... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Peter Gabriel gets a bit bolder and more confident here in his solo role – coming out with some of the bite of his Rael character from years back, but with a tighter, more focused mode that's pretty darn great! You can hear the early touch of the styles that would wander too strongly into the wrong territory a decade later – but here, things are all pretty darn fresh – wrapped around song themes that feel like very new ones for Gabriel, in ways that almost have you feeling him pick and choose the topics as the record moves on. Production is tight, but never too uptight – and titles include "On The Air", "DIY", "Exposure", "Animal Magic", "Flotsam & Jetsam", "Perspective", and "White Shadow". LP, Vinyl record album

Peter Gabriel at the top of his solo game – tight, focused, and coming across with a nice sort of edge – one that really sits nicely in the same late 70s generation that includes Bowie in Berlin, early Talking Heads, and some of the darker-minded work on the left side of the mainstream at the time! The guitars have a nice edge, but never dominate – and Gabriel's vocals are totally great – soaring with majesty, but never overblown, and deeply personal in all the right spots – but without any fake soul modes. Instrumentation is right on the money – processed nicely, but never overproduced – and hell, players on the album even include Brit jazz legend Dick Morrisey on a handful of tracks! Titles include "No Self Control", "I Don't Remember", "Biko", "Intruder", "And Through The Wire", and "Games Without Frontiers". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Peter Gabriel gets a bit bolder and more confident here in his solo role – coming out with some of the bite of his Rael character from years back, but with a tighter, more focused mode that's pretty darn great! You can hear the early touch of the styles that would wander too strongly into the wrong territory a decade later – but here, things are all pretty darn fresh – wrapped around song themes that feel like very new ones for Gabriel, in ways that almost have you feeling him pick and choose the topics as the record moves on. Production is tight, but never too uptight – and titles include "On The Air", "DIY", "Exposure", "Animal Magic", "Flotsam & Jetsam", "Perspective", and "White Shadow". CD

A record that some might call the last truly great Peter Gabriel album – and a key cap to his excellent initial solo run! The album's got a deeper feel than before – slightly richer colors, more spiritual themes, and arguably more of a sense of majesty – almost an echo of some of the Native American modes explored by Laurie Anderson, who was then a recent collaborator of Gabriel! Instrumentation builds a bit more than before – with less guitars in parts, more percussive bits, and some funkier elements at the bottom that aren't exactly funky – more just a punch in force from the ground up. Gabriel's definitely feeling a sense of power here – and titles include "Lay Your Hands On Me", "Shock The Monkey", "San Jacinto", "I Have The Touch", "The Family & The Fishing Net", and "The Rhythm Of The Heat". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Titles include "Red Rain", "Sledgehammer", "Don't Give Up", "In Your Eyes", and "Big Time". CD

... CD

An all-German version of Peter Gabriel's third album! Peter Gabriel at the top of his solo game – tight, focused, and coming across with a nice sort of edge – one that really sits nicely in the same late 70s generation that includes Bowie in Berlin, early Talking Heads, and some of the darker-minded work on the left side of the mainstream at the time! The guitars have a nice edge, but never dominate – and Gabriel's vocals are totally great – soaring with majesty, but never overblown, and deeply personal in all the right spots – but without any fake soul modes. Instrumentation is right on the money – processed nicely, but never overproduced – and hell, players on the album even include Brit jazz legend Dick Morrisey on a handful of tracks! Titles include German versions of "No Self Control", "I Don't Remember", "Biko", "Intruder", "And Through The Wire", and "Games Without Frontiers". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

The first solo set from Peter Gabriel – and a record that was quite a surprise upon initial release – kind of a stripped-down variant of the energy that Gabriel brought to his early work with Genesis, presented in a nicely lean way that allowed for all the best focus on his key ideas! The style here is light years away from the last moments Gabriel was with Genesis – although there's still a few nice touches of the Lamb Lies Down generation, too – and the vocals are more pointed, more focused, and arguably more personal too. Instrumentation holds up better than you might expect – especially as there was no move at all to nod to the nascent punk generation – and titles include the hit "Solsbury Hill", plus "Modern Love", "Slowburn", "Humdrum", "Waiting For The Big One", "Down The Dolce Vita", and "Here Comes The Flood". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

With guests Kate Bush, Stewart Copeland, Youssou N'Dour, Tony Levin, and Manu Katche! Titles include "In Your Eyes", "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", "Red Rain", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Peter Gabriel at the top of his solo game – tight, focused, and coming across with a nice sort of edge – one that really sits nicely in the same late 70s generation that includes Bowie in Berlin, early Talking Heads, and some of the darker-minded work on the left side of the mainstream at the time! The guitars have a nice edge, but never dominate – and Gabriel's vocals are totally great – soaring with majesty, but never overblown, and deeply personal in all the right spots – but without any fake soul modes. Instrumentation is right on the money – processed nicely, but never overproduced – and hell, players on the album even include Brit jazz legend Dick Morrisey on a handful of tracks! Titles include "No Self Control", "I Don't Remember", "Biko", "Intruder", "And Through The Wire", and "Games Without Frontiers". CD

... Cassette

Life after Peter Gabriel – with Phil Collins doing a surprisingly great job on vocals – free from all the tripe of later years! The group are still very much in the mode of their early prog years, but balance things out with a few catchier tunes – a mode that's a bit like the Selling England By The Pound album, sans Gabriel. Collins is learning how to express himself soulfully, but not in a commercial way – and the few off moments are more than balanced with some wonderfully tight instrumental work – on tracks that include "Dance On A Volcano", "Robbery Assault & Battery", "Ripples", "Trick Of The Tail", and "Mad Man Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare non-soundtrack record from Goblin – but done in a style that's equally wonderful as their famous music for horror films! The set really shows the progressive roots from which they sprang – with a sound that's a bit fuller than some of their soundtrack work, and which also has vocals too – sung in Italian, but with a very Peter Gabriel sort of edge to them. Keyboards figure heavy in the mix, and there's also some really nice dark undercurrents too – on titles that include "La Danza", "Mark Il Bagarozzo", "Terra Di Goblin", "Un Ragazzo D'Argento", and "Notte". CD

An important solo album from Robbie Robertson of The Band – produced with help from Daniel Lanois, and with titles that include "Hell's Half Acre", "Fallen Angel", "Broken Arrow", "Street Fire Of Love", "Somewhere Down The Crazy River", and "Sonny Got Caught In The Moonlight". Guests include U2, BoDeans, Peter Gabriel, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The follow-up to "Big Science", with Adrian Belew, Peter Gabriel, Bill Laswell, William S Burroughs, Anton Fier, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to go wrong with the insanity of this one! The record broke the bank of Genesis, but really allowed Peter Gabriel to trip out nicely as his swan song to the band. LP, Vinyl record album

A really breakthrough moment for Genesis – the first album to really unleash the majesty of the group in the Peter Gabriel generation! The songs here are longer than before, and show the expansive vision that the group only barely cracked with their debut – taken into longer-form songs that are a perfect showcase for Gabriel's mad vision and theatricality. The set starts with the soulful "Looking For Someone", the builds energy slowly, to end with the careening "The Knife" – possibly the real standout cut on the record. In between, other cuts include "White Mountain", "Visions Of Angels", "Stagnation", and "Dusk". LP, Vinyl record album

An album we come back to more and more over the years – a bit more subtle than some of the other Gabriel-era Genesis records, but in a really great way! You'll not get any overly-heavy concepts here, yet the album still retains all the instrumental complexity the group was getting so great at – nicely subtle at times, a bit more expanded at others – and with a balance of bigger songs and more personal moments that hints at the direction the group would take after Peter Gabriel. Instrumentation is superb, especially the keyboards – and titles include "Aisle Of Plenty", "Firth Of Fifth", "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "Battle Of Epping Forest", "The Cinema Show", and "More Fool Me" – the last of which was a key early vocal moment for Phil Collins. CD

Arguably Genesis at their finest – a trio of Peter Gabriel-era albums, all packaged together in one sweet little set! CD

Life after Peter Gabriel – with Phil Collins doing a surprisingly great job on vocals – free from all the tripe of later years! The group are still very much in the mode of their early prog years, but balance things out with a few catchier tunes – a mode that's a bit like the Selling England By The Pound album, sans Gabriel. Collins is learning how to express himself soulfully, but not in a commercial way – and the few off moments are more than balanced with some wonderfully tight instrumental work – on tracks that include "Dance On A Volcano", "Robbery Assault & Battery", "Ripples", "Trick Of The Tail", and "Mad Man Moon". CD

Life after Peter Gabriel – with Phil Collins doing a surprisingly great job on vocals – free from all the tripe of later years! The group are still very much in the mode of their early prog years, but balance things out with a few catchier tunes – a mode that's a bit like the Selling England By The Pound album, sans Gabriel. Collins is learning how to express himself soulfully, but not in a commercial way – and the few off moments are more than balanced with some wonderfully tight instrumental work – on tracks that include "Dance On A Volcano", "Robbery Assault & Battery", "Ripples", "Trick Of The Tail", and "Mad Man Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from Colin Scott – a hell of a singer/songwriter who should have been huge – and a talent who was taken from us all too soon! Colin's got a really special sound here – one that has deep American roots, but which is crafted with help from a huge amount of key talents on the British scene at the start of the 70s – including Robert Fripp and Brinsley Schwarz on guitars, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Peter Hammill on backing vocals – all working with these light string arrangements from Richard Hewson, but at a level that makes the whole thing feel very personal and immediate – maybe that special blend of the individual and the arrangements that Nick Drake had on record – even though Scot's a very different artist than Nick! Scot has an amazing way with a tune, and a vocal approach that will grab you instantly – on titles that include "The Boatman", "Hey Sandy", "Nite People", "My Rain", "Confusion"- "Baby In My Lady", and "You're Bound To Lead Us Now". LP, Vinyl record album

Artists featured Afro Celt Sound System, Farafina, Ayub Ogada, Little Axe, Peter Gabriel, and many more. CD

With some help from Peter Gabriel, Bill Laswell, Adrian Belew, William S. Burroughs, Anton Fier, Phoebe Snow, and more. CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! CD

A fantastic classic from Genesis – a record that really has the early version of the group at their height – able to spin out longform instrumental passages that would go onto shape a generation of proggers who tried to copy their sound – amidst lyrical moments that really have Peter Gabriel hitting his imaginative stride! The set's worth it alone for the amazing side-length "Supper's Ready" – a track so trippy, it's completely different than the Phil Collins-led era of Genesis – and the record features so many other great moments – like the commentary on urban housing that is "Get Em Out By Friday", the soaring keyboard-driven "Watcher Of The Skies", and the majestic "Can Utility & The Coastliners". All that and one of the strangest covers of all time too! LP, Vinyl record album

An early masterpiece from Genesis – the kind of visionary record that really set them apart from the rest of their generation – an incredible building-up in sound from their previous two albums, and proof that Peter Gabriel's talents were finally getting focused in the right direction! Keyboards cascade heavily – hitting Yes-like proportions, but with more structure, too – as time changes abound, scene changes match the energy of theme-changes – and the whole album falls into place beautifully, but with plenty of surprises along the way. Every song is a compelling little story – from the leadoff "Musical Box", to the spooky "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", and the playful "Harold The Barrel" – with sweeter moments that include "For Absent Friends" and "Harlequin" – just hinting at the crossover ballad style the group would embrace later, but without any of the cloying commerciality at all. LP, Vinyl record album

An album we come back to more and more over the years – a bit more subtle than some of the other Gabriel-era Genesis records, but in a really great way! You'll not get any overly-heavy concepts here, yet the album still retains all the instrumental complexity the group was getting so great at – nicely subtle at times, a bit more expanded at others – and with a balance of bigger songs and more personal moments that hints at the direction the group would take after Peter Gabriel. Instrumentation is superb, especially the keyboards – and titles include "Aisle Of Plenty", "Firth Of Fifth", "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight", "I Know What I Like", "Battle Of Epping Forest", "The Cinema Show", and "More Fool Me" – the last of which was a key early vocal moment for Phil Collins. LP, Vinyl record album

A really breakthrough moment for Genesis – the first album to really unleash the majesty of the group in the Peter Gabriel generation! The songs here are longer than before, and show the expansive vision that the group only barely cracked with their debut – taken into longer-form songs that are a perfect showcase for Gabriel's mad vision and theatricality. The set starts with the soulful "Looking For Someone", the builds energy slowly, to end with the careening "The Knife" – possibly the real standout cut on the record. In between, other cuts include "White Mountain", "Visions Of Angels", "Stagnation", and "Dusk". CD

The crowning proof that Gilles Peterson may well be the most important DJ in the world today! Incredible work by a range of top-shelf artists – all recorded exclusively for Gilles BBC radio show – not just up-and-comers from the global groove underground, but also some surprisingly well-known acts, stretching out here with new freedom in the studio! The package features a whopping 28 tracks in all – all recorded exclusively for the BBC in a way that's a 21st Century update of the famous John Peel sessions of years back – but with artists that are undeniably a heck of a lot hipper! There's plenty of work here that fits in perfectly with the usual Gilles P blend of jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, and a range of global influences – but perhaps the biggest surprise is the way that a few unlikely comers offer up some really unusual work in the company of the rest! Titles include "Telescopic" by Heritage Orchestra, "The Audience" by Matthew Herbert Big Band, "Who Is It" by Bjork, "Gabrielle" by Peven Everett, "Dreamy Days" by Roots Manuva, "Round The Bend" by Beck, "Improvised Jam" by NERD, "This Room" by Fat Freddy's Drop, "Meltin Pot" by The Roots, "Romance" by Beth Gibbons, "The Corner" by Common, "Red Clay" by Dwele, "Seedpod" by Homelife, "Sow Into You" by Roisin Murphy, "I'm Doin Fine" by Amp Fiddler, "This World" by Zero 7, "Sometimes" by Bilal, "Knives & Forks" by Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) & Steve Reid, "The Seed" by Cody Chestnutt, and "3am" by Plantlife. CD

An excellent package that features a CD apiece of each of these legendary DJ's spinning their favorite tunes back to back! Although Gilles and Norman have handled a lot of other compilations like this in recent years, this one's one of the first to really capture the spirit of their uniquely London take on the world of groove. The tracks are mixed, but pretty spaciously, so that most of them appear in nearly full entirety, with a smooth ride between tunes. Disc 1 features Gilles' tunes – a lot of new ones that include "Comfy Club" by Pnu Riff, "What's Wrong With Groovin" by Letta Mbulu, "Dingwalls" by Mark Murphy, "Gabriel" by Roy Davis with Peven Everett, "Ding Ding Ding" by I Cube, "Jazz With Attitude" by Bel Air Project, "Carnival Supreme" by Los Quatros Diablos, "Fedimes Flight" by Jazzanova, "Submersible" by Juryman & Spacer, "Love Supreme" by Ballistic Brothers, and Wondering" by Drop Zone Productions. Norman comes up with 17 more tunes for disc two – including "Breakin In Space" by Key Matic, "Family Tree (disco version)" by Family Tree, "Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Voices Of East Harlem, "Make Me Believe In You" by Patti Jo, "Afro Latin Concrete" by Red Cloud & Digital Hemp, "The Truth" by Truth All Stars, "Blacker Revisited" by Ballistic Brothers, "Love Supreme" by Alexander Robotnick, "Watermelon Man" by East Harlem Bus Stop, "Calm Down" by Most Wanted, and "Stars" by Nerissa. CD

A pretty amazing survey of the Cali art scene of the late 70s – served up here in a book that's half essay, half images – with work from dozens of important artists who include Edward Ruscha, Jim Melchert, Charles Gaines, Joe Goode, Patrick Hogan, The Kipper Kids, Hal Fischer, Judy Chicago, Robert Arneson, Peter D'Agostino, Karen Carson, Robert E Brown, Tony Berland, Terry Fox, Gary Panter, Raymond Pettibon, and even the folks at Survival Research Laboratories! The book offers up large, full-color images of dozens of important art works – and the writing does a great job of contextualizing the material – as part of an exhibition put together by the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. 312 pages, hardcover, and super-heavy! Book

The first-ever album from Joshua Redman to feature vocals, yet a set that also has plenty of his own great tenor sax as well – all set up in a very unusual format wrapped around different scenes and cities in the US! The record's a bit of a statement on the America of the 21st Century, as even older songs are transformed in the setting, and mixed with some especially nice originals by the group – delivered by a lineup that features Gabrielle Cavassa on vocals, Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The album also features guest work from Joel Ross on vibes, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein on guitars, and Nicholas Payton on trumpets – and titles include "After Minneapolis", "Chicago Blues", "Manhattan", "That's New England", "Alabama", "Where Are You", and "My Heart In San Francisco". CD

The first-ever album from Joshua Redman to feature vocals, yet a set that also has plenty of his own great tenor sax as well – all set up in a very unusual format wrapped around different scenes and cities in the US! The record's a bit of a statement on the America of the 21st Century, as even older songs are transformed in the setting, and mixed with some especially nice originals by the group – delivered by a lineup that features Gabrielle Cavassa on vocals, Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The album also features guest work from Joel Ross on vibes, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Peter Bernstein on guitars, and Nicholas Payton on trumpets – and titles include "After Minneapolis", "Chicago Blues", "Manhattan", "That's New England", "Alabama", "Where Are You", and "My Heart In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album