Peter Gabriel - (15-03-1977)
Live Music Hall - Cleveland
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The tempest had died down. It was done. Peter Gabriel had left
Genesis in 1975 after The LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY tour and was now
about to embark upon a whole new venture as a solo artist. Phil Collins
was the new lead singer of the band Gabriel had left behind, and with
the albums A TRICK OF THE TAIL and WIND AND WUTHERING, both released in
1976, Genesis were enjoying new levels of success in album sales and
concert attendances. This prompted mixed feelings for their
ex-frontman, as he would later explain: “It felt kind of strange for me.
I mean, I was very happy for the guys because I knew they could make it
without me but it’s strange how the way people feel about you can
change so fast. When I was with Genesis, just because of the costumes
and the stage shows, people assumed that I ‘was’ Genesis, that I was
doing everything, which was a faulty vision that I constantly fought to
dispel. But when I had left and the band was reaching new heights,
people started to assume that I had done nothing, which was a bit
ego-bruising, to say the least !”…
With that in mind, Peter Gabriel now had to prove that he could stand
alone and create his own musical world. No easy task after such an
incredible run with as great a band as Genesis was then, but Gabriel was
never a man to shy away from a challenge From the very start, he knew
that he had to be as different from Genesis as possible, Both musically
and visually - no more long and syncopated musical suites, no more
batwings and flower masks. The last months of 1975 and the first half
of 1976 were spent at his home in England, resting with his family and
slowly writing new material on the piano. Having dug deep into his own
musical background, he created a very special collection of songs, each
of which had a distinct personality of its own, and he set about
recording his first solo album. In an effort to get away from the
archetypal ‘English’ rock sound, Gabriel sought the help of American
producer Bob Ezrin, well known for his work with Alice Cooper and Kiss.
Most of the resulting album was recorded at Soundstage studio in
Toronto, Canada. Ezrin’s involvement in the project undoubtedly helped
bring forth the raw sound that Gabriel was looking for, but it was the
choice of musicians in his new recording band that would ultimately make
this first solo album such a departure from Gabriel’s previous recorded
work.
Steve Hunter’s harsh guitar licks and Allan Schwartzberg’s heavy
drums were as far removed from the Hackett-Collins combination as could
possibly be imagined, while Larry Fast’s discrete synthesizer work
couldn’t be further away from Tony Banks’ huge presence on the
keyboards. Add Tony Levin, an amazing bass player with a unique style of
his own, and the brilliant ex-King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp (who
would insist on staying in the shadows, both on the album and the
ensuing tour when he was referred to only as ‘Dusty Rhodes’), and you
have all the elements needed to create an album as different from
Genesis and progressive rock
in general as a fly is from a windshield ! To further accentuate the
contrast, Gabriel would also bring in orchestral arrangements for one of
the songs, another first for the ex-Genesis angel. One could still
hear vague musical remnants of Peter’s days with Genesis in songs like
“Moribund The Burgermeister” and “Down The Dolce Vita”, but for the most
part, this first solo effort was very fresh in its overall approach and
it came as a delightful surprise to Peter Gabriel fans the world over.
The advertising campaign which accompanied the release of the album in
February 1977 advised listeners to ‘Expect The Unexpected’. Wise words
indeed.
With the album and first single “Solsbury Hill” achieving deserved
success, March 1977 saw Gabriel taking his new music out on the road.
Electing to avoid using costumes and elaborate stage choreography,
Gabriel’s voice, body and music would now be the only weapons he would
use to try and conquer a whole new audience. The set list consisted of
the new album in its entirety, along with early versions of new songs
that would later appear on his second album, and even a few covers. By
the time the tour reached the UK, the following month, “Why Don’t We?”
had been dropped from the set, never to reappear live or in a recorded
version.
Was the surprisingly heavy interpretation of Genesis’ “Back In NYC”
as an encore a concession to his older fans ? Only Peter could tell us
but after playing “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” on the 1978-79 tour
for his second album, no more Genesis song would ever be included in the
set list of a Peter Gabriel show. The man was intent on making it on
his own ! And it all began with the 1977 tour for his first album, from
which we proudly bring you this exceptional recording of what was only
Gabriel’s sixth ever solo performance. We most certainly hope that you
are going to enjoy it as much as we do.
Peter Gabriel - (15-03-1977) Live Music Hall - Cleveland
CD1
01 Here Comes The Flood (Piano Version)
02 On the Air
03 Moribund The Burgermeister
04 Waiting For The Big One
05 A Song Without Words
06 Excuse Me
07 Solsbury Hill
08 Ain't That Peculiar
09 Why Don't We
10 Humdrum
11 Peter Talking
12 Slowburn
13 All Day And All Of The Night
CD2
01 Here Comes The Flood (Band Version)
02 Modern Love
03 Band Introductions
04 Down The Dolce Vita
05 Back In N.Y.C.
06 Peter Gabriel Interview-Piccadilly Radio (April 1977-Manchester,UK)
Line up :
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