Peter Gabriel - (1983) Plays Live

Always thought I would never buy a DVD of videos because my interest is having the chance to experience my favorite bands on stage (living in Perú, very rarely had the opportunity) and also by the fact that usually this compilations gather the most commercial tracks which are not necessarily the best ones.

But today went to the music store and the owner knowing my musical taste offered me “Peter Gabriel Play the Videos” at 5 bucks!!! /even when he has a lot of Prog' customers, seems nobody had real interest for a video DVD), so I said what the hell, most tracks are good and five bucks don’t make me poor, instantly bought it and honestly can't regret my decision

As in any Gabriel release, the production, sound and video are very good and the concept of the videos are (Or were in their time) innovative plus some good extras.

This DVD seems as a video biography because you can watch and listen Peter Gabriel songs from 1977 to 2003, and even when some of them are not my favorites (like Shock the Monkey or Sledgehammer) the rest of the material is excellent and the videos in all the cases (except Don’t Give Up) are impeccable.

About the tracks, I have nothing to say because along our lives we've seen this videos in many musical programs and are reviewed here in their respective albums (seems a common phrase when reviewing compilations), but it's always nice to dive in the past and watch the evolution of one of the most representative Prog' vocalists along 26 years of solid and prolific career.

Also it's refreshing to remember those images of Peter with a monkey mask or walking through Solsbury Hills and singing Shaking the Tree on a fishing boat or a very emotional Gabriel almost crying in Biko ( A great song rarely included in his concerts)

Another addition that makes even better this good DVD are the personal comments that Peter adds before each track, an illustrative extra not featured in the box.

I believe "Peter Gabriel Play the Videos" is not essential, but surely is a good addition to any prog' collection, so according to the guidelines I have to rate it with 4 stars.


Live, released in 1983

Track Listings

Disc One (43:19)
1. The Rhythm Of The Heat (6:26)
2. I Have The Touch (4:43)
3. Not One Of Us (5:51)
4. Family Snapshot (4:48)
5. D.I.Y. (4:06)
6. The Family And The Fishing Net (7:34)
7. Intruder (4:44)
8. I Go Swimming (5:05)

Disc Two (40:30)
1. San Jacinto (8:27)
2. Solsbury Hill (4:42)
3. No Self Control (5:03)
4. I Don't Remember (4:19)
5. Shock The Monkey (7:10)
6. Humdrum (4:24)
7. On The Air (5:22)
8. Biko (7:01)

Total Time: 83:49

Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Gabriel / lead vocals, synthesizer, piano
- Jerry Marotta / drums, percussion, B-vox
- Tony Levin / stick, bass, B-vox
- David Rhodes / guitar, B-vox
- Larry Fast / synthesizer, piano