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Peter Gabriel

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Peter Gabriel is an English singer, songwriter and human rights activist, born in 1950 in Chobham, Surrey. At the boarding school Charterhouse he founded Genesis in 1967 with fellow pupils. For eight years he was the group's singer and main lyricist, and he stood out for his theatrical performances and costumes, such as a fox outfit in 1972. In 1975, after the tour for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, he left; the drummer Phil Collins became the new singer.

Music and breakthrough

Between 1977 and 1982 Gabriel made four solo albums that are all called Peter Gabriel and can be told apart only by the sleeve. They blend prog rock, new wave and post-punk with music from other parts of the world. Well-known songs include Solsbury Hill, Games Without Frontiers, Shock the Monkey and Biko, a protest song against apartheid. During the recording of Intruder, on the third album, gated reverb came about, a sharply truncated reverb on the drums, which he made famous. On the fourth album he used the Fairlight, one of the first digital samplers, which was so expensive that only stars could afford it.

Influence

The album So (1986) became his greatest success. The single Sledgehammer reached number 1 in America and its video won nine MTV Video Music Awards. In 1982 Gabriel co-founded the world music festival WOMAD, and later he started Real World Studios and Real World Records, giving musicians from all over the world a platform. He was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Genesis and as a solo artist. In 2023 i/o was released.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to the start of Intruder: Phil Collins's drums sound hard and short, as if the reverb is abruptly cut off. That is the gated reverb. Notice that you hear no cymbals in this song, which makes that drum sound stand out even more.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: Artists