US

I bought this album in the Cassette format in March 1993, after buying a Rock magazine`s special issue about GENESIS` and Peter Gabriel`s biographies and discographies. That special issue magazine was clearly sponsored by EMI / Virgin in my country, as the Mexican EMI company was then releasing some CDs and Cassettes from GENESIS and Gabriel in those days. I remember that the writers of the reviews for some of those albums were praising "US" very much, and in contrast, they were "destroying" Phil Collins `reputation as a soloist when reviewing his albums. I think that it could be very different if EMI had the rights to release Collins`solo albums here , but, IMO, as he is not part of their company in some countries (with Collins`albums being released in the U.S., Mexico and other countries by Atlantic / WEA) they showed a clear bias against him! Anyway, if Collins is or isn`t a good quality composer, it is not the subject of this review, but I bought "US" with great expectations.

"US" it`s not a bad album, but it required, like many other albums, repeated listenings. It wasn`t as accessible like his 1986 album called "SO", but it wasn`t as interesting as "SO" and other albums released by Gabriel. It still has good songs, but, in the end, I was disappointed. One day in 1993, my oldest brother listened with me to this album, and in the end he liked the album more than me, so, as I did before with other albums (like TANGERINE DREAM`s "Cyclone" album, which I also didn`t like very much), I gave this cassette to him as a gift. Having recorded from the T.V. the videoclips from the songs "Blood from Eden", "Kiss that Frog", "Digging in the Dirt" and "Steam", I wasn`t interested to keep the Cassette of "US" in my collection.

Anyway, there are some good songs: "Blood from Eden", "Kiss that Frog", "Steam" (the best of all, it also has a very funny videoclip), "Digging in the Dirt" and "Come Talk to Me".

At that time, I also read in the newspapers that Gabriel was divorced from his wife (Jill) and that he also had other love relationships (with actress Rossanna Arquette, and it also was "rumored" that with singer Sinnead O`Connor too). He had all these experiences between 1986 and 1992, and these experiences influenced this album a lot, but I couldn`t be very much interested in this album, so this album was more directed to Gabriel`s greatest fans, IMO.

In September 1993, Gabriel played some concerts in Mexico City. I was given as a gift a ticket for one of those concerts, by one cousin, who had an extra ticket not used by another person who couldn`t attend the concert. I can say that I enjoyed being in the concert very much. It was a very good experience. Gabriel played some songs from this album, which sounded much better played live. Sinnead O`Connor was singing with him in some songs.

Gabriel`s album titled "UP" was released in 2002. I listened to it once in one Records Shop. I was even more disappointed and not interested in that album too, so "US" became the last Gabriel`s new album that I bought.