PETER GABRIEL 2 [AKA: SCRATCH]

Like the first album, "Scratch" has some moments but it is still nothing to write home about. Robert Fripp handles the production here to instead of Bob Ezrin, I don't really hear much difference in overall quality. Pete still seems pretty unfocused as a musician and writer and this collection of songs is not likely to become the one you will play very regularly.

"On the Air" is a boring opener that rocks and the silly keys drive me crazy. "DIY" is this album's most annoying track but even so is much better than "Excuse Me" from the first album. The album's peach is the third song "Mother of Violence." This is classic Gabriel songwriting with his trademark affected vocal and the wonderful piano melody, also the acoustic is a nice touch. "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World" is another quirky-pop song with a punchy bass but is entirely forgettable. Fripp peels off a nice electric solo on "White Shadow" which features good synth by Gabriel. "Indigo" is another decent piano ballad. "Animal Magic" is a playfully rowdy rocker with good energy. The ending features thumping bass, keys and guitar. Then comes the albums other highlight "Exposure," another hint at where Pete would be going down the road after these awkward first albums. It's really a Levin/Fripp show with Gabriel doing a little singing over the awesome bass and Frippertronics. "Flotsam and Jetsam" is an emotional love song but it ends before it has a chance to develop much. "Perspective" is yet another bouncy but silly rocker that PG seemed obsessed with repeating. I can only imagine how frustrating such material must have seemed to many Genesis fans buying this back in the day. "Home Sweet Home" starts as a sweet ballad on piano before getting unnecessarily dramatic near the end, not much to get excited about save some nice sax work by Tim Capello.

These first two albums were rather below average pop albums with just a few hints of magic. Cherry picking the best tracks from each and combining them would have yielded a more satisfying debut. The photo on the back is pretty interesting showing someone on an icy sidewalk in the city-just what the heck he's doing I don't know. Another album for Gabriel fans only.