Peter Gabriel Retrospective: Album 02- Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

 

Next up is the second solo album by Peter Gabriel...

Album:  Peter Gabriel (scratch)

Year Released:    1978

Lineup (numbers are the tracks on the album):  

• Peter Gabriel – vocals; Hammond organ on 11; piano on 2; synthesizer on 5, 7
• Robert Fripp – electric guitar on 1, 3, 5, 10; acoustic guitar on 5; Frippertronics on 8
• Tony Levin – bass guitar on 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11; Chapman stick on 2, 4, 9; string bass on 6; recorder arrangements on 6, 9; backing vocals on 1, 4, 7, 10, 11
• Roy Bittan – keyboards on 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11
• Larry Fast – synthesizer, treatments on 1, 2, 5, 7, 10
• Jerry Marotta – drums on all except 3; backing vocals on 1, 4, 10, 11
• Sid McGinnis – electric guitar on 1, 4, 8–11; acoustic guitar on 2, 3; steel guitar on 3–5, 6, 9, 11; mandolin on 2; backing vocals on 7
• Bayeté (Todd Cochran) – keyboards on 2, 4, 6, 7
• Tim Cappello – saxophone on 10, 11
• George Marge – recorder on 6, 8, 9
• John Tims – insects on 3

Overall Thoughts:

Immediately after the tour of his first album, Peter Gabriel started work on his second album.  Like his first album, it was also self titled, but it's commonly referred to as the 'Scratch' album, based on the album's cover picture.

Like his first album (the 'Car' album), Gabriel is all over the place, both musically and lyrically.  "On the Air" is about a character (Mozo) who can only affect the world by broadcasting over radio, "D.I.Y." is a musical rant about self-reliance, "Indigo" is about coming to terms with dying, "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World" is about... actually, I have no idea on this one.  There's seems to be a theme about critcizing consumer culture, but it's so esoteric that I'm treating all of the songs individually.

It also ends on a rather depressing song ("Home Sweet Home"), which brings down the entire album.  Nothing stands out as good, and the last song drops it below even mediocre.

Having listened to this album, it's not one I enjoyed.

  

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

1. Peter Gabriel (Car)
2. Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

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

1. "Solsbury Hill", Peter Gabriel (Car)
2. "Here Comes the Flood", Peter Gabriel (Car)
3. "Waiting for the Big One", Peter Gabriel (Car)
4. "Moribund the Burgermeister", Peter Gabriel (Car)
5. "Humdrum", Peter Gabriel (Car)
6. "White Shadow", Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
7. "Mother of Violence", Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
8. "Down the Dolce Vita", Peter Gabriel (Car)
9. "Indigo", Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
10. "Animal Magic", Peter Gabriel (Scratch)

Peter Gabriel Retrospective: Album 01- Peter Gabriel (car)

 

Starting a new retrospective on another musical artist that I've listened to almost all of the albums- Peter Gabriel.

Album:  Peter Gabriel (car)

Year Released:    1977

Lineup:  

• Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, keyboards, flute, recorder
• Robert Fripp – electric guitar, classical guitar, banjo on "Excuse Me"
• Steve Hunter – acoustic guitar on "Solsbury Hill", "Slowburn" and "Waiting for the Big One"; electric guitar, electric rhythm guitar, pedal steel
• Dick Wagner – backing vocals, electric guitar on "Here Comes the Flood"
• Tony Levin – bass guitar, tuba, leader of the Barbershop Quartet on "Excuse Me"
• Jozef Chirowski – keyboards, additional vocals on "Excuse Me"
• Larry Fast – synthesizer, programming
• Allan Schwartzberg – drums, phone directory
• Jimmy Maelen – percussion, synthibam, bones, additional vocals on "Excuse Me"
• London Symphony Orchestra – strings on "Down the Dolce Vita" and "Here Comes the Flood"
• Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangement

Overall Thoughts:

In August of 1975, Peter Gabriel announced that he was leaving the band Genesis, which he helped created in 1967 and was the lead singer for six albums.  He left for a combination of musical differences with the rest of the band and a desire to spend more time with his family.  Eighteen months later, he released his first solo album.  

Gabriel's first four solo albums are untitled.  His first album is referred to as the 'Car' album because the cover is a picture of Gabriel seated in a car.  

The ablum leads off the "Moribund the Burgermeister", a song about Saint Vitus' Dance, and is very much a prog rock song.  The second song, "Solsbury Hill", is much less prog rock and is much more radio friendly.  The entire album is a weird mix of styles.  "Excuse Me" sounds like it should be from the 90's- the 1890's.  "Waiting for the Big One" sounds like a piano ballad from World War II.  When listening to the album for the first time, you have no idea what will be played next.  It's an eclectic mix of musical styles, without any obvious pattern or theme.

Gabriel's lyrics feel like an abstract painting- they are less about telling a story and more words put together to give a mood.  It works, but often I feel like asking, "What the hell does that mean?"

It's a fascinating album- Gabriel is all over the place, and some of the songs hit ("Solsbury Hill" remains a classic).  But it's an album that goes all over the place- it's a fascinating collection of songs but not really an album.

  

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

1. Peter Gabriel (car)

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

1. "Solsbury Hill", Peter Gabriel (Car)
2. "Here Comes the Flood", Peter Gabriel (Car)
3. "Waiting for the Big One", Peter Gabriel (Car)
4. "Moribund the Burgermeister", Peter Gabriel (Car)
5. "Humdrum", Peter Gabriel (Car)
6. "Down the Dolce Vita", Peter Gabriel (Car)
7. "Excuse Me", Peter Gabriel (Car)
8. "Slowburn", Peter Gabriel (Car)
9. "Modern Love", Peter Gabriel (Car)

NBA Status going into 2024-2025

After Free Agency and the Draft, things slow down.  Right now, teams should put themselves in one of five categories.  Here's where I see the current teams:

1) Those competing for a title now:

• Boston Celtics
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dallas Mavericks
• Denver Nuggets
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New York Knicks
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Phoenix Suns
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Los Angeles Clippers

Notes:  There shouldn't be this many teams trying to compete now- I suspect several of these teams belong in cateogry 5, and will be just starting a rebuild next year.  

I'm a Cavaliers fan- and while they are young, they have no room to improve unless their current players get better.  It's possible, but they only have one route- and a lot of teams to overcome.  

2) Those in the middle of a rebuild and plan to compete in 2-3 years:

• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Orlando Magic
• Indianapolis Pacers
• San Antonio Spurs
• Houston Rockets
• New Orleans Pelicans

Notes:  This is a good category to be in.  It's very possible that half these teams could contend this year- but they are also young enough that they can wait.

3) Those at the start of a rebuild and hope to compete in 6 years:

• Brooklyn Nets
• Washington Wizards
• Detroit Pistons
• Charlotte Hornets

Notes:  These teams know where they are, and are collecting talent and trying to gel together.

4) Those that are trying to tear down the team completely and are 2 years from starting their rebuild:

• Golden State Warriors
• Chicago Bulls
• Toronto Raptors
• Utah Jazz
• Portland Trail Blazers

Notes:  These are the teams that know they can't compete, but haven't blown up the team yet to bottom out (it doesn't help that the teams in category 3 are so bad that they couldn't bottom out if they tried).  

Putting Golden State here is a choice- by all rights, they should be in the same grouping as the Clippers/Lakers/Suns.  But I think letting Klay go is the first step towards starting over.  They have far more to go (and they could bounce back if Kuminga and Moody step up), but for now they belong here

5) Other (who the hell knows?):

• Miami Heat
• Atlanta Hawks
• Sacramento Kings
• Memphis Grizzlies

Notes:  In my opinion, the worst category to be in.  Too good to get a franchsie draft player, too bad to really compete in the playoffs even if everything goes well, too deep in the salary cap to easily start over.  They are two years away from getting to category 4, and worse- might think they are one move from category 1.  

Thoughts without Whiskey- 2024-07-06

Too early in the morning to drink...

• Politics:  Biden needs to step aside, today.  He's 82, and he's already shown that he is not capable of being President today, let alone for four more years.  It's tragic- I actually don't think he's done a bad job, given the problems of the past four years- but for the good of the nation, he needs to announce he won't run for re-election

• Politics 2:  At this point, unless Kamala Harris steps aside (and why should she), she would be the natural replacement as the Democratic nominee.  I admit she hasn't impressed me as a politician; she's all right talking to people that already agree with her, but the President also needs to address people who either disagree with her or are unsure.  On that front, she's been terrible so far.  There are issues that work in her favor (abortion, crime) and issues that work against her (immigration, inflation).  But that applies to every politican.  We will find out if she is up to the task.  Harris and the party has four months to make the case- and the chances of her winning are much better than if Biden remains on the ticket.

• Politics 3 (last one):  If I'm a Democrat (I'm not), or I'm a person who hates the thought of Trump winning (I am), then I am furious at the Biden White House.  They've known he's been having problems for months.  People have seen several video clips of him forgetting, appearing lost, stumbling.  But rather than acknowledge this, they covered it up, did not give the press a chance to interview him, and blocked any primary challengers.  

It's now July, it's almost the convention, and the public only just now has discovered how far gone Biden is.  Worse, Biden has announced that he's staying in- and because he has the delegates, I don't think the Democratic Party can block him.  

Trump went through a Primary.  I don't like it, but the GOP has decided he's their standardbearer, and they had a fair chance to test him and replace him.  The Democrats didn't with Biden.  

If Trump wins in 2024, the people who covered for Biden deserve the blame.

 

• Sports:  The Cavaliers signed Donovan Mitchell.  Mitchell's an outstanding player, and he is showing that he wants to be the team leader (look at how he was encouraging his teammates during the playoffs games, even when he was injured).  The Cavs have a lot of talent, and hopefully the new coach Kenny Atkinson can elevate the team.  Given the moves by the rest of the Eastern contenders, they will need to step up.

• Writing:  My friend Don Mewha has written a book.  I'm jealous.  During COVID I tried to write a superhero story.  I did finish the story, sent it out to try and get published, got rejected soundly, and put it aside.  (Though if anyone wants to Beta read it, send me a message)

I've got a couple ideas germinating in my head, but I'm trying to figure out if I have the time and energy to try again.  It would be something different.  It's definitely a better way to spend my time that trying to beat Grimdawn on Hardcore mode.