PETER GABRIEL 4 [AKA: MASK, AKA: SECURITY]

This is arguably the best of Peter Gabriel's solo albums. I remember seeing him live in 1983:, when the album had just come out: a mesmerising performance indeed from one of rock's greatest musicians and lyricists. Unfortunately, this record is mostly known for the hit single "Shock the Monkey", which is a nice song but not really representative of Peter's creativity. On the other hand, it contains some of PG's best- ever compositions, notably the powerful, intense "San Jacinto", a tale of Native American rites of passage on the background of modern-day society, with one of Peter's strongest vocal performances ever; the eerie, intriguing "The Family and the Fishing Net", featuring the atmospheric sound of Ethiopian pipes; the heavily percussion-driven "Lay Your Hands on Me" and the stirring, majestic "Rythm of the Heat", which opens the album in style.

As we have come to expect from Peter, the standards of songwriting and musicianship are first-rate, with a special mention for bassist extraordinaire Tony Levin and electronic keyboard wizard Larry Fast. Obviously, we are miles away from the pastoral soundscapes of Genesis' heyday; nevertheless, "Peter Gabriel 4" is progressive in the true sense of the word. Don't miss it.