Nearly twenty years ago, Peter Gabriel began the process of recording tracks for what was to become his masterpiece. So , was released in the spring of 1986; and in a decade of rock music that was energetic, creative, and gimmicky and often way over the top, his record towered above anything else.
Gabriel had been working towards this ideal combination of sound and songwriting with his previous two releases, PG3, otherwise known as Melt . This innovative record featured the satirically political number “Games without Frontiers and his trademark anthem for human rights titled “Biko”. The other release was record was PG4, called Security , which yielded a top forty hit you might remember called “Shock the Monkey. With these two brilliant releases, Gabriel explored and incorporated his passion for World music with the skillful use of real and electronic percussion as well as unique implementation of available synthesizer and recording technique.
During the early eighties, Gabriel built his Real World Studios located in Wiltshire , England , which is approximately two hours travel time from London . This is where he recorded So , with himself and Daniel Lanois taking on the responsibility of producing the album. The core of his recording band became the band that he also toured with including Manu Katche on drums, Tony Levin on bass and Chapman Stick and David Rhodes on guitar. In 1986, I had the privilege of seeing this great band live and it was show that was unforgettable. While recording the record, there was also an array of amazing guest musicians on hand including former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, renowned performance artist Laurie Anderson and Kate Bush the darling of the ethereal set.
So essentially offers up seven brilliant tracks and couple of extra tidbits, including “This is the Picture, which was not released on the vinyl version and only on the compact disc. The record opens with “Red Rain”, a powerfully fascinating musical canvass that is as expansive as the Sahara Desert is vast. The lyrics are abstract, yet thought provoking and Gabriel squeezes out his vocal prowess to the very last note. “Sledgehammer”, a song that has become one of his signature numbers, won the artist a Grammy Award for the superlative Claymation video produced for the song, which should be considered a modern media classic. It is also one of the most playful tunes ever written about a young lad desiring to prove his sexual prowess.
“Don't Give Up” an exquisitely beautiful ballad, features the delicately perfect background vocals of Kate Bush, who was in some ways was Gabriel's female counterpart in the realm of art rock. The earnest lyrical message about a depressed and broken man, who is supported by his loved ones, is soulful and nearly perfect in its naked sincerity. It is followed by “That Voice Again”, which is a song about a relationship that is diminished by the harsh verbal interactions that leave a man wondering about the difference between physical attraction and a love that will stand the test of time.
A theme song for lovers during the late l980's was certainly “In Your Eyes”. This track was prominently featured in the film Say Anything , where a lovelorn John Cusack holds up a boom box over his head blasting this Gabriel opus in hopes of catching the ears of woman who has rejected his affections. This melodic power ballad was one of the first rock numbers that effectively incorporated a World beat flavor, that featured Manu Katche playing the talking drum and the stellar vocal work of African vocalist Youssou N'dour singing in what could be described as a plaintive wail at the end of the song.
“ Mercy Street ” is my choice for the finest track on the record. It was inspired by the morose poem “ 45 Mercy Street ” and is dedicated to its author Anne Sexton. The song itself is a superlative combination of haunting arrangement, soulful melody and lyrical imagery. After reading Sexton's poetry, I understand how well Gabriel has captured her pain and depression in the words of his song. It is the breathtaking work of a master musician, performer and story teller.
“Big time” is as Humphrey Bogart said so eloquently in The Maltese Falcon, “The stuff that dreams are made of.” This song is the quintessential story of the small town lad that has big…and I mean really big goals; take this passage for example:
“I've had enough; I'm getting out to the city, the big big city
I'll be a big noise with all the big boys
There's so much stuff I will own
And I will pray to a big God
As I kneel in the big church.
This sardonic piece about the minefield of success grooves from the first beat until the last and was extremely effective as a live number during the So tour, where Gabriel cleverly employed moving light booms, as props that attacked him during his performance.
“We Do What We're Told was a number that Gabriel had been performing at his live shows since 1980 and I think was included on the record as an afterthought. The simple lyrics were based on the Stanley Milgram experiments on obedience and authority conducted at Yale University during the early 1960's. Unfortunately the lofty premise of the song concept doesn't measure up as manifested on the track and would have been better left off the record.
I believe that So was one of the greatest albums of the 1980's because it was the definitive synthesis of modern musical technology, savvy World Beat music, poetically intangible lyrics and musically popping melodies. Gabriel was at the peak of his craft as songwriter and performance artist and had distilled out some of the occasionally pretentious qualities displayed on his earlier works. His record has influenced many artists since its original release in 1986 and has had many imitators; and even the artist himself has not delivered another record of such quality. Then again, how many people ever reach perfection in their life, let alone more than once?
