Dez's 5 Star Records: The G's

You could subtitle this entry “The Peter Gabriel Edition.” Gabriel is involved in seven of the following 12 picks. It is no secret that I am a huge PG fan, notwithstanding the last 20 years of crap he has put out. This is where personal taste really does enter into the equation, his work just strikes a chord with me. That being said, I think that I can justify each of these picks. Gabriel is a respected artist and praise has been heaped on all of these records below. Also, the Genesis records where he is involved are not solely his work. Genesis, in the early days, really was a collective with each member contributing crucial elements. So the Genesis records are just as much about Steve Hackett and Tony Banks as they are about Gabriel. The much maligned but commercially successful Phil Collins-era of Genesis deserves (although, Collins was in the band during the Gabriel-era too) some critical reconsideration, even though none of those records make my 5 star list (Abacab came close.)

Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (aka ‘I’, aka ‘Car’, aka ‘The First One’) (1977): An artistic declaration of independence, Gabriel’s solo debut is bursting with genre experiments and ideas as he is released from the perceived shackles of Genesis’s progressive rock collective.

Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (aka ‘III’, aka ‘Melt’, aka ‘The Third One’) (1980): With the unbeatable combination of distinctive and experimental production (especially with the percussion) and Gabriel’s most powerful set of songs, his third record is the most rewarding.

Peter Gabriel – So (1986): Gabriel finally strikes a balance between musical experimentation and commercial sensibility and releases the hit record that people knew he was capable of making; on a personal note, this is one of those handful of records that really altered my musical perspectives and opened a lot of doors.

Peter Gabriel – Passion (1989): Passion serves as the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s controversial film ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ and is an intoxicating, mostly instrumental, blend of African and Middle Eastern music with Western technology and Gabriel’s layers of production and moody synthesizers.

Genesis – Foxtrot (1972): If I had to pick one record as the ultimate progressive rock masterpiece, I think I would have to pick Foxtrot; Gabriel’s multiple characters that he inhabits within a single song (“Get ‘Em Out By Friday” and the epic “Supper’s Ready”) is worthy of the stage.

Genesis – Selling England By the Pound (1973): The most uneven of the killer Genesis trilogy from ’72-’74, but the peaks are their highest (“Dancing With the Moonlit Knight,” “Firth of Fifth,” “Cinema Show” and “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” are all amongst the best Genesis has to offer.)

Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974): Gabriel’s incomprehensible double concept album swansong with Genesis still contains many moments of musical excitement and beauty, and credit really goes to the rest of the band.

The Grateful Dead – American Beauty (1970): A counterpart to the almost as great Workingman’s Dead the same year, this record has even deeper roots in folk American musical forms; rarely has an album title been so apt.

The Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead (aka ‘Skull and Roses,’ aka ‘Skullf*ck’) (live) (1971): For Dead standards, this double record is a relatively concise but accurate sampling of the live Dead experience, with the spacey extended jam confined to one (very long) track, while the rest is filled out with the usual mix of excellent covers and new (soon to be standard) Dead originals like “Bertha,” “Playing in the Band” and “Wharf Rat.”

David Gray – White Ladder (1998): I’ll tread carefully since I know some of my readers are big Gray fans, but this is the only fully satisfying record that he has put out; a DIY bid for success that worked because of strong material and bold yet tasteful use of programming and synths mixing it up with his acoustic guitar.

Guns ‘n Roses – Appetite For Destruction (1987): Is this the last classic rock record?

Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): The only other holiday record on this list (after Nat Cole’s record), Guaraldi’s lovely, lilting jazz soundtrack to the perennial Peanuts television standard stands outside the cartoon as its own classic piece of holiday warmth and cheer.


ABOVE: Peter Gabriel’s first four records were all simply titled Peter Gabriel. He wanted his records to be identifiable by their distinct covers (the first four being Car, Scratch, Melt and Security), similar to different issues of the same magazine. The record company eventually nixed the idea after Security and forced him to start naming his albums.