Vocal ANALYSIS of "Solsbury Hill" by Opera Singer / Voice Coach
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- čas přidán 23. 01. 2022
- Ever since analyzing Phil Collins, you all have let me know that I've left a large piece out of the puzzle by not taking a look at the legendary Peter Gabriel. So here in the new year, we're going to tackle one of the most successful and awarded solo artists with his hit single "Solsbury Hill"
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Peter Gabriel for the VERY first time, performing "Solsbury Hill” LIVE at Athens.
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Performed by Peter Gabriel in Athens, 1987
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Peter Gabriel - Solsbu...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Tool and Rush aren’t even in the same ball park for how progressive Peter Gabriel Genesis was! Hilarious comment. Try listening to “Supper’s ready”, a 22.54 long song with multiple sections including “Apocalypse in 9/8” which is in 9/8 timing, unsurprisingly.
I love your reactions they are second to none, my boys and i watch all your reactions together, and one other CZcamsr Amanda Webster, she is amazing and is someone I think you should reach out too, she is an amazing young lady same as your self, that being said you need to watch sabatons soldier of heaven, unbelievable
On a side note I would love to be a patreaon of yours unfortunately I can't be, my line of work strictly provides that as it may be misconstrued as having a biased in the court of law
Sorry it turns out I don't know how to spell either lol, it's not provide but prohibited from, i am an rcmp officer, for you all that are not familiar with Canadian law, we are the equivalent of your state sheriff's department, with full local jurisdiction
I'd love you to do an episode on Skid Row's Wasted Time, Sebastian Bach's vocal on that is ridiculously good - czcams.com/video/lYAbzJNXiJY/video.html
Hi Elizabeth, I think it's a sad but good occasion to suggest Meat Loaf for a reaction. I think you never done it. Maybw you can start a vote for him.
May he rest in peace
Now maybe it's time to watch Peter Gabriel duet with Kate Bush singing Don’t give up. Also Games without frontiers is a great song. Both have great messages contained within
Good suggestions
@@bozolito108 Thank you, my friend ❤
ooh, the sugar in Kate Bush's voice when she sings "Don't give up". Melts my heart every time.
"Security " 1982 is the most interesting album in every respect, however he has plenty of great songs.
Peter Gabriel has been experimenting with unusual time signatures, drum patterns, and polyrhythmic structures since he parted ways with Genesis. From the same album as this song, listen to the song “Games without Frontiers”, which is also a super clever comment on world history and affairs. Then move onto “Shock the Monkey” from the album of the same name. End with “Big Time” from the “So” album ( “Don’t Let Go”, and “Sledgehammer” are also from the “So” album). Also note, Genesis is considered to be a progressive rock group, a least earlier in their career, with albums like “A Trick of the Tail”. Only later did they become more mainstream.
“I think Genesis has a little progressiveness” is quite the understatement. They were one of the bands at the heart of progressive rock before it was even called that. You should try The Musical Box or Carpet Crawlers from their Peter Gabriel days - just please not the live versions. Also, When he left and Phil stepped out from behind the drum kit to sing, Phil’s first few albums as lead singer are wonderfully progressive.
Yep. Back then it was called "Art Rock" before "Progressive".
Despite being a nice tune, Carpet Crawlers is probably one of the least progressive genesis songs in terms of rythm. Better listen to the piano intro of Firth of Fifth were almost every bar has a diffrent time signature. Intresting are also the keybord solo at cinema show in 7/8, apocalypse in 9/8 (which is actually more of a polyrythm) and riding the scree. Dance on a volcano has a very weird beginning with 13/16 i think, then later goes to 7/8. But even sweet songs like mad man moon or one for the wine have lots of time signature changes.
Genesis is musically amazing. But diffrent to other prog rockers of the time such as yes, rush or elp genesis never had the urge to just show off their skills. Thats maybe why some people think Genesis have only a "little progressiveness".
You couldn't be more right. Genesis is the epitome of prog rock, and were on the vanguard of the movement. Countless bands across the spectrum, from Iron Maiden to Phish, all cite Genesis as major influences. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is probably the most frustrating albums of their early era, but it's understandable, given the turmoil inside the band at the time. In terms of PG really hitting it out of the park, there are countless examples on each of their albums of the era, I feel that songs like "The Knife" or "Dancing with the Moonlit" knight are frequently overlooked.
Even the simple early Genesis tunes - like “I Know What I Like,” “For Absent Friends,” “Harold the Barrel” and, yes, even “Carpet Crawlers” - are brimming with progressiveness. Time signature changes alone do not make prog rock prog. One of my favorite Steve Hackett pieces is a classical guitar/orchestrated one titled “Under the World - Orpheus Looks Back” off the album Metamorpheus that has a very simple foundation but builds layer after layer until it swells majestically by the end. Not typical prog because it isn’t rock, but very much progressive.
@@oliverzwahlen yes this
Peter Gabriel is the consummate storyteller. I never want his songs to end.
i/o!!!!
You arer SO RIGHt !!!!
And the Secret World concert was a giant story. Best concert I’ve ever seen in my life!
Right indeed.
I was 23 when I saw this concert in Athens. Location was ancient Greek theatre on the top of a hill called lykavittos. The capacity of the theatre to accommodate crowd was limited, hence the band were repeating the concert for a number of days. The acoustic of the ancient Greek theatre was amazing. Peter and the band were amazing. The best concert ever I have seen in my life.
Lucky you!!
Lucky, Indeed. My childhood friend who introduced me to Peter Gabriel gave me a VHS (CD's did not exist yet, or at least not commercially to the public) copy of his Live at Anthens concert which I believe was also called POV.
Whenever I feel like a bit of cheering up, I watch this compilation of versions over the years: czcams.com/video/WeYqJxlSv-Y/video.html The sheer joy is palpable...
The best Peter Gabriel performance has to be "In Your Eyes" Secret World Live. Just amazing.
Agreed!🔥
This made me think of seeing him in about 1991, or 92 secret world tour. class act Mr. Gabriel. Nevermind Tony Levin, Rhodes, drummer Katche. Feel fortunate saw them
Yes.
Got to throw my hand in with secret world live, in your eyes is great, but honestly the whole show is outstanding, there's not a bad track in it.
Peter with Paula Cole....secret world tour..best ever version of in your eyes
"Red Rain" is a really moving Peter Gabriel song. Every time I hear it, his vocal performance just hits me. When it's over, I feel like I just went through and event.
Great tune. I love the little raspy thing he adds to his voice. Mercy Street is another one of my favorites. So many good ones.
i love that peter got an absolute legend - jerry marotta on the drums and still got stewart copeland to play the hi hat on that tune to lift it just a little higher
I agree, Red Rain is amazing. My fave PG song
I just heard it in my head again and got goosebumps
There's a great live version of Red Rain with Peter, Michael Stipe, and Natalie Merchant from 1996 you should check out, as well
In your eyes live will make your man cry. Gets me every time.
The studio version is very special and transcendental and must surely be listened to as well...
YES! It's almost a different song, compared to this pared down arrangement. Not even nearly as powerful.
There's a much more playful, cheery vibe to this performance. The studio version seems deeper, somehow more contemplative.
Fascinating
Yes, this sounds so weird, mainly because of its tempo. It's way too fast. That's how you can destroy a very powerful song. Sad really!
I love the recorded version, and the version from secret world live.
The original Genesis lineup was VERY progressive. They were contemporaries with Yes, Pink Floyd, and many other 70's era prog from the UK. Peter sang for Genesis during their prog period, and Phil's ascension from drummer/backing vocals to lead singer coincided with their change to a more pop-friendly format.
Not for three albums, and Duke is still very prog as is Abacab.
@@SvenTviking True. Dance on a Volcano is proggy as anything from the Gabriel era (plus the Mekong Delta cover is rad as hell too).
I think the real change away from prog happened when Steve Hacket left. "One for the vine" from Wind and Wuthering for example is still a song i totally love.
@@SvenTviking Wind and Wuthering, Trick of the Tail, Duke, my fav Genesis albums.
@@ryanzillmer8511 Wow i totally forgot about Mekong Delta until i read your comment just now, awesome! Will be like travelling many years back in time for me for a moment :) Anyway, i've just discovered someone put up a very HQ version of Genesis' 73 Bataclan concert. Which has been hard to find from Gabriel era Genesis. So my suggestion is anything from that! Absolutely captivating music!
Everyone mentions Peter's contribution to progressive rock. He was equally important as a champion of - and a messenger for - world music, bringing global sounds to the masses in a way that was both instantly palatable and accurately representative of these artists' essential gifts.
Weirdly, we have the film "The Last Temptation of Christ" to think for this, as it was this job that led him to start searching for authentic music from the region, and made him fall more completely in love with world music, which is why the difference between his 1980 solo album (Melt) and his 1984 solo album (Security) have such a different quality to them. Security marked the introduction of a lot more world music influences into his work.
If you listen to the soundtrack for the Alan Parker film "Birdy," you hear a very different Peter Gabriel than you do for both Security and the soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ (released as "Passion")
Passion is one of my most listened to albums of all time. Just puts my mind in a different place.
@@AndrewMiesem Last Temptation is a monumental soundtrack, for sure! A game-changer. He had been interested in global sounds for quite a while before that, of course.
Absolutely! Womad too.
"I think Genesis might have a little bit of progressiveness to them" ~ yeah, I would say so, they were one of THE biggest experimental/surreal prog-rock bands back in the late 60s to mid 70s, but did change style quite dramatically later when Phil Collins took over... really interesting era for Genesis, try look it up :)
That made me laugh
I prefer the Peter Gabriel era too, but you are underselling some of the earlier Collins era prog albums imo. A Trick of the Tail and And Then There Were Three were very good Prog albums, and Phil Collins has a fantastic voice for prog rock, not just the Mother's Day gifts he became famous for later on. Even the Invisible Touch album has its moments, largely thanks to Tony Banks.
Biko live brings me to tears every time, I've been very lucky to see him live
Still gives me goose bumps. Frankly, Peter Gabriel could sing his shopping list and I'd get shivers.
He almost did on Aisles of Plenty - he sang a list of shops!
if it has a good beat and melody, i'll give it an 8.
Lol.😂
@@ianp9086 You beat me to this comment. Nicely done!
closest shop is morrisons
You really need to do an analysis of "In Your Eyes" from The Secret World Live tour. Incredible performance and one of his best.
I agree truly mesmerizing hypnotic magical performance! Better than the studio version!
Honestly, the entirety of Secret World Live is amazing.
Yes definitely, superb concert.
Agreed ... If you love the movement in the above song ... wait until you listen to In Your Eyes ... The Secret World Live Tour ... surprises for you too !
Yes that was a fantastic version of In your Eyes
Peter Gabriel is a brilliant musical mind. This song was a brilliant and underrated song at the time. I never get tired of hearing it after all these years. I remember it hitting the radio waves like it was only yesterday.
You are right, this song is mostly written in 7/4 time, an unusual time signature that has been described as "giving the song a constant sense of struggle". Which is quite fitting considering Gabriel's meaning of the song is about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get. Essentially the song is about letting go. The meter settles into 4/4 time only for the last two measures of each chorus and It is performed in the key of B major with a tempo of 102 beats per minute!
Late to the party, here. Also, the pulse within the 7 shifts between 3+4 in the instrumental sections and 4+3 in the vocal sections.
I just got on to comment similar and I’m glad someone else brought it up! It’s a great play for sure!
@@deenhubin3766 I just left a comment about that, then found your reply here. I'm glad someone else mentioned this, as I think the shifting between 3+4 and 4+3 is one of the biggest charms of this song.
When the word “Home” hits on the 8th beat it’s just perfect
Tony Levin (the bass guitarist) is one of the greatest musicians of the generation. Not only progressive, he has such a great pocket that he's able to develop, whether it's with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Liquid Tension Experiment (Dream Theater side project), or any of the plethora of other project with which he's associated. A true legend!
Looks like Tony pulled out his Chapman Stick, legendary!
I know it's a vocally focussed video, but I spent the whole time watching Tony.
Dude is a beast and very entertaining visually as well as musically.
Saw Tony Levin with King K and Peter G, MASSIVE GENIUS !!!
As an older Millennial and an ok bass player, I agree that Tony is absolutely great!
He was awesome with Paul Simon 50 ways to leave your lover live with legendary drummer Steve gadd
I am and have been a metalhead since I was 14 years old. But, Peter Gabriel is in my top 3 fav artists of all time. He is a musical genius (as is Tony Levin). Every time I hear Gabriel singing, it's like "soul calming" to me. Just instantly makes me smile and puts me at ease.
Red Rain would be another great analysis.
Same here. Peter Gabriel is one of my favorite non-metal artists. Red Rain is brilliant.
I agree, Red Rain is a beautiful song in so many ways
Yep, metal is great, Peter Gabriel is great, that's what's up!
Levin is the man
Ditto. I think it's because he held onto the prog side of his music. Mixing up sounds, instruments, time signatures etc. That and that smokey sound in his voice. I feel a little basic saying it, but In Your Eyes is my favourite of his.
Oh, I am sure someone told you this already, but when Gabriel was the lead in Genesis, it was one of the main prog rock bands. Both Peter and Genesis after he left became more main stream, but they are all deeply influenced by their prog rock years.
I loved you breaking down the 7/4. I have zero musical training, but I knew there was something different that contributed to my absolute love of this song. So thank you, I love understanding why I love something. Definitely one of the most uplifting and encouraging songs ever, it captures excitement for what the future holds so so well.
Peter was the Original Genesis Singer, after Lamb Lies Down he left and Phil took over.
The song Solsbury Hill is about the point when he left Genesis, It is about his Father (The Eagle) coming to pick him up from the hotel he was at as he couldn't deal with the in-fighting in Genesis anymore and needed to get out for his own sanity. There is a lot to the song that is yet to be explained fully if Peter ever does!!
Watch the version of Solsbury Hill from The Real World LIve video, where the stage revolves and they are all walking on it but going nowhere, except Peter who is cycling around the stage!! He always tried to make the shows an experience you would remember!!
I met Peter a few years back in a DElicatessen I worked in as a Chef in a village called Chobham in Surrey, England, his parents lived just outside the village, he was a really lovely guy, spent quite a bit of time chatting, asked me to deliver some things he'd bought to his parent's house, where he was when I got there, he invited me in for a coffee and I met his parents, who were great!! Such a fun time!!
He was a really nice guy from what I heard and seen.
I had the most massive crush on him back in the earlier days. Guy was an absolute babe. Great stage presence, costume choice n such.
Sometimes making dinner I'll sing up the stairs "Hey, my babes! Suppers waiting for youu🎶"
Wow what a great experience!!
Paul, THANK YOU for sharing. What an experience getting to meet Peter and his parents. What a moment that had to be. It means a lot that he was classy and respectful. Solsbury Hill is one of my top 10 all time favorite songs. I NEVER get tired of listening to it, such a BEAUTIFUL song.
@@staytuned2L337 He still is an absolute babe.
Elizabeth, "Solsbury Hill" is the ultimate song of personal empowerment. The 7/4 time signature that you so badly want resolved signifies the tense aspect of making a fundamental change in your life that will have profound and long-lasting effects; the resolution at the end of the song is the musical equivalent of the positive outcome. As an aside, "Money" by Pink Floyd is also written in 7/4, with David Gilmour's guitar solo and center section in 4/4. As for Genesis "having a little bit of progressiveness", well, my lady fair, Genesis has A LOT of progressiveness, especially in their music from the '70's !!! As far as Peter's voice telling a story, might I suggest "Supper's Ready" from their album 'Foxtrot'; it is a Gold Standard in the world of Prog Rock. And from his solo work, "In Your Eyes" would be a great landing spot for you. Thank you SO much for your analysis and reviews !!!
I would like to add the Gabriel and Genesis wrote their first album whilst they were still at Charterhouse public school here in the UK. They were considered to be at the forfront of the Prog Rock movement in the late sixties. You really need to listen to some of their Gabriel era songs. The one I would recomend is Firth of Fifth, with a buitiful grand piano intro by Petr Banks.
@@martinmay8919 I love that this song has been in 7/4 all this time, and never noticed before. Interesting, am I wrong, but it does it go to 4/4 after each "boomboomboom"?
Ditto for"In Your Eyes" BTW, and I bet there's some killer live versions on YT.
Well said. Also, the song is never played the same live on guitar as the studio version with Steve Hunter on guitar, Rhodes always leaves out the F#. Might have been a copyright thing.
@@stevemd6488 Very interesting. I always liked the musician credits in the liner notes: "Steve Hunter---Full Frontal guitar" 🙂
Thanks for pointing out that Pink Floyd's 'Money' has the same 7/4 time signature. - Perhaps that is why the solo gives some temporary resolution and relief from the unnerving main signature?
You might wanna check out also some of Peter Gabriels "Secret World Tour" songs - for this tour, he had Paula Cole who added perfectly to his vocals, I think. Moreover, I love the way, they told the stories of the songs visually (typical of his work) like him singing onstage in a phone booth ("Come talk to me") or creating the idea of floating on a river with the means of light and fog ("Across the river"). There are some songs that really express his acknoledgement for women, what they´ve gone through and that it shouldn´t remain that way ("Shaking the tree"). Very touching. So, it´s worth watching the entire concert. It´s a piece of art musically, lyrically and visually!
Amazing song, but you're absolutely right. The songs from that tour surpass this version.
Come Talk to me for me amazing
Peter Gabriel is unquestionably my favorite artist of all time. This was certainly one of his most popular and easily accessible songs of his early solo career. My understanding is that he left Genesis to pursue a more deeply abstract and creative path. Genesis followed a path of more accessible popular style. Early in Peter's solo career, it was an amazing experience to go to one of his concerts. Nearly every person in the audience knew every lyric to every song. When Peter was singing a soft part, tens of thousands of people in the audience went absolutely silent. PG fans were not just normal fans, they were devotees who had been touched by the creative magic of his music, and forever changed by the experience. Peter was not particularly blessed with phenomenal vocal pipes. His vocal skill, however, certainly puts him at the top for creative expressiveness. In one of Peter's early songs, "Through the Wire" he has a line that says "I talk in pictures not in words". This is the essence of a PG song. He doesn't just tell a story. He combines poetic lyrics with progressive music innovations to allow the audience to emotionally, and physically share the experience. Seemingly non-sequitur lyrics create a sequence of emotional/psychological snapshots create an experiential story that transcends words. In a very real sense, the listener becomes the instrument and the song is used to play them. Thanks for reacting to this song. It was certainly a trip down memory lane for me.
You have put into words what i could never do THANK YOU AND I AGREE .
Genesis didnt follow a accessible style in the 70s at all: they were a prog band with a big cult following. So I'd guess Gabriel left to have more freedom in making music, instead.
It was a bunch of things, but primarily that he wanted to get away from the "machinery" of Genesis and being in a super active, committee based touring band. He felt constrained by it and felt it was time to set off on his own.
On top of that, there was some major personal family stress going on and wanted to spend some time with them without any obligations.
Thankfully, one of those rare band breakups where everyone won, and there was truly no hard feelings between them.
You should hear "Games Without Frontiers" and "Don't Give Up". Both by Peter Gabriel and featuring Kate Bush (she has an AMAZING voice).
An analysis of Kate Bush would be insane.
Here Comes The Flood is an beautiful and underrated vocal masterpiece by him too!
Absolutely. Best Gabriel sing overall imho.
one of my all time favorites.
This man is a musical genius. The best concert I've ever been to was Peter and Sting together at Madison Square Garden; not one after the other, but at the same time. They went back and forth doing songs and backing each other with the band, and at one point each one performed one of the other's songs. I wish I could go back and see it again for the first time. This song, though, this one is an anthem. Kinda feels like you can try anything, right? And that, win or lose, you'll be greater for the attempt.
Peter Gabriel was in the forefront of progressive rock with early Genesis. I would love to see you do Lamb lies down on Broadway!
Solsbuy HIll is one of my favourite songs by Peter Gabriel. In this video we also see Tony Levin playing Chapman Stick, a very interesting instrument. Back when I first started learning guitar many years ago, I had asked my guitar teacher to teach me this song...and he came back to me and said roughly "That way leads to madness". It's not immediately apparent how to play it on guitar, and it took an article about the guitarist who composed the guitar part which is based upon the original piano version of the song for an "easy" way to play the guitar part. For a "pop" hit, it is an amazingly complex song!
When Robbie Robertson (The Band) released his first solo record after 25(?) years, he used Gabriel players Tony Levin (bass) and Manu Katche (drums). Gabriel came in and did backing vocals for a couple of songs. Asked why he reached out to Peter Gabriel, he said, "I like his voice. He sounds like ghosts."
Not to disillusion our illustrious host for this very concise and thorough analysis of a great song by one of my favorite singers, but having worked as a recording engineer for some years, one thing that many people don't know is that for 'live' versions of songs intended for release, they VERY often don't use the actual 'live' vocal tracks. It's true. In fact, often they don't use the 'live' guitar tracks as well. Heck, in many cases the ONLY actual LIVE component is the drum track! They dump the rest, and re-do them in the studio, where there's much more control, no background hiss, unexpected feedback squeals, AND no odd vocal artifacts caused by, oh, running or jumping while singing, per se. I'm not saying for certain that's the case in THIS performance, but it IS a lot more common than people think. There were many performances where I was 100% convinced, as a professional musician, that all the tracks were live, only to learn, by hearing the recordings in a studio where they can isolate each track, that in fact no, they weren't actually live. Just like in movies; soooo many dialogues were re-recorded in the studio, when the 'on stage' recordings of the actors speaking their lines are bad sound quality, or the boom mic is picking up weird extraneous sounds, whatever. You watch a movie a half dozen times, moved by the actor's delivery of their lines, only to discover that nope, it's Maxell... And to anyone who gets that deep cut reference, leave a comment, please! That's one of the reason's I've commented on this channel that the tendency to choose 'live' renditions of songs, is sometimes a losing proposition...
I was patiently waiting for you to pickup on the 7/4 beat, I saw it in your eyes and then you started counting, I was like ah she caught it. Love your reactions.
I was gonna write exactly the same comment, but you beat me to it… 😂😂
I saw it in her eyes when she picked up on it 👍🏼👍🏼
Except there are two bars of 4/4 with the lines 'Son he said, grab your things I'm going to take you home'
Finally! One of the greatest artists. Genius and unique!
And Peter Gabriel is alright too. 😇😅
I could not wait to watch your reaction. Flew home from work. Please do just about anything from his Grammy concert "Secret World Live." Do yourself a favor and start with the opening song, "Come Talk To Me." Yes, the last two are iconic, but this song is such a theatrical and beautiful introduction to the concert. Please, please, please!
One of Peters most deep and emotional songs is called Mercy Street, And it drips with brilliance! If you want to see the vulnerability in his voice, the pure beauty...please check this one out! Chills Every Time! 🙂✌️
Don't Give Up (with Kate Bush) for me - hard not to swallow hard every time I hear it.
Yep, adore this one. The doubled melody the octave down is glorious, and the harmonies are heartwrenching.
My favourite Gabriel song. Perfect
One of the best songs writen.
Agreed, and there's this excellent live version from the 2003 "Growing Up" tour that would be perfect for review on the channel:
czcams.com/video/NX7zIypE2FE/video.html
Saw him perform in Copenhagen just a few weeks ago. Superb.... legend.... so many adjectives.
None do him justice.And he sang "Solsbury Hill" wonderfully.
Yes! Saw him last night, and I was stunned at how great he sounds -- even if he, Tony and David don't jump around as much anymore. :-) The passage of time... bittersweet.
I saw that concert, too - AMAZING :-)
Tony Levin was on his first solo tour and has been his go to bass player for most of his solo career. Tony has done a lot of work with King Crimson also.
Master of the Stick Bass. Saw him with Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe
Shout out for Tony! A man and his Chapman stick.
Levin also played with Lennon, can’t get much better than that
I don't think he's ever been without Tony. They appear to be great friends as well... but then he seems to be very cool with his musicians and crew as well, so when you find a gig like that, you don't give it up.
Early on, while he was still with Genesis, they were considered a Prog Rock band. The other members wanted to go in a different direction and Peter left. His solo career took off and he put out a number of great songs. Another great one is "In Your Eyes", there's a great live version here on You Tube, written about Rosanna Arquette. Interestingly she was also the inspiration for Toto's "Rosanna".
Damn. Should she have a sense of hubris about this? Who in their life has had the fortune to be so compelling as to inspire two massive pop songs?
@@georgeidarraga4006 As the story goes, she was dating Peter and he wrote that song. Shortly afterwards Jeff Porcaro, the drummer for Toto, started dating her and so lightning struck twice. Off the top of my head I can think of another one who had two songs written about her. Marylin Monroe, Elton John wrote "Goodbye Norma Jean" and Joe Elliot, of Def Leppard, wrote "Photgraph".
Actually it was Peter who wanted to change direction. Remember that the next 2 Genesis albums were still progrock albums albeit a bit more accessible.
@@vernhoke7730 Pattie Boyd is another case, where both Harrison and Clapton wrote songs for her.
@@georgeidarraga4006 Patti Boyd - inspired "Something" by the Beatles/George Harrison, and "Layla", "Bell Bottom Blues", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Old Love" by Eric Clapton.
Yes! Now you’re going to see why I want Suppers Ready so bad. He’s such a talented artist.
Talk about throwing her in the deep end!
I absolutely love this song. Every time i hear it my heart's goin BOOM BOOM BOOM
7/4 can be accentuated many ways. In this song, he does ONE two three four FIVE SIX SEVEN, essentially offsetting the pattern into 3 and 4 with the 4 split between the three beats at the end and the downbeat. It's genius how he does it.
As you know, Phil played drums for Genesis back when Peter was the front man for the group. His voice, singing backup, was so close to Peter's that it's only natural that Phil would take over for Peter when he left the band. If you want a real treat, have a listen to "In Your Eyes", from his Secret World tour czcams.com/video/evN6DIGPIJM/video.html.
That's a great song!
I second this ;-)
In Your eyes... definitely!
Phil also played drums on multiple Peter Gabriel solo albums.
Definitely check out In Your Eyes - more than one amazing vocal performance in there
There is something special/spiritual in Peter’s stuff that really gets me. Hard to put your finger on it. He’s just brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant. He's said that the first music that really influenced him were church hymns, as it was soul music before he had discovered soul music. And some of his songs definitely have the feel of hymnals...Father, Son for example, or Blood of Eden.
You really need to hear the studio album version. The live version is amazing, but the studio version is.....just unreal
SO much more powerful!
I agree it's amazing but his voice really got better with age...so both are great.
I, an American, landed in London for the first time on what felt like the day this was released. For the next six weeks of my visit I heard this song EVERYwhere. You could not escape it if you wanted to…and I never wanted to. Still don’t. An absolutely magical song and stunning vocal performance. Unlike anything that was on the radio up to that time, and seldom since. I loved watching your surprised reaction…trying to compute what the hell was happening at first! Lol
It was fun watching someone hearing for the first time. :)
Older Genesis (with Peter Gabriel) was very progressive, and it's the genius of Gabriel that he can be so creative with this unique musical composition and make it so remarkably palatable to the public.
My favourite part is when the meter changes to 8/4 just when he's singing "son, he said: grab your things I'm gonna take you home" so the word home lands on the downbeat of the next bar. I always felt as if the odd time signature resolves for a brief moment at that point, and it's no coincidence it lands on "I'm gonna take you home".
Many thanks for this wonderful video, Elizabeth!
Peter Gabriel is referred as the Prog Father, just as a light-hearted side note about that funky time signature and Peter's musical identity. I love the discussion about the energy and emotions that time signature generates. Peter, I am 99% certain, was intending that. He is a sound architect as well as a musician, singer, and song writer. Evoking and invoking emotion through sound is his whole bag.
Thank you, once more, for being one of the best, most astute and sensitive vocal analysts here on CZcams!! I love your videos.
I idolize Peter Gabriel. But he would ad an extra vocal track on his live recording and after watching the video of these songs, it seems to me he did it here too. That's how he's able to have such tone quality while jumping and running around.
I'm glad you said that, this was clearly an overdub. Don't get me wrong he's an incredible artist but this is a bit disappointing. Cheers.
Thousands of hearts went "boom boom boom" today, thank you Elizabeth!
It feels like any live performance by Peter Gabriel is just a celebration of everything that is good about life. The entire performance of In Another's Eyes from the Secret World show just moves me like few other performances can.
A Peter Gabriel shows is one of those performances that everyone should see just for the experience. The stage, the big band, and the music. He really cares about the audience.
I lived at the bottom of Solsbury hill for a while and used to regularly climb to the top, I really miss that area.
How can someone who's life is music being hearing so many legendary songs for the first time
You should watch the "Peter Gabriel: So" documentary. It's shows what a complete artist he is. Singer, musician, writer, producer, composer and how his choices in musicians contributed to the character and success of the So album.
You must have never heard the Gabriel-Era Genesis 25 minute opus “Supper’s Ready”?
It’s amazing and worth checking out!
It’s got a section that’s in 9/8!
Genesis, Yes, & King Crimson were the “big 3” of classic prog.
I think there is a little bit of progressiveness into Supper's Ready...
@@alainrobillard4300 😂😂
Yessongs and The Court of the Crimson King were huge.
If I was to name the most influential but underrated album of all time I think Court of the Crimson King would be it.
@@AndyViant I don't know. I think it's generally considered the "big bang" of Progressive Rock, the one that would define the approach to music. With all that historical importance, it's sometimes easy to forget how excellent it is. So maybe that's what you mean by underrated?
Don't forget ELP!
Now you need to observe Peter Gabriel and Paula Cole doing “come talk to me” live. It’s brilliant and beautiful
This ^^^
yes!!!!!!
Oh yes, please...!!!👏
Oh yea.
Quite a wise point!
Peter Gabriel’s live shows all feature dancing musicians. It’s part of the energy of the live show, it draws the audience in
Peter Gabriel was the first musician that traveled around the world he carried a briefcase with him and he recorded beats from tribes and people all over Africa and all over the world. In that briefcase that he carried was full of cassette tapes of all the recordings he made from all the people all over the world and all their beats that’s why he has such an original music catalog he’s the person that introduced the beats of the world to America
I could be mistaken, but I think Paul Simon, David Byrne, and many others beat him to that. World music was getting intro'd in America at least as far back as the 60s. Afrobeat was getting play on the hip stations, and Fela Kuti was touring by the 70s. Simon & Garfunkel's El Condor Pasa is essentially a cover/remake of a 1913 Peruvian song. But regardless of who was first, Gabriel certainly played a part in mainstreaming diverse beats into the charts.
Ginger Baker, 1971. czcams.com/video/80LfQZUxeP0/video.html
I immediately think of "Biko"
His voice has aged incredibly well. Some of his more recent recordings are even more expressive. He still has great range, but his centre has gone down in pitch a bit, which I think suits him.
If you wanna be surprised by his abilities to keep his voice controlled while moving, watch a video of him performing this song a little later in his career. The stage not only rotates but he's also riding a bicycle along the edge of the stage in a different direction from the band and if your eyes are closed you wouldn't be able to tell any difference in his voice as he's singing! 😳😲
Early Genesis was very much a progressive rock band. One of their better known pieces of that era is Firth of Fifth, which is absolutely worth a listen.
The 7/4 time signature that you barely notice, very nice song.
Oh I can't wait for you to listen! I notice. ;-)
@@TheCharismaticVoiceah sure wouldn't have expected anything else of you 😉 but it 'fits', it doesn't feel awkward. Same as with Money by Pink Floyd!
This song might be the most important piece of music in my life. I was 13 years old when this came out, and it grabbbed me so hard. Now, 45 years later, I still love this song, still love Peter Gabriel, but more important; music is the only thing that keeps me afloat.
"No fight left or so it seems I am a man whose dreams have all deserted I've changed my face, I've changed my name But no one wants you when you lose".
Life might suck, but music is always there to comfort you.
I've listened to this track one summer night on Solsbury Hill, NE of Bath, UK. I love this song so much - in my top 5 songs ever...
I think Peter Gabriel is somewhat underrated at this point. Probably because he was so very popular in the 80s, it's easy to forget what a great experimental artist he is. On this side of the pond, I'd compare him with David Byrne. To some extent I think that made their lives difficult, but kudos for making high quality, experimental music that's also commercially viable. There's nothing inherently wrong with pop as long as it's good. Great reaction. (It's interesting to note that early Genesis is often anything but commercial)
Concur on the Gabriel/Byrne comparison. It's hard to explain, because their music is quite different, but they are similar in their drive and their commitment to exploration.
Honestly I feel like its intentional on his part. He isnt' trying t be a pop artist he's just trying to do his thing
Peter has to be one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever to have lived. Check out songs like “Biko”, “Games Without Frontiers “ and the absolutely magical version of “Signal To Noise” from his ‘Growing Up - Live’ video. Thank you Elizabeth 👍👍👍👍
hey lovely young lady. these lyrics are about so much more than leaving a musical band
new to the channel. absolutely refreshing thank you🥃
I love PG's music, and so many of his songs, but, THIS is my favorite of his songs. Something about the message and the tone just brings me so much joy.
I just simply have to very highly recommend his masterpiece “In Your Eyes”. It’s got a real bright, high, and pure type of beauty which is absolutely grand.
The Secret World version is a gold standard for me. Includes Papa Wemba and Paula Coles as short soloists and the whole backing gang.
And _Red Rain._
@@jamessweet5341 oh yeah. :-) CD/Album version, not the edited video release. :-)
In your eyes from The secret World tour is transcendent
Loved this song since I was a kid. Whenever life feels stale, tedious or staid, stick this on and remind yourself you can always leave things behind and make a change for the better - and the intrinsic message that just because something is right for everybody around you, doesn't necessarily mean it has to be right for you too.
Peter Gabriel performed a duet "Blood of Eden" featuring Sinead O'Connor and is taken from Peter's sixth album, US, was released in 1992. It is beautiful.
In the early 90s, I went through a phase of framing lyrics (printed on parchment with burned edges) to some of my favorite songs. Two songs that got this treatment were New World Man by Rush and Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel. I gave the Solsbury Hill frame to a girlfriend, with whom I'd shared a climb up a mountain in Colorado. Relationship didn't go anywhere, and I kind of wish I had the frame back.
"Don't Give Up" is an amazing duet with Kate Bush. While simple, the music video for the song is quite compelling. The song never fails to make me cry, as it pretty much sums up a lot of peoples' lives - including my own.
I would so love to hear Kate Bush's voice, and particularly her vocals on this recording, analized!
I prefer the Secret World version with Paula Cole.
My fav Peter song is Digging In The Dirt.
@@rx7dude2006 Agree 100% The Peter & Paula version is the best and has that something extra that is hard to define.
I second this- a two for one vocal analysis on one of the best duets of all time?
I love your reactions and detailed technical analysis.
FYI: Genesis, together with Pink Floyd, Yes, King Krimson and a few others basically "invented" progressive rock in the late 60s early 70s.
If you want to go down that rabbithole check out Genesis' Supper's Ready.
It's considered by many to be THE standard for Progressive Rock. There are good live versions with Peter's crazy costumes availible...
Exactly!
*NODS* they (or at least Yes) thought of what they were doing as "Classical-Rock"; Literally fusing the techniques and structures of "Classical" music (in the broadest sense, i.e. including everything from Baroque to Avante Garde) with the instruments and performance tools of a rock band. The "Progressive" label was invented later by a music journalist, I think...?
@@therealpbristow I'm pretty sure I remember using the term "progressive rock" to describe the genre in the mid-70s, interchangeably with "Art Rock."
@@Malacandra Oh yeah, it didn't take long to catch on with the public once the term was coined.
Suppers Ready is a fantastic vocal performance, especially the Willow Farm section with all those silly voices. Peter Gabriel has a plastic quality to his voice in his early days that let him morph his singing to fit different characters really effectively.
At the end that audience is just going wild. I'm filled with envy for them. Thank you so much.
This is my third time listening to you listening to Peter Gabriel. Probably not the last.
Never quit please. Never. Never. Never.
This is a brilliant song, and there's an interesting triple connection between it, an earlier Peter-Gabriel-era Genesis song called "Supper's Ready," and a later Phil-Collins-era Genesis song called "Los Endos." The final lines of "Supper's Ready," a song many consider to be the greatest progressive rock composition of all time (up there with Yes' "Close to the Edge" and Rush's 2112), says "Lord of Lords, King of Kings, has returned to lead his children home, to take them to the new Jerusalem"; a part of this line is echoed in the fade-out of the later instrumental "Los Endos," where Phil Collins sings--barely audibly--"There's an angel standing in the sun, free to get back home." The line is a nod to Gabriel and his solo career (well-wishes in spite of tensions in the band around the time Gabriel left), and is on the album A Trick of the Tail, released in 1976, the year before Peter Gabriel released his first solo album in 1977. The first single from that album was "Solsbury Hill," whose refrain about going back home, taking him home, etc., clearly alludes to the culminating line in what up to that point may have been Genesis' signature composition, and the refrain may even acknowledge the "Los Endos" homage from his former bandmates. There's probably a clearer account of this somewhere out there, but the connections are interesting and, to me, add further depth to an already great song on its own!
Genesis did not go 'mainstream' until 1978, which was after the departures of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. But the band was very progressive in their early albums ... fantastic music with time signatures that will melt your mind.
Yeah! Even at the age of almost 67 I often listen to early Genesis. One of my favourites is the amazing "Suppers Ready" and when it gets to the "Apocalypse in 9/8" section I just have to replay it half a dozen times!!
This song makes me cry every single time I hear it. It fits for me in many times in my life.
Not sure how best to describe Peter Gabriel's voice. It has a kind of "thickness" to it which makes it so distinctive. Phil's voice had more sharpness to it but was of the right pitch for him to become vocalist in Genesis. No doubt someone, somewhre has suggested you listen to "Firth of Fifth" Only just discovered your channel and loving your reactions to artists I like
Oh Elizabeth,... I never tire of hearing your first blushes on songs like these. The lyric is the focus of this brilliant track, and the live version misses a little of the nuanced touches of the recorded version, but this has some extra dynamics/gymnastics. Gabriel's voice is so unique, and his ability to power notes at the top of his range is extraordinary. As for Gabriel's music - Genesis helped invent prog rock, and Gabriel is a multi-instrumentalist with a great understanding of rhythm. This was at the beginning of a period when he was very influenced by African rhythms. He was always progressive, even when he decided to go pop and cash in.
That is an absolute signature element in Peter’s singing - his “honk”. Throughout his entire career.
Yes that.. A!
LOL I never thought of it as a "honk" before.
I think it's a perfect fourth over the main note, almost like a yodel. Sometimes it's short and barely perceptible, other times he transitions to it.
His beautiful singing honk. :) Thanks, gave me a much-needed chuckle!
It is my all time favorite song, simply amazing
More than just a voice analysis of the song --- comprehensive resplendent analysis of the music, voice, harmony, melody, lyrics, intonation, and even body kinetics on the stage -- brava, maestro!
It may not be the hippest thing to say, but this is by far my favorite Peter Gabriel song. I very much liked how you focused in on the 7/4 . This song was important because everyone was afraid that Gabriel couldn't strip down and make music that wasnt "weird" or "unacessable". Yet here we are with a big radio friendly hit and that 7/4
Good choice!
This song is very special to a lot of 70s boys, who have re/connected with their father. "Son, " he said
"Grab your things, I've come to take you home." Resonated with a good few.
I have been mesmerized by Peter Gabriel's voice in general from his early days in Genesis, and this song in particular ever since I heard it when it first came out in 1977. As you say, it's impossible not to get caught up in its energy, even if you don't know the time signature (as I didn't until earlier this year, after I had learned to play the guitar part!).
Three other points, beyond all the fascinating technical ones you make:
1. I saw him live recently, and he is still producing an amazing sound now ( 36 years later-at 73), still a beguiling combination of gentle but piercing clarity and with the most subtle raspy edge to it-unique!
2. He doesn't just write & sing songs, he produces and inhabits them as multi-creative endeavours. His use of the visual and physical complement the aural. Watch any of his live shows, not least his current i/o tour (in which, of course, they play Solsbury Hill). The whole show is choreographed, including amazing lighting, art and visual effects.
3. He is not unused to unorthodox time signatures (see 'Apocalypse in 9/8' from the 1972 Genesis album 'Supper's Ready').
Thank you for bringing another, analytical, layer of appreciation to this amazing, intuitive, and dynamic work.
Supper's Ready is genius!
Must admit been waiting for this, had hoped for the bicycle version for the giggle though 😀
All here who ask for a review of In Your Eyes, you are right. The creativity, complexity, beauty and energy of this song is just breathtaking. The musical performance on all instruments is top class (Tony Levin‘s baseline …). And these voices: Peter, Paula, Papa Wemba and the parts when they all join in. I am lucky enough having seen all of Peter Gabriel‘s tours and this might be the ultimate performance. And I am sad for everybody who wasn‘t there - and I mean it.
I think you might enjoy bookending this with the 2003 "Growing Up Live" tour in Milan. His voice has matured and has evolved into something incredible.
"The Charismatic Voice" is classy television. It's incredible what new media makes possible, and it's beautiful when content creators make the most of it. This channel is just very wholesome, interesting, classy, engaging, and a lot of fun.
Nice. Peter Gabriel has a great voice, and his live presence is fantastic.
I love Red Rain. Definitely check that one.
Me too !
Red rain is my favorit
I feel like no song quite captures that soothing "rasp" he gets in his voice more than the choruses of Red Rain.
Yes, one of my favourites too, I'm a drummer and Manu Kitchen is amazing. I think the best version of Red Rain is on Secret World.
You REALLY need to check out Cocteau Twins!! Elizabeth Frazer has the most unique and amazing voice in pop music! Carolyn's Fingers or Lorelei are gems!!
Yeah but it's gotta be Heaven or Las Vegas!
A classic for sure! The vocal styling on the 2 I mention are a bit more acrobatic!
I'm here because I'm crying. I can't stop im a single parent. I'm 57 years old. I've raised both my sons alone. They're now age 25 and 17. Im an alcoholic to my core. I cant stop drinking. I just watched a Matthew Perry interview after he died that led to a Peter Gabriel don't give up and then that took me here after watching another one of his songs. This one Salisbury Hill and I'm here and she just said that she's touched by this music and so am I and I don't know why. I just know I can't stop crying but I think I'm going to die in my own hands
One day. Sing to yourself all day.❤
For over 30 years now Peter is my absolute favourite Musician! I LOVE this man for everything he has done, everything he is doing and everything he will do in future! Such a unique and brilliant voice, 50% power, 50% Fragility.. I recomend to listen to his album "New Blood", where he performes some of his songs in new arrangements with a philhamonic orchestra, AMAZING!
This is the official theme song of my life. I'm a huge Gabriel fan. Can't wait.
Good choice. Another one would be Peter Gabriel Don't give up live. It's a duet with Paula Cole and It's amazing
The studio version with Kate Bush is far superior
I also opt for the Kate Bush original - what an amazing artists she is!
I'm a huge Kate Bush fan, but I prefer the live version with Peter and Paula. There's no imitating Kate, so Paula did her own thing and it was simply wonderful.
I came here to recommend the same one and don't prefer the studio. Secret World Live is one of Peter Grabriel's best imo, and the performance of Don't Give Up on that one is mind-blowing imo. I hope she reacts to that one
ETA: Also I want a reaction to Kiss That Frog lolol.
Tough call. The live version is very powerful. I'm not crying, you're crying.
A few years ago, I travelled from Canada to a pilgrimage (of sorts) to England and Ireland. One destination was to find and walk up Solsbury Hill with the song play as I went. I did that. It was great.
I love this song. Thank you
(Washing of the waters) ..... Will the river carry me home.....living river carry me home to the place where I come from.
This song is one of his best vocal and emotional performances . Studio vers.
Powerful. Solo work