Peter Gabriel 4

Description

Remastered reissue: Peter Gabriel 4 is the fourth solo album by the singer released in 1982. The album features Shock the Monkey, released as a 45 RPM single. Since the first four studio recordings by Gabriel are self-titled, this album is sometimes referred to as 4 or Security for convenience. The name Security refers to the title the album had for the American market. Geffen Records, Peter Gabriel's new label in the United States following his departure from Atlantic Records, had indeed requested that his albums have a name. Gabriel stated that he randomly chose "Security." This name was only mentioned on the album's plastic sleeve, and thus disappeared when the record was opened for the first time. The main musicians on the album are Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, David Rhodes, and Larry Fast. More confusing and difficult to access than the first three solo albums of the British singer, "Peter Gabriel 4" already foreshadows, in 1983, the shift towards world music that the artist would undertake a few years later. The predominant sound of synthesizers, often coupled with various Latin and African percussion, creates a distinctly more serene atmosphere than that of the singer's previous productions, as evidenced by the icy brilliance of San Jacinto, which evokes the refined compositions of Joe Hisaishi, and the minimalist uniqueness of Lay Your Hands On Me and Wallflower. Other tracks, more melodic but still imbued with a clinical serenity, appear less hermetic than their counterparts upon first listens. I Have The Touch and Shock The Monkey stand out as undeniable singles, without losing the atypical brightness that characterizes the entirety of "Peter Gabriel 4," undoubtedly the most accomplished work of the British artist in the 80s.