Classic Albums

Peter Gabriel: So (Shock)

We love this fantastic series which delves into the lives of the great albums. Here the producers tackle Peter Gabriel’s 1986 opus, So. A break through album for Gabriel, who’d earned his stripes initially and the front man of Genesis and then with his solo work, So turned him into a massive commercial act. The work was an overt attempt to strike a chord with a broader audience. The fact it had a title [for once!] helped, and the picture on the front didn’t do the artist any harm either. As you’d expect this series gets down to the nitty gritty of recording. Produced by Daniel Lanois [Bob Dylan/U2], multi-tracks are pulled up, and everyone from the tape op to the players are interviewed. Coming off of the back of the Birdy soundtrack, Gabriel bunkered down for almost a year to come up with this global smash. The documentary deals with the music and spends a chunk of time dissecting the MTV  favourite, ‘Sledgehammer’. Other tunes looked at in detail include ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘Big Time’, ‘In Your Eyes’ and the collaboration with Laurie Anderson, ‘This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)’. Alongside the music and Gabriel, the other real star is Daniel Lanois. Who else could getting away with smashing Peter Gabriel’s’ phone or locking the great man in a barn until he’d come up with the required lyrics? Bonus features include extensive interview footage. Terrific stuff.

[rating 4:5]

Mitchell Peters