PETER GABRIEL 3 [AKA: MELT]

Everything you love about everything Peter has ever done shows up here. So why is it so succesful?

Firstly, Peter really gets a great group of musicians behind him. I can't stress that enough. A quick look at the credits should convince anybody that the musicianship behind the music comes from guys who have major chops.

Secondly, this album has a reliable and recognizable sound to it. The tracks just ooze a dark yet delicate, hypnotic atmosphere that Gabriel only aspired to in 2 and 4. This is an ALBUM, not a collection of songs like 1 was.

Also, Gabriel hits us with some of his best lyrical moments (as he was to do again in 4.) Who wasn't disturbed by "Family Snapshot" the first time he heard it? Who couldn't relate to the outcast theme in "Not One of Us"? Who didn't react to the menace of "Intruder" or the mourning tone of "Biko?" This is an album that has songs that SAY something. The power of that can't be easily ignored.

Gabriel finds his true sound here. The complicated rhythyms, the world music sounds, the stately procession of tones, and his concentration on his natural vocal range combine themselves into a wonderful melange that makes this album stand above the others.

I haven't even mentioned the songs here. Exquisitely crafted, they have a dark energy and deceptive simplicity that makes them memorable. Even the tracks that I find weaker ("And Through The Wire" and "I Don't Remember") are still solid contributions and would have been showcased on a weaker album.

So, if you have been searching for it, this is it. This is PeterGabriel's masterpiece. This is his gift to all of us who were listening to Drama and Dulke back in 1980. It's his gift to all of us who were trying to figure out where music had gone wrong.

5 stars.

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