Bowie vs. Solo Gabriel
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Topic: Bowie vs. Solo Gabriel
Posted By: Tarquin Underspoon
Subject: Bowie vs. Solo Gabriel
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:20
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(This may belong in prog-related, not really sure)
I was just thinking today that the solo careers of David Bowie and Peter Gabriel have an oddly similar sound, especially in the early 80s (For example, Scary Monsters, IMO, could have been a Peter Gabriel album, and So would have made a nice Bowie record). These are two innovaive stage performers who often created characters out of their music and made each concert a grand spectacle. While their two starting points are quite different, both of these unique artists put out a large collection of excellent and diverse music, all the while pushing the boundaries and acheiving massive popularity.
My question is simple. Whose solo (as in NOT Genesis) output do you prefer, and why?
Myself? As much as I love PG, I'm gonna give this one to the Thin White Duke, who I feel is a vastly underrated musical figure. ------------- "WAAAAAAOOOOOUGH! WAAAAAAAUUUUGGHHHH!! WAAAAAOOOO!!!" -The Great Gig in the Sky |
Replies:
Posted By: Silverbeard McStarr
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:26
| I love both Peter Gabriel and David Bowie, but I've gotta vote Bowie. |
Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:41
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Gabriel
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:42
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I only have Ziggi Stardust and Hunky Dory and none of Gabriel so i can not wote but the two Bowie albums i have are pure genius, marvelus |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:48
I'm giving it to Gabriel because while Gabriel has worked with Robert Fripp, David Bowie has also worked with Robert Fripp.  Bonus points if you can guess what TV show inspired that line. Double bonus points if you can name the episode. I will say, I do like them both, but I have all of Peter's solo albums and will always get his latest, but I feel no need to complete my Bowie discography. Bowie's work prior to getting involved with progressive artists doesn't float my boat so to speak. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: snobb
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 17:56
| Both Bowie and Peter Gabriel were great musicians of their time. Like you them or not, many musicians were influented by them. And if I really like some Gabriel works, I prefer Bowie, as greatest figure. He was very influential from early 70 till late 90, and just recorded long list of great works. Gabriel (solo) made some great work, but for years was more more important as Man in Music world, than real active musician. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 19:18
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I prefer Gabriel, and think his work is overall more consistent than Bowie's, although it does have its ups and downs. However, Peter is not as prolific as David; when David is good, he's really good, but he has also produced enough material that leaves me blank that it's easy for me to burn out on him. Both are great artists, though. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: progkidjoel
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 19:19
One of my favourite ever prog artists. ------------- 
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 19:26
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Yeah, for me this one was easy. While I like some of Bowie's stuff, I love Gabriel. ------------- -------someone please tell him to delete this line, he looks like a noob------- I don't have an unnatural obsession with Disney Princesses, I have a fourteen year old daughter and coping mechanisms. |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 19:47
Both brilliant but too different to compare. Both minimalist of late in terms of studio output but their contributions over the years beggar belief ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 20:08
| Peter for me. I respect Bowie and his catalog but I have always been a Gabriel fan. |
Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 20:11
This poll is affront on all things sane.....
 ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 21:04
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I have to go with Gabriel simply because his output was more consistently high quality. Yeas, I know Bowie released a hell of a lot more albums, but that's kind of the point. Gabriel only releases something when he satisfied with it. And before you take opposition to that, I also respect Bowie's willingness to experiment. I like them both, but that's what I choose Gabriel. ------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 04:18
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I'm amazed at some of the replies here.
I was there when PG's solo career took off, he was one of my heroes, I totally adored his first solo album. The second one was disappointing, but with nrs. three and four he hit gold and YES, he seemed similar to Bowie at the time: equally daring, equally intelligent, equally using ideas from a wide variety of sources! But PG's solo career never went through the same amazing trajectory Bowie's had in the 1970s. Whenever I think of that sequence, I'm in awe: SPACE ODDITY-MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD-HUNKY DORY-ZIGGY STARDUST-PINUPS-DIAMOND DOGS-YOUNG AMERICANS-STATIONTOSTATION-LOW-HEROES-SCARY MONSTERS! It's a ten-year high PG has never matched. (I rate ALADDIN SANE and LODGER a little lower but they're fascinating still.) And these days, Bowie's 1970s albums give me greater pleasure than PG's solo stuff. P.S. Back in the late 1970s, PG may have derived the idea of recording an entire album in German from Bowie singing "Helden", but have any of you noticed that Bowie's recent "Never Get Old" is an almost 100% rehash (rather annoying, in my view) of PG's "Games without Frontiers"? |
Posted By: Zargus
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 05:03
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hard question, i think i vote for bowie in the end. ------------- 
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 06:10
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David Bowie made a good start with his first three albums. Hereafter he had his fine moments now and then. Peter Gabriel has his lesser moments, but I prefer most of his solo output above Bowie's. ------------- 
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Posted By: SgtPepper67
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 06:32
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I love both of them! I can't decide
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In the end the love you take is equal to the love you made... |
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:27
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Bowie is probably my favorite song writer of all time as well as a top 5 singer to me. So it's pretty easy. ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 15:43
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Personal taste: Peter Gabriel. Objective POV: both were innovators, but as it comes to the music purely I think Gabriel was more of a pioneer. Bowie had a great talent in using lots of influences for his own style. Gabriel was really doing new things, like some time not using cymbals for percussion, little details that no one had done before, and Gabriel had a wider array of musical styles that he did. Bowie used a wide array of styles and used it often in something that is essentialy pop / rock music. Well , not always, but often. But look at the differences between Gabriel's first album, Passion and OVO for instance. Also, I think there's much more depth in Gabriel's albums. In emotions, in lyrics. So I vote Gabriel. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 19:58
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Rick Wakeman sites that David Bowie is the gratest musician and the person who have influend him moust as an artist more then any one else (to make it short Rick Wakeman sites Bowie as the gratest man he have EVVER playd for) if you read interviewa by Rick you may notice him kissing Bowies feets in admiration (almoust) |
Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 17:47
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Bowie - for that 10-year progression from 1970-80 as mentioned above. IMO Gabriel is by far the better singer, but I still vote Bowie as my favourite out of these two chameleons ------------- It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough. |
Posted By: zbida
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 03:16
| Peter Gabriel for hundreds reasons. |
Posted By: LinusW
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 10:24
| Really can't choose. Varies from day to day. Two of my favourite musicians. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 10:28
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Gabriel but I have a lot of respect for Bowie and own about ten Bowie albums.
------------- |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 12:03
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I can't get into most of Bowie's stuff. Gabe it is. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Fogon the Tyne
Date Posted: November 04 2009 at 07:59
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Now this wa a great post because I feel Bowie could have ventured into prog in a big way but hey ho. For me PG Love his voice mind you love Bowies but because PG has kept pushing and still seems ready to do more he gets my vote. What I like about this post it appeciated Bowies singing etc which i feel is often not appreciated ------------- I have become comfortably numb |
Posted By: jampa17
Date Posted: November 04 2009 at 10:39
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Bowie... just for the collab with Queen in Under Pressure... ------------- |
Posted By: llamalime
Date Posted: November 04 2009 at 12:30
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long time bowie fan
------------- "Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid." -Frank Zappa |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: November 04 2009 at 12:48
| Gabriel. He presents new form of prog rock. he mix several genre of prog and make new version. He is my hero. MELT is masterpiece album. |
Posted By: Moatilliatta
Date Posted: November 04 2009 at 14:48
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Bowie by miles! Gabriel had some good output, but I don't think any of his albums match the quality of Low, Scary Monsters, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust or Hunky Dory. ------------- www.last.fm/user/ThisCenotaph  
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Posted By: omri
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 12:04
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Bowie.
PG's best IMO was with Genesis. I agree with Fuxi that after no' 4 he never reached again that level. So "Here comes the flood", "Family snapshot", "Humdrum" and few more are all he has to offer.
Now Bowie - "Cygent comitee", "Letter to Hermionee", "All the madman", "Quicksand", "The bewly brothers", "Life on Mars", "Aladin sane", "Time", "Lady grimming soul", "The gean genne", "Rock-n-roll suicide", "Wild is the wind" (I know it's not his original but what a great version) and Bertold Brecht's "Ba'al" and I could mention many more (Under pressure with Queen is also great).
And again, in the end I'm with the minority. My life story. ------------- omri |
Posted By: akamaisondufromage
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 12:12
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Bowie with a small amount of doubt - but the variety and quality of his output in 70's and 80's and his constant experimentation beats PG. PG is wonderful too but just a litle less so!
------------- Help me I'm falling! |
Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 14:21
All the Madmen is one of my alltime favourite tracks. By anyone. Great to see you've picked four from Aladdin Sane too - in my experience, lots of prog fans don't like that album (but I do  )------------- It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough. |
omri wrote:Posted By: inrainbows
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 15:48
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Bowie but not easily, I love Gabriel too
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 15:50
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Solo Gabriel rarely does anything for me. Some good pop songs, but some not so good ones. Occasionally intriguing experimental works, mostly a lot of inconsequential filler. Bowie, on the other hand... solid gold with very few subpar albums in his lengthy discography. |
Posted By: Tsevir Leirbag
Date Posted: November 08 2009 at 20:34
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I'd take Bowie over solo Gabriel materual anytime.
But if we're talking of Gabriel-era Genesis, then I'd change my vote ------------- Les mains, les pieds balancés Sur tant de mers, tant de planchers, Un marin mort, Il dormira - Paul Éluard |
Posted By: Trianium
Date Posted: November 20 2009 at 04:16
| Bowie. |
Posted By: mistertorture
Date Posted: November 21 2009 at 14:41
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C'mon ... I really like Peter Gabriel but you can't compare his solo career with David Bowie's. Is like confronting a lazy lamb (no pun intended) against an hiperactive, hungry tiger. Sorry Pete, David is too much for you (well, he's too much for everynyone I think), I really don't get teh results so far. -------------  
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Posted By: Nanook
Date Posted: November 22 2009 at 16:08
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To my taste, it's Gabriel hands down. I immediately buy any disc I see of his, I certainly can't say that of Bowie, even back in his heyday. To each his own, I really enjoy Gabriel's voice and songwriting style. Clever man. I can't knock David Bowie's music, he was an innovator no doubt about that. I just prefer Peter Gabriel's work. ------------- Bring me my broadsword, and clear understanding. |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: November 22 2009 at 19:15
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Bowie far more prolific.....but for me I still prefer PG's solo output albeit very sparse/rumour has it he is joining the " cover version" Rod Stewart gang :-( ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: Proggy Pogo
Date Posted: November 26 2009 at 13:27
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My vote goes for Bowie, he's great - although admittedly I've heard far more of his stuff than solo Gabriel.
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Posted By: Xanthous
Date Posted: November 28 2009 at 11:42
| David Bowie. I've never been able to get into Peter Gabriels voice. |
Posted By: mohaveman
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 16:12
| Gabriel! |