“Fifteen years is just a flash of light in my world.” – Peter Gabriel, 2008
Peter Gabriel released his first solo album in 1977. Since then, he has only released eleven albums of original music, one album of cover versions of songs not written by him, two slightly reworked alums in German, two live concert albums and two greatest hits compilations. Contrast that to someone like Johnny Cash, who had nearly 200 albums of original, live and greatest hits material released.
But then again, this is a man who was 23 years between children (Melanie, born in 1979 and Isaac, born in 2002.) He also bought a house in the Richmond district of London back in 1991 but did not move into it until 2009. A former cook who used to work for Gabriel’s Real World Studios (and who wishes to go unnamed) reported on a fan forum that Gabriel was notorious for not being able to decide what to have for lunch.
The First Album
Perhaps Gabriel’s first album experience was a bit traumatic and helps to explain his reluctance to duplicate it. At the age of 18, his band Genesis was given one day in the studio to record an album. One day. Gabriel had to keep taking hot showers in order to not only keep his voice in working order but to stay awake.
From Genesis to Revelation (1969) is difficult to listen to today when compared to Gabriel’s solo works. Although it had some charming moments, it is generally considered one of, if not the, worst album Genesis ever made.
A Bit of Distraction
Gabriel began receiving complaints about his lack of output in 1980. Unsatisfied with his two solo efforts, both called Peter Gabriel released in 1977 and 1978, Gabriel decided to revamp his songwriting by writing from the rhythm up. His third album, also called Peter Gabriel, now considered a groundbreaking classic, got Gabriel dropped from his American label, Atlantic.
Producer Daniel Lanois, who worked with Gabriel on Birdy (1985), So (1986) and Us (1992) would comment that Gabriel needed to be on a desert island in order to get anything done because he was so easily distracted. During the recording of “That Voice Again”, Lanois shoved Gabriel into a closet and locked it in order to get Gabriel to finish the lyrics instead of talking on the telephone.
The Pressure Much Harder Now
By 1988, Gabriel knew he was much slower than his labels wanted. After the success of his monster album So (1986), Gabriel was immediately hounded by his new American label Geffen to deliver more material to an eager fan base, a Son of So. Instead, he produced a haunting movie soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).
But even after the movie came out, Gabriel refused to release the soundtrack because it he felt it was incomplete. He also wanted a powerful start to his new Real World record label. Passion (1989) would not only launch Real World Records, but give Gabriel a Grammy. Sometimes Gabriel waits and waits for a reason.
Castrating the Artist
After Us (1992) and the acclaimed Secret World tour’s end in August of 1994, Gabriel could relax. He was a rich, powerful man able to travel the world for his leisure and promote the human rights charities so close to his heart. He decided in 1995 to travel the great rivers of the world and record in a floating studio, despite having his own studio back in England.
And he hit one brick wall after another. Gabriel found problems personally and artistically. After surviving one depression in 1987 after the breakup of his first marriage, he would fall into another depression, which was lifted when his former employee and long-time girlfriend announced that she was pregnant. He finally turned his latest album and a movie soundtrack over to trusted co-workers to finish. The result was Up (2002) and Long Walk Home (2002) which had mixed reactions from both critics and fans.
Although there have been many speculations that Gabriel suffers from mental illness, there never has been any confirmation of these rumors. But one characteristic of depression is an inability to make even simple choices, let alone choices that would be recorded and distributed to thousands of people.
Gabriel’s next offering was an album of cover songs called Scratch My Back (2010). The idea was that he would cover a band’s song and they would cover one of his. Gabriel described in promotional interviews in 2010 that “giving an artist total freedom is castrating them” and that placing limitations (such as using an orchestra instead of a rock band) immediately gets an artist to think of ways to get around the limitations because “artists are mischievous creatures by nature.”
Gabriel has been known to spend as long as 20 years on one song. He has been labeled a workaholic and a perfectionist, but it seems to be something more than that. He is like a maker of rose essential oil. It takes 100 pounds of rose petals to make just one ounce of rose essential oil. Gabriel works away on a song, lets it soak, shakes it again and does this for years until the only very essence is produced. Unfortunately, this takes a long time.
Sources
- “Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography.” Spencer Bright. Headline Book Publishing: PLC; 1989.
- Contact Music. “Gabriel Sues Builders Over Nottingham Hill Nightmare.” Dec. 11, 2003.
- Contactmusic.com
- Neuhouse.com “Daniel Lanois Interview.” January 2004.
- Scratch My Back Press Kit. 2010.
