PETER GABRIEL 2 [AKA: SCRATCH]

The music on the album is summed up by the cover image; the uncomfortable sound of fingernails on a blackboard. Here we find GABRIEL at his most contrary. He offers us an album of art rock songs, but makes them largely inaccessible by underdeveloped songwriting and unusual production.

He has an excellent band behind him. Listen to TONY LEVIN'S bass work, and ROBERT FRIPP'S guitar craziness. But, frustratingly, PETER GABRIEL doesn't really harness them, only occasionally letting them loose - and on throwaway tracks like the chilling 'Exposure' or the almost-beautiful 'White Shadow'.

Most significant, PETER GABRIEL is falling into the orbit of other eccentric musicians. DAVID BOWIE, DAVID BYRNE, ROBERT FRIPP and BRIAN ENO were all engaged in similar projects in the late 1970s, and GABRIEL'S was possibly the lest successful - at this point. In fact, these artists shared band members, guested on each other's recordings and cross-pollenated their art-rock sensibilities.

Still, this was a necessary step to get to his next album, a much more complete and successful effort. Stop by and have a listen. You'll enjoy part of this, find yourself becoming annoyed by other parts, and by album's end have a better idea of PETER GABRIEL'S place in rock music.