement ("The Book of Love")
• Randy Newman – arrangement ("I Think It's Going to Rain Today")
• Richard Chappell – mixing, engineering (except "The Book of Love"), Air Studios sessions recording
• Tchad Blake – mixing ("My Body is a Cage", "Après moi")
• Pete Sené – assistant engineering (except "The Book of Love")
• Mark Claydon – assistant mixing (except "The Book of Love")
• Kurina Támas – recording ("The Book of Love")
• Kölcsényi Attila – recording ("The Book of Love")
• Steve Orchard – Air Studios sessions recording
• Olga Fitzroy – Air Studios sessions recording assistant, Pro Tools editor
• Laurence Greed – Pro Tools editor assistant
• Melanie Gabriel – vocals ("The Book of Love")
• London Scratch Orchestra – orchestra performance
• The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford – choir ("My Body is a Cage")
• Hungarian Orchestra – orchestra performance ("The Book of Love")
• Tony Cousins – mastering
• Marc Bessant – graphic design, design concept
• Nadav Kander – photography
• David Hiscock – photography

Track listing:

1. "Heroes"                                         David Bowie                 4:10
2. "The Boy in the Bubble"                 Paul Simon                 4:28
3. "Mirrorball"                                 Elbow                         4:48
4. "Flume"                                         Bon Iver                         3:01
5. "Listening Wind"                         Talking Heads                 4:23
6. "The Power of the Heart"         Lou Reed                 5:52
7. "My Body Is a Cage"                 Arcade Fire                 6:13
8. "The Book of Love"                         The Magnetic Fields 3:53
9. "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" Randy Newman         2:34
10. "Après Moi"                         Regina Spektor         5:13
11. "Philadelphia"                         Neil Young                 3:46
12. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" Radiohead                 5:06

Overall Thoughts:

Scratch My Back is a concept album- a song exchange with a dozen artists, with Peter Gabriel reinterpreting one of their songs and they returning the favor with one of Peter Gabriel's songs.  Gabriel's songs were realeased in the next album (And I'll Scratch Yours), which for various reasons wasn't released until 2013.

It's a fantastic concept.  Gabriel has always been a performer who pushed the boundaries of his music, introducing different styles, instruments, and technologies.  At times it cluttered up some of his songs (Us is full of songs that could sound fantastic with a bare bones, stripped down acoustic style), but other times it produced incredible works.  

The album is fine but disappointing.  It sounds great- musically and vocally (Gabriel's voice is outstanding).  My issue is that Gabriel's interpretation of these songs is to slow them down with a lot of piano and add orchestral music.  In some cases it works very well (I love his version of "The Power of the Heart"), but it feels like he's doing the same thing to every song.

This is Peter Gabriel- for his own albums, he has always brought in music and styles from all over the world.  Listen to his first album (the car album)- he has songs from different eras, including one that sounds it belongs in the 1890s.  I wanted Gabriel to take these songs and go wild with them- Do a Calypso version of "Heroes", or interpret "The Boy in the Bubble" as a marching song.  

Strangely, my criticism of this album is the exact opposite of my feelings about Us.  In that album, he created very personal, deep songs and then threw in so many bells and whistles that it obscured the lyrics.  With Scratch My Back, he took the lyrics of other songs and performed them the same way, when it calling out for Gabriel to be much more freeform.  

Ranking of Peter Gabriel Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. So
2. Up
3. Peter Gabriel (Melt)
4. Us
5. Security
6. Peter Gabriel (Car)
7. Scratch My Back
8. Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

Top 10 Peter Gabriel Songs (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. "In Your Eyes", So
2. "Don't Give Up", So
3. "Mercy Street", So
4. "Red Rain", So
5. "Solsbury Hill", Peter Gabriel (Car)
6. "Darkness", Up
7. "That Voice Again", So
8. "Sky Blue", Up
9. "Only Us", Us
10. "Wallflower", Security