Peter Gabriel. PG. Left Genesis after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, telling his bandmates of his decision during the extensive tour for that album. Spent a couple of years largely out of the spotlight, before releasing his first solo album, Peter Gabriel, in 1977. The album cover was created by Hipgnosis.
Just over a year later came Peter Gabriel (1978), aka “Scratch”. It was produced by Robert Fripp and also had a cover by Hipgnosis.
May 1980 saw the release of Peter Gabriel. It reached #1 on the UK chart, largely thanks to the success of the single “Games without frontiers.” The striking album cover (known as “Melt”) was also produced by Hipgnosis.
Storm Thorgerson: “Peter himself joined with us at Hipgnosis in disfiguring himself by manipulating Polaroids as they ‘developed’ … Peter impressed us greatly with his ability to appear in an unflattering way, preferring the theatrical or artistic to the cosmetic.”
Fourth in this series—a description based on the visuals and the album names, rather than on any discernible music theme—was the LP Peter Gabriel (1982). Some jurisdictions, possibly fed up with the predictable yet confusing titles, released the album as Security. It is sometimes called “Mask”, demonstrating how people will populate a title vacuum with their own interpretations. Hipgnosis were not involved in the art for this release.
PG4 was also released in a German version, called Ein Deutsches Ablum with a variant of the “Melt” image. I wonder if Hipgnosis were paid.
In 1983 Gabriel released his first live album, a two-LP set that followed the visual style and typography of the first four albums but added a title.
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What came next, in 1986, was Gabriel’s breakthrough album for which he lashed out on an actual title… of two letters. But that’s another story.
vinylconnection.com.au 
I’m not sure that I was ever aware of the, shall we say, unoriginality of Gabriel’s album titles. I have to say that, for many years, I thought that that the lyric “Jeux sans frontieres” (in “Games Without Frontiers) was “She’s so funky, yeah!” Classic mondegreen!
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That’s very amusing. I thought it was “She’s so fond of her”!
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That “Plays Live” cover with the Tron helmet is instantly recognizable, the one I’ve seen countless times. I’ve been afraid to look in the mirror today with the heat dome afflicting us, I’m worried my face may have Melted just like Gabriel’s.
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I really like Plays Live. Great performances and the inclusion of the fabulous “I go swimming”!
We could use a heat dome in Melbourne at present! Hope you can stay cool, Robert.
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interesting to see them together
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I like Thorgerson’s quote about Peter “preferring the theatrical or artistic to the cosmetic.” Kind of sums him up, forging ahead and taking risks.
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Good quote, isn’t it? Although I was rather struck by the fact that for his next (and most successful) LP he embraced state-of-the-art music vid techniques and spruced himself up quite a bit!
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Exactly. Maybe he wanted to expand his audience. If so, it worked.
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Sure did.
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I still think “I Don’t Remember” is one of Gabriel’s greatest songs.
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It’s a corker!
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Those records had to have been so much fun for you to experience as a prog and Genesis fan. Shock the Monkey, and the video for that, was the first of his solo tunes to really grab me as a yoot’. He sure made good use of the video medium. All the media.
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TBH, I was rather put off at first, as I was very fond of Genesis! But they have certainly grown on me over the years. Yes, PG was innovative; in some ways he reminds me of Eno with his curiosity and innovation.
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There’s something satisfying about Gabriel’s naming scheme. I remember finding my first copy of security and thinking I’d discovered an album I didn’t know about and then the disappointment. Must get the German album as well.
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When the successor to “So” appeared, I remember reading (MOJO, probably) a comment that he’d stayed with a two-letter title, and even recycled one of the letters.
Oddly, I have an urge to put on “My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair… But Now They’re Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows”.
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That II cover is amazing, always felt like the album should have been a bit better to reflect it.
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Just quietly, I sometimes think I like the quartet of covers as much as the music within. I also agree that ‘Scratch’ is brilliant. In the Hipgnosis doco (and Mark Blake’s book) we learn how they tore strips of paper to make the scratches, and pasted them onto the photo. Analogue!
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I didn’t realise the paper thing, makes sense. These days AI could sort it out in a few minutes.
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I’ve always been taken with the water droplets on I, although that is a very unnatural position to put yourself in, in a car.
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If I’m recalling the film correctly, I’m pretty sure they ‘painted in’ more droplets, which is a rather nice idea.
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I remember the excitement I had when these albums were released. The covers fit but I guess anything would have worked with me.
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But not for PG, right? That guy has always had a unique approach.
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Yes he has. I’ve kinda lost touch with Pete. I was tied for being his number one fan at one time.
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“Up” was the last album I got. Couldn’t quite get into it and kind of drifted away after that. But I think that is common. Not too many ‘classic’ artists I rush out and buy stuff these days. More asking myself, ‘do I really need this lavish boomer-hunting boxed set of an album I have on cd and vinyl?’. 😅
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I hear you loud and clear. I weaned my self off that mindset a long time ago. I did purchase a used copy of Trilogy (and a few others) on the weekend. Got it home and was reminded how much I like this record. 2 copies and counting. 17 records and I was $34 lighter in the wallet. I get home all feeling good and I hear in a screechy voice “You dont need anymore F*&%%&&% records CB”
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You should never have taught that parrot to talk, CB.
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