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HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER GABRIEL (66) – TIMH

+3 HS
Whoa Nellie's picture
February 13, 2016 at 4:46am
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“Different”: Not the same as; distinct; unusual or special. This is the essence of Peter Gabriel’s art, and describes much of his personality, as well.

Peter Brian Gabriel was born in Chobham, Surrey, England, on February 13, 1950. His upbringing was decidedly upper middle class: private pre-prep school; prep school; and public school (old, expensive English boarding school) at Charterhouse. Taught to play piano at an early age by his mother, he became a flautist and drummer in his “high school” bands with fellow Carthusians. The expected future for such a lad? On to university and a traditional career, perhaps in government or the professions. Peter Gabriel? Different.

After high school, Peter formed Genesis with schoolmates Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford, and Chris Stewart. The band’s name was suggested by fellow Charterhouse alumnus, pop music impresario Jonathan King, who produced their first album.

Early Genesis was a study in progressive rock. Studied musicianship, jazz/classical/folk influences, abstract lyrics, but all plagued by audio and visual technologies a decade or more behind their ambitions. Still, Genesis gained fans, largely due to Gabriel’s theatrical performances as front man. Peter wore costumes and make-up, emphasized by black lighting, and told involved, funny stories to introduce songs. He did this to fill time between songs for seemingly interminable tech glitches and tunings, and to deliver the songs more effectively than could otherwise be discerned over PA systems that were utter crap. But, there was no denying: Peter Gabriel and Genesis were different.

The lads began to find their stride with Nursery Chryme in 1971, and hit it big in 1973 with Selling England By The Pound and followed it up with The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. It was time to “make hay” so what did Peter do? Something different, of course. He quit the band so he could explore new and different kinds of music.

Peter’s solo career began in 1977, when he released the first of four albums all titled: Peter Gabriel. During this period (through 1985) he recorded hits like “Solsbury Hill”, “Games Without Frontiers”, and “Shock The Monkey”. Peter was innovating the way he made music, too. Whether it was his early embrace of costly technologies like digital recording, “gated drums” and computer sampling, use of animation and innovative music video techniques, the merging of world music beats and instrumentation, or support of digital downloading of music, Peter Gabriel was still selling “different”, and we were buying.

We bought like never before when So was released in 1986. Let’s skip the numbers and just list the great songs from that one album: “Sledgehammer”, “Big Time”, “In Your Eyes”, “Don’t Give Up” – with Kate Bush; “Red Rain” and “Mercy Street”. Those songs and videos ruled radio, TV and personal music players. “Digging The Dirt” from Us, released in 1992, is cut from the same cloth.

Once again, right when the normal music icon would be looking to maximize revenues, Peter Gabriel went a different direction. He founded WOMAD (World of Music, Art and Dance) to promote artists and styles from around the world. He became politically engaged, in Amnesty International and its concerts, in Labour Party politics at home, and in a variety of other humanitarian efforts.

Gabriel has won six Grammy Awards and thirteen MTV Video Music Awards. He received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and TIME magazine named Gabriel one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, and as a solo artist in 2014.

Vive Le Difference! Happy Birthday, Peter Gabriel.

 

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