Search - Peter Gabriel :: Peter Gabriel 3: Melt

Dark, scary but powerful and thoughtful!

Distant Voyageur | Io | 05/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a bit spooked by the album cover when I hesitantly bought this album when it was re-released in remastered form in 2002. However I was absolutely blown away at how dark and powerful it was, not to mention a far cry from any of the more well-known material of his. His 1978 self-titled album aka the "Scratch" LP is an incredibly weird, eccentric, and surprisingly adventurous album and had a very raw and somewhat undercooked production style to it. The closing song "Home Sweet Home" is a lyrically very dark and morbid song even though musically, it's quite nice but even as morbid as it was, that song had no evidence to what his third album aka "The Melting Face" LP would bring along. This album completely throws his first two albums into the back and boy oh boy, this album is SCARY as hell! Any signs of his search for a sound are completed on this 1980 masterpiece and the results are not just amazing but also immensely though-provoking and really powerful. By 1980 standards, PG3 is unbelievably innovative, groundbreaking and unbelievably powerful. Most of the songs on this album have a very disturbing undertone to them, even on a musical scale but it is done so well that the result is one of Gabriel's most outstanding achievements of his career. This album could very well be considered a socially conscious album but this album differs from almost every other album in this topic where as most are just addressing the wrongs of the world and societies, PG3 delves much further and aims to tell the story from the perspective of the people who do these wrongs. (I.E. Family Snapshot)
This CD also uses mental illness as a theme as well and the results are just phenomenal and I can't even justify how this album really is with that word. The album cover alone vividly expresses what you are in for. "Intruder" gets my nod as one of the scariest tracks that Gabriel has ever recorded, or even the scariest song from the 1980s. Courtesy of his longtime friend and former Genesis band mate on the drums, the song begins with really loud and metallic drums with no cymbals, the creaking sounds of wires being pulled or something like that and then a really terrifying distorted melody not to mention some of the creepiest vocals I've ever heard but the results are not just a great track, but one of the most vividly terrifying musical experiences I've ever had but it's a really awesome kind of scare! Only Peter Gabriel could so something like that: Making scary music sound good. In all honesty, "Intruder" is a really disturbing track as it's about sung from the perspective of the intruder in a house.

"Family Snapshot" is disturbingly powerful and really a chilling track that tells the story of the assassination of a popular political figure (Not necessarily Kennedy) from the perspective of the assassin. The song begins with a mellow piano beginning that has a very dramatic and serious tone and does some interesting melodic changes before it builds and becomes a heavy-rock song like something out of an action drama and then everything culminates at the "Let the bullet Fly!" lyrical line! Immensely disturbing but really an amazing track this is. The last part of the song which is mellow but very sad is almost like a biographical flashback of when that assassin was a child and witnessing his parents relations turning ugly and the child turned sad and angry and picks up his `toy gun' on the floor. Such a heartbreaking song this is but it is really excellent and one of the best songs on this album. I would almost say that this is almost like a mini-epic song. It perfectly transitions into the electrifying "And Through The Wire" which is a more upbeat rock-oriented song and one of the most `pop' sounding songs on this album but even then it's a far cry from anything mainstream! There are no real ballads on this album so if you are aiming for something slow and happy, look elsewhere. The closest thing to a ballad is "Lead A Normal Life" and even then, while the song is calmer than the others, it's more like a hazy, and unpleasant calm like after an explosion or disastrous event. The song is very eerie and hazy in tone and tells the story of a mental patient at a decrepit hospital trying to lead a normal life again. I especially am chilled at the part where he sings the lone lyrical line about the song's theme. This disturbing masterpiece ends on an uncertain note with the song "Biko" which is a powerful tribute to the late South American Civil Rights activist Stephen Biko. The song is very intense and has African drums and the lyrics are really powerful and moving. It closes the album with the sounds of a protest happening and then fading out into the night. In all honesty, "Biko" is the perfect closing track for an album. I could never imagine this not being the closing track for any album, compilation or `proper studio album'. I strongly urge that you go out to the nearest CD store and purchase this powerful and riveting masterpiece. Fans of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" will be thrown off by the monochromic nature of PG 3 but if you appreciate PG2 or "Security" then welcome to PG 3! If you love this album, then I highly recommend his most recent album "UP" as well!"

PG not trying to rip you off

DKDC | Washington, DC USA | 07/24/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I think Peter Gabriel tried to get his cds out on the new SACD format too fast - this one came out in early 2003 I believe. So it is not multiformat, not multichannel, and doesn't sound that much better than the remastered version IMO.



A number of reviewers thought it did sound better than the remastered version - but I cannot tell much difference."