i/o

The gap between Peter Gabriel's last proper album Up and this new one - i/o - at over 21 years must be one of the longest times between records of any artist ever in music history. However, despite this enormous wait, i/o is totally worthwhile and immense with no filler with song themes all-encompassing of everything that it means to be human in any age and in the present time with all its threats and dangers. Us - although possibly his finest hour - tended to be a more personal album and i/o feels like a real Us for everyone today. Musically, a lot of i/o is pleasingly reminiscent of vintage Gabriel music from across his career but ready for the now with a modernised production direction and sheen.Panopticom concerns Gabriel's hopes for using surveillance in the correct way to monitor worldwide issues to better understand them and shed any lies. It is a very sprightly opener that like 1992's Digging in the Dirt harks back to Peter Gabriel 3 through its delightful return to guitar rock but melds it with a bit of his commercial high point, So. Propelled by a somewhat Solsbury Hill-like acoustic guitar, it also includes eerily ambient synth/bell playing from Brian Eno that increases the effect of the song even further and is one of the very top highlights of i/o. The Court - about the necessity of a legal system in a civilised society but highlighting concerns about injustices - is classic Gabriel too this time harking back to the worldbeat of Peter Gabriel 4 through its captivating percussion. It is reminiscent of some of David Byrne's music and includes a brilliant piano solo that is comparable to Tori Amos too. Four Kinds of Horses - about terrorism - is another of the most mesmerising tracks on i/o and like a 21st century Mercy Street as it is replete with another ethereal earworm of a synth loop from Eno and soaring strings. The magical Love Can Heal is an equally atmospheric soundscape of a song with the production style of Up combined with a chiming San Jacinto-like synth hook and aspects of the hypnotic rhythm of Don't Give Up. This Is Home is another of the most stunning songs as it harks back to the bluesy style of the sometimes overlooked - by casual Gabriel fans because it was only a minor hit - Lovetown. However, it is like the opposite in meaning because it is a more contented love song about home unlike the break-up theme of that 1994 standalone single. Gabriel often in his career has written from the rhythm and This Is Home is a classic example through its gently bouncing Tamla Motown drumbeat that drives the song while the alternating pitches in Gabriel's still magnificent voice is also comparable to Lovetown.However, like i/o's predecessor Up there are still a few tracks that reference mortality and ageing that are darker. Snippets of Playing for Time could be heard at the start of Gabriel's early 2010s Back to Front So 25th anniversary tour and while they were intriguing the fully realised version is so much better. The early to middle parts of the song are dominated by tender, Randy Newman-like piano playing from Tom Cawley and it is just so sad and affecting. However, the final third erupts with a powerful and sweeping string section that takes the song somehow to an even higher level of greatness. So Much is unique on i/o because it is more stripped back, but it is nevertheless still an amazing piece of work and with the moody synths/strings even then it still has a depth to it. Even though both Playing for Time and So Much ruminate on death, ultimately they can be considered life affirming in a sense that they encourage you to make the most of your time on Earth as a lifetime is limited. And Still is a sort of elegy to Gabriel's sadly late mother and it is another of his finest songs ever - it converts the 1940s music interest of his mother into a contemporary orchestral masterpiece and the biggest compliment it can receive is that it is so enjoyable this listener does not even sense it is the longest track.However, what is a refreshing alternative from 2002's Up is that this time Gabriel has defied his advancing age by making the other four tracks flamboyant art-pop masterpieces. Road to Joy - about a person's recovery from a locked-in syndrome - is his most commercial moment in over 31 years since Us' top 10 hit Steam and ranks amongst his finest work. The verses make the song particularly sound like the other more poppy moment on Us - Kiss That Frog - and then the chorus explodes and recalls the funk of his signature hit Sledgehammer and Steam too. Although Up's lead single The Barry Williams Show was groovy and very good, Road to Joy is by far the superior song. The first proper title track to feature on a Peter Gabriel album (as the first four were self-named and the others were two letter titles) is thrilling too and is about interconnectedness between all of humanity - i/o stands for input/output - and how we are all "just a part of everything" which is an iconic motto for the record. It captures the upbeat pop/rock of mid-period Coldplay but crucially splices it with Gabriel's own giant sounding So-era music - it is the shortest track and shows that a snappier one can be just as effective as the longer ones too further enhancing the variety of i/o. Although Road to Joy and the title track are rather pacy also, the most up-tempo cut on the album is Olive Tree especially during its chorus. About humanity's connection to nature - especially in these times where climate change is ruining our planet - it is a joyful track that sounds ironically like post-Gabriel Genesis, but it is excellent too with a hint of Sting in the verses and the horns again recall So.The final track - Live and Let Live - is Beatles themed as it is a twist on the Paul McCartney/Wings track in terms of its title, but it has the spirit and sentiment of John Lennon (e.g. Give Peace a Chance). In quintessential Gabriel style the whole of i/o is cerebral writing but this closer - also the final track to be written for the project - is the most thought provoking of all as it is about maybe eventual, future forgiveness hopefully leading to world peace. It motors along on a Steve Gadd-played snare drum loop combined with a synth hook that eventually spirals into an incredible climactic performance from the Soweto Gospel Choir. If Live and Let Live ends up being the final album track of Gabriel's legendary solo career then it goes out on a powerful, anthemic end like 3's Biko and Us' Secret World.However, in his November Full Moon Club Update he mentioned how one of the songs that did not end up on i/o that he has performed live this year would be on the "next record" so hopefully if lucky there will be another collection from him that will not take over two decades to release. But for now, it feels unreal in a wonderful way for after such a colossal amount of time for there to be another Gabriel record to add to the shelf. It is great too for his usual core band of Katche, Levin and Rhodes to still be contributing to his music and his daughter Melanie's vocals are massively improved from twenty years ago and add another dimension to the songs she features on. Although the Scratch My Back and New Blood projects were slightly frustrating as really it was i/o that was the most anticipated, it is delightful that Gabriel learnt new tricks from John Metcalfe as the latter's string arrangements accentuate and heighten the emotions of the songs. The production despite taking many years is never over-produced and instead second to none, stunning and spectacular. Although Eno contributed a bit to Us, it is pleasing that he has contributed more prominently to i/o - even co-producing Road to Joy - and it is nice for Gabriel to indirectly keep the Daniel Lanois connection alive (Eno's usual production partner) as he produced his two most successful albums.It was unusual for all the tracks to be streamed as singles on all the January-November full moons before the physical release now this December and maybe it would have been preferable for the whole record to have been released after just one/two singles as is typical. The main reason for that being that streaming is compressed sound and on the physical copy it sounds infinitely better and all the sonic textures are revealed. However, it has been exciting to look forward to each full moon and made 2023 a scintillating journey while some familiarity with the songs before receiving the physical version helps the fan more immediately enjoy it. Also, as a marketing strategy it has been an innovative and clever ploy as it appears Gabriel might attain his highest chart positions in many years. In terms of the different mixes of the album, the Mark "Spike" Stent Bright-Side ones are the best as they are a bit shinier and sharper. However, the Tchad Blake ones are still really good and a welcome alternative listen and actually the Dark-Side versions of Olive Tree and And Still are superior to the Stent ones though it is all down to personal preference really. The former has boomier brass and while the latter is even more moving.Overall, i/o is Gabriel's most diverse and most epic album - it is his longest with its 12 tracks being the highest number ever featured on one of his records and also because nine last over 5 minutes as he has preserved an aspect of the prog style from his Genesis days in terms of song length. Although Up was excellent, i/o is more eclectic and well rounded. While So will always mark Gabriel's imperial phase, i/o's rock/pop in pure art form is a tour-de-force that rivals all his other two letter title albums, a privilege to finally listen to and cements his position as one of Britain's most talented singer songwriters of all time.

The way Peter Gabriel structures his verses on many songs is fabulous, but what strikes me most the time (apart from the amazing production, brilliant emotional depth and seriously well considered presentation) is the way the artist boldly structures his words.I swear it's like Randy Newman at his best on some songs like So Much and one of my faves - Playing For Time, telling social stories with a hint of a shared talent for both bold straight forward nostalgia and then more surreal juxtapositioning of serious points with funny phrasings. And then songs like the amazing two openers and later Olive Tree are brilliant reminders of classic modern in 'So' mode Gabriel. Great chorus. Great textures. Moving.At the top of his game Gabriel surely is. This album feels like the old dog is baring his soul and reminiscing all over the place, so get out your old golf cap, your pipe and slippers and venture on to the hills....the worst part is over, the best part are the memories ann um....yeah the next round on the course....of course!Love the design of this edition on 2 CDs. The brighter mix is different to the darker mix and whilst I was a bit hesitant to have to listen to the same album on 2cds at first I have to say the subtle differences are not so subtle when you look closely. Both editions do what they say in the tin with only slight seeming production shifts on first listens. I have not done a serious close up on this matter but I feel more comfortable with Bright sides version of events. Whatever the case the album is uplifting and moving in both senses and is getting plenty of play still.Side note - when Four Kinds of Horses starts and then kicks into its lovely chorus on Bright Side.....it's flipping so 'Mercy Street like So' in all the best senses I literally well up each time. Love those synth effects. Then the next song Road To Joy is like something off a lost Prince tape. The end of the album is another level of soothing pop soul. Love Can Heal should be making me gag with the title alone, but this great man pulls off the sincere with a masterful sense of observation and sensitivity. So deceptively simple sounding yet it is a very layered record overall. These gorgeously softly twinkly movingly goooood tracks are clearly developed and refined to the max. Masterful.'And still the green grass will grow'....Getting some nice Nick Cave meets Cat Stevens like 'being the soul guru' feels in the chorus progressions on the string filled quieter synth tracks. It's no coincidence to me because all 3 artists combine elements of the dark and the light so brilliantly in their best work especially when being more vulnerable.Lay the burden downs, lay the weapons down....it takes courage to start to forgive, to be brave enough to listen....' Ok I think the end message works well but this album will not straight away appeal to everybody I think. When you get to a certain age you know that many a younger listener might fall into the trap of feeling patronised or a sense of too much cheesiness here. Older guys imparting their life learned wisdoms and hopes is not always a recipe for interesting art - but when you really think about it, if you can't express these things after a life time of earning it.....when can you?I highly recommend owning this edition.

Worth the wait.

No point in adding to the content reviews because it’s great of course. But please, just the one mix PG - this isn’t a supermarket toothpaste aisle.But that packaging! The only way to get at the CDs is to gingerly reach in to the slim cardboard slipcase (avoiding stressing both it and me), try and pinch the 3mm of disc that peeps out, and yank. Push ain’t an option. I’m all in favour of less plastic but surely there’s a better solution than *this*.And what’s going on with that pink side-card that just falls off? Do we keep it? Stick it on? Why is it there and what’s it for?First world problem, I know.

Superb

Kids thought it highly amusing dad had to have a cd ... as we had gone to see this tour as a family and the kids had heard more of it than the parents due to the way it was released. The older family members are delighted they can now listen to IO without a WiFi connection and add it to their cd collection.

Superb album, there again that’s only to be expected from Peter Gabriel. I recommend this album.

Peter Gabriel has produced an absolute gem which imo is one of his best (maybe THE best) Love the music, and as an added bonus, the reproduction is superb.I have a pretty decent system and I'm blown away by how good this sounds. In fact it's probably the best sounding CD I own (and that's well into 4 figures) with incredible dynamics (other artists take note!) and demonstrates CD is still a valid medium, if only the recording is left (relatively) uncompressedThe only problem now is, I want to hear the vinyl version on my system, as I reckon it will be even better!

I’m in love with it And listening it almost everyday

Increíble pero cierto, cuando creíamos que estaba todo perdido con el reggaetón y cia. Viene Gabriel rodeado de los mejores, ENO, Tony Levin, David Rhodes, una formación muy parecida al SO, pero es que aquí tenemos hasta a ENO. Increíble para fans del rock pop de lis ochenta con ese toque progresivo que le da gente como ENO y Levin de king crimson. A disfrutar de buena música. Como soy fan tengo las dos versiones para escuchar en blue ray el 5.1. una maravilla. Que bien merece ser comprada dos veces.

Bon album

21 years of waiting was over. And what an album!! Some songs make my eyes tear, so beautiful.

Man kann alles schlecht reden, früher war alles besser, mag sein. Auch mir kommen öfters solche Gedanken in den Sinn. Aber hier, wo Peter Gabriel drauf steht ist auch Peter Gabriel drin. Vielleicht nicht ganz so kreativ und powerfull wie früher, eher ruhig und zeitweise feinfühlig. Für mich eben nicht langweilig, wenn man sich drauf einlässt und seine Erwartungen erstmals hinten anstellt. Ich habe mich wirklich gefreut endlich nochmals neue Gabrielkompositionen zu hören und ich verzeihe ihm die ruhigere Gangart. Man muss auch mal akzeptieren, dass man altert und sich die Sicht auf die Welt ändert. Und das spiegelt sich halt auch in der Musik wieder. Der Mann hat musikalisch ein tolles Erbe hinterlassen und ist immer noch aktiv. Das bewundere ich mit vollem Respekt seit 47 Jahren. Ich wünschte mir wäre solches Talent gegeben worden.