Biography
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer-songwriter, record producer and humanitarian who rose to fame as the original lead singer and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful solo career with “Solsbury Hill” as his first single. His 1986 album, So, is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The album’s most successful single, “Sledgehammer”, won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel
Album & Cover
Peter Gabriel is the third album, informally known as Melt, by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in May 1980. The album has been acclaimed as Gabriel’s artistic breakthrough as a solo artist and for establishing him as one of rock’s most ambitious, innovative musicians. Gabriel also explored more overtly political material with two of his most famous singles, the anti-war song “Games Without Frontiers” (which became a number four hit and remains his joint highest charting single in the UK) and the anti-apartheid protest song “Biko”, which remembered the murdered activist Steve Biko. The album was remastered, along with most of Gabriel’s catalogue, in 2002. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel_(1980_album)
The photo was taken with a Polaroid SX-70 instant camera. Storm Thorgerson said: “Peter himself joined with us at Hipgnosis in disfiguring himself by manipulating Polaroids as they ‘developed’… Peter impressed us greatly with his ability to appear in an unflattering way, preferring the theatrical or artistic to the cosmetic.
Cover Location: Alleyway and stairwell around the Hipgnosis studio, London, UK.
Who Did What: Liner Drawings Design – Colin Chambers. Photography – A. Powell/S. Thorgerson/C. Christopherson
Label: Mercury SRM1-3848(US), Charisma CDS4019(UK)
Source: Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art, The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue: Aubrey Powell.
For the Love Of Vinyl, The Album Art of Hipgnosis – Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell.
Tracklist
| Side One Intruder No Self Control Start I Don’t Remember Family Snapshot And Through The Wire |
Side Two Games Without Frontiers Not One Of Us Lead A Normal Life Biko |
Credits
Computer [Musical Instrument] – Peter Vogel
Design [SX-YO Techniques Inspired By] – Les Krims
Drums – Jerry Marotta (tracks: A4 to B4)
Engineer – Hugh Padgham
Guitar – David Rhodes
Lacquer Cut By – JoNZ
Piano – Peter Gabriel (tracks: A1, A4 to A6, B2 to B4)
Producer – Steve Lillywhite
Producer [Electronic Production] – Larry Fast
Synth – Larry Fast (tracks: A1, A2, A5 to B1, B4)
Technician [Assisted By] – George Chambers, Marlis Dunklaus, Nick Thomas, Steve Prestage
Technician [Equipment] – Albert Lawrence, Dave Price
Vocals [B-Vox] – Peter Gabriel (tracks: A1, A2, A5, A6, B2)
Written-By – Peter Gabriel
