PLAYS LIVE

Plays Live was Peter Gabriel's first live recording, originally issued as a double LP containing 16 songs performed during his 1982-83 tour. It was later issued as a double CD and then in 2002, a single-CD version was released that contained only 12 of the 16 songs.

The production on Plays Live is excellent and I believe that's primarily due to some later adjustments being made to the live recordings in the recording studio. At least that's what I remember hearing back in the day. Even so, the essence and energy of each song was left intact. That's a good thing because the energy on this album is invigorating and addictive. The older songs sound like they received a much needed breath of fresh air.

The bulk of this live set is from Gabriel's last two studio albums, with a few holdouts from his first two (D.I.Y., Solsbury Hill, On the Air). Also included is a new song not previously released called I Go Swimming. The performances are exceptional and I'll go out on a limb and say that many of them sound better than their studio counterparts.

The music is firmly in the art/pop rock vein that Gabriel had put together throughout his solo career. So keep that in mind. He performs nothing from his Genesis period. Still, it's an excellent live recording. A must-have for Gabriel fans and probably a nice introduction for someone unfamiliar with Gabriel's solo work. Four stars.