PLAYS LIVE

This is a nice overview of Peter GABRIEL's first four albums. It's not a must have piece for your collection, unless you happen to be, as they say in England ... gob smacked, obsessed, and ravenously seek out everything by the artist. "Plays Live: Highlights" is exactly what it says it is. GABRIEL went back into the studio in Bath England to tweak the recordings; nevertheless the live atmosphere is pretty much kept intact.

I particularly enjoyed "I Don't Remember" and "Biko," which I think is his most prolific and emotionally charged song ever. Other than those two songs, a lot of what I heard was a lack of aggressiveness by Gabriel and his band. While listening to "Shock The Monkey" I was fully expecting a rousing rendition, but unfortunately everyone sounds like they are restrained. "Solsbury Hill" was good, but even that could have had more energy and oomph behind it.

Even though I felt that the sonics could have been cranked up a few notches and the energy level a few more pegs higher on the ladder when this was originally recorded, I did enjoy this. This is Peter Gabriel after all, and you always expect so much. His band was really awesome; this recording just doesn't serve his music the integrity it deserves.