Peter Gabriel (1978 album)

Second solo album by Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Studio album by

Peter Gabriel

Released| 2 June 1978 (1978-06-02)[1]
Recorded| November 1977 – February 1978[1]
Studio| Relight Studios, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands
The Hit Factory, New York
Trident Studios, London[1]
Genre|

* Rock[2]
* art rock[3]
* progressive rock[4]

Length| 41:29
Label| Charisma
Producer| Robert Fripp
Peter Gabriel chronology
| Peter Gabriel
(1977)  | Peter Gabriel
(1978)  | Peter Gabriel
(1980)

|
|

Singles from  Peter Gabriel

1. "D.I.Y."
Released: 12 May 1978[5]

Peter Gabriel is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, released on 2 June 1978 by Charisma Records. Gabriel started recording the album in November 1977, the same month that he had completed touring in support of his debut solo release. He employed former King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, who was part of Gabriel's early touring band, to produce the album. Fripp used his Frippertronics effects on the co-written song "Exposure".

The album's cover artwork by Hipgnosis led to it becoming known as Scratch to differentiate it from Gabriel's other eponymously titled albums. Some music streaming services refer to it as Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch.[6]

The album reached No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 45 on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart.[7]

## Background

[edit]

Robert Fripp produced the album

Gabriel briefly considered working again with the producer of his first album, Bob Ezrin, but ultimately decided against it.[8] Gabriel instead selected Robert Fripp. Compared to Ezrin, who was more insistent on dictating the arrangements, Fripp favoured a more spontaneous work process that allowed Gabriel to contribute his own musical ideas.[9] Gabriel credited Fripp with creating a studio environment that was conducive to creativity.[10]

> Robert's approach to the process of recording was very good. He likes situations to happen rather than make them happen. On the first album I wasn't confident of my own ability in arrangement, whereas on the last one I was a lot more confident and had definite ideas.[10]

Fripp utilised his Frippertronics technique on the track "Exposure", which he and Gabriel co-wrote.[11] He later recorded a version of the song as the title track of his 1979 solo album Exposure.[12] Fripp also pitch shifted Gabriel's vocals with an Eventide Harmonizer, which created a "slightly off key" vocal effect according to Stephen W Tayler, who served as an audio engineer for the album.[13] Stephen Short was originally tasked with mixing the album at Trident Studios after previously serving as a tape op at the facility. Tayler recalled that Short was a relatively recent hire at Trident Studios and observed that he encountered difficulties in managing disagreements between Fripp and Gabriel over the album's production. The remainder of the album was mixed by Tayler, who described the album as "very dry sounding". He partially attributed this to Fripp's preference to minimise the use of reverb. "He had a concept called 'secret reverb,' which meant if you could hear it, then it was too loud."[13]

During the assembly of the album package, Fripp wanted to include the phrase Produced by Robert Fripp for Peter Gabriel in the liner notes to reflect his belief that he abdicated too much creative control to Gabriel.[9] Gabriel said that Fripp suggested this credit "because some of the style of the sound was not altogether what he wanted. He didn't want people to think that was exactly how he would have interpreted the music".[14]

In a 1980 interview with Smash Hits, Gabriel stated that he failed to attain the results he desired on his second solo release in part because of his creative differences with Fripp. Gabriel believed that Fripp lacked an understanding on how to effectively record synthesisers and said that the two "spent too much time on theoretical arguments." He also expressed his opinion that "On the Air" and "White Shadow" were the only songs on the album that received sufficient attention in the recording studio.[15] Larry Fast, who played synthesisers on the album, thought that Fripp's production choices did not adversely impact his contributions and felt that the drier and more intimate arrangements dictated the "sonic colors and textures" that he worked with.[16]

## Artwork

[edit]

The cover depicts an image of Gabriel with several vertical grooves gouged into it that end at his fingertips. He stands with hands raised, palms facing himself, and fingers bent to simulate the appearance of tearing the image. The effect was achieved by gluing strips of torn paper onto a photo of Gabriel in the appropriate pose, taken by photographer Peter Christopherson, then using Tipp-Ex correction fluid to touch up the spots where they met his fingers.[17]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [18]
Chicago Sun-Times| [19]
Classic Rock| 7/10[20]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [21]
Entertainment Weekly| B+[22]
Q| [23]
Rolling Stone| [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [24]
Uncut| 7/10[25]
The Village Voice| B−[26]

In NME, Nick Kent wrote that the album's "brazenly left-field veneer left me cold at first, and it's only now that its strengths are starting to come across ... once past the disarming non-focus veneer, there's a quietly remarkable talent at work – quiet in the manner of the slow fuse burn of 'Mother of Violence' with Roy Bittan's piano work outstripping anything he's turned out for either Bruce Springsteen or David Bowie. Closer to the root of the album, there's a purity, a strength to the songs individual enough to mark Gabriel out as a man whose creative zenith is close at hand."[8]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Peter Gabriel, except where noted.

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "On the Air"|  | 5:30
2.| "D.I.Y."|  | 2:37
3.| "Mother of Violence"| Peter and Jill Gabriel| 3:10
4.| "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World"|  | 3:33
5.| "White Shadow"|  | 5:14

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

6.| "Indigo"|  | 3:30
7.| "Animal Magic"|  | 3:26
8.| "Exposure"| Gabriel, Robert Fripp| 4:12
9.| "Flotsam and Jetsam"|  | 2:17
10.| "Perspective"|  | 3:23
11.| "Home Sweet Home"|  | 4:37

* On original LP pressings of the album, the audio of "White Shadow" (the last song on side one) continued into a locked groove.
* Some editions of the cassette release had a different running order. "A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World" was track 11, "Home Sweet Home" was track 5, and "White Shadow" was track 4.
* The original B-side of the single "D.I.Y." is a longer version of "Perspective" edited for the album and all subsequent releases.

## Personnel

[edit]

* Peter Gabriel – lead and backing vocals; Hammond organ (11), piano (2), synthesizer (5, 7)
* Robert Fripp – electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 10), acoustic guitar (5), Frippertronics (8)
* Tony Levin – bass guitar (1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11), Chapman stick (2, 4, 9), string bass (6), recorder arrangements (6, 9), backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 10, 11)
* Roy Bittan – keyboards (1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11)
* Larry Fast – synthesizer and treatments (1, 2, 5, 7, 10)
* Jerry Marotta – drums (all except 3), backing vocals (1, 4, 10, 11)
* Sid McGinnis – electric guitar (1, 4, 8–11), acoustic guitar (2, 3), steel guitar (3–6, 9, 11), mandolin (2), backing vocals (7)
* Bayeté (Todd Cochran) – keyboards (2, 4, 6, 7)
* Tim Cappello – saxophone (10, 11)
* George Marge – recorder (6, 8, 9)
* John Tims – insects (3)

The electric guitar on 7 is uncredited.

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1978)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[27] | 50
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[28] | 46
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] | 48
French Albums (SNEP)[30] | 2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] | 49
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] | 24
UK Albums (OCC)[33] | 10
US Billboard 200[34] | 45

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Mic, Smith (2002). Peter Gabriel (booklet). Peter Gabriel. Box, Wiltshire: Real World. p. 1.
2. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2018). Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781787590823. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
4. ^ a b Marsh, Dave (26 July 2001) [7 September 1978]. "Peter Gabriel [2]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
5. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 9.
6. ^ "Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch (Remastered)". 2 June 1978 – via open.spotify.com.
7. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". Retrieved 24 August 2008.
8. ^ a b Kent, Nick (10 June 1978). "Gabriel: The Image Gets a Tweak". NME – via The Genesis Archives.
9. ^ a b Brown, Mick (19 August 1978). "The Clean-Cut Approach". The Guardian – via The Genesis Archives.
10. ^ a b Birch, Ian (1 July 1978). "Peter Gabriel, Latest Edition". Melody Maker. pp. 10, 46 – via The Genesis Archives.
11. ^ "Genesis News Com [it]: Peter Gabriel - II (Scratch) - CD review". www.genesis-news.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
12. ^ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 20\. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
13. ^ a b Prasad, Anil (2020). "Stephen W. Tayler: Experimental Evocation". Retrieved 4 March 2025.
14. ^ Clarke, Steve (20 January 1979). "The Technology of Being Peter Gabriel". NME. p. 22–23, 46 – via The Genesis Archives.
15. ^ Taylor, Steve (26 June 1980). "Fame Without Frontiers". Smash Hits. p. 33. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
16. ^ Sokal, Roman (2003). "Larry Fast: Synth pioneer w/ Peter Gabriel, etc". Tape Op. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
17. ^ "Peter Gabriel 2 - Scratch » Real World Galleries". realworldgalleries.com.
18. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Peter Gabriel [2] – Peter Gabriel". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
19. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (4 July 1993). "A Solo Discography". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
20. ^ Beaumont, Mark (2 October 2015). "Peter Gabriel: Vinyl Reissues". Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
21. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Gabriel, Peter". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
22. ^ Brunner, Rob (12 July 2002). "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 1 / Peter Gabriel 2 / Peter Gabriel 3 / Security / Plays Live / Birdy / So / Passion / Us". Entertainment Weekly. pp. 84–85.
23. ^ "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel". Q. No. 191\. June 2002. p. 137.
24. ^ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Peter Gabriel". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 319–20. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
25. ^ Thomson, Graeme (November 2015). "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 1 ('Car') / Peter Gabriel 2 ('Scratch') / Peter Gabriel 3 ('Melt') / Peter Gabriel 4 ('Security')". Uncut. No. 222\. pp. 88–89.
26. ^ Christgau, Robert (4 September 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
27. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 120\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
28. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4655a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
30. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – G". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Peter Gabriel from the menu, then press OK.
31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
32. ^ "Charts.nz – Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
34. ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 June 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Peter Gabriel (Scratch) at Discogs (list of releases)
* Peter Gabriel (Scratch) at MusicBrainz

* v
* t
* e

Peter Gabriel

Studio albums|

* Peter Gabriel (Car)
* Peter Gabriel (Scratch)
* Peter Gabriel (Melt)
* Peter Gabriel (Security)
* So
* Us
* Up
* Scratch My Back
* New Blood
* I/O

Live albums|

* Plays Live
* Plays Live Highlights
* Secret World Live
* Live Blood
* Back to Front: Live in London
* Growing Up Live
* Live in Athens 1987

Singles|

* "Solsbury Hill"
* "Modern Love"
* "D.I.Y."
* "Games Without Frontiers"
* "No Self Control"
* "Biko"
* "I Don't Remember"
* "Shock the Monkey"
* "I Have the Touch"
* "Wallflower"
* "Sledgehammer"
* "In Your Eyes"
* "Don't Give Up"
* "Big Time"
* "Red Rain"
* "Shaking the Tree"
* "Digging in the Dirt"
* "Steam"
* "Blood of Eden"
* "Kiss That Frog"
* "Lovetown"
* "While the Earth Sleeps"
* "When You're Falling"
* "The Barry Williams Show"
* "More Than This"
* "Growing Up
* "Burn You Up, Burn You Down"
* "Darkness"
* "Down to Earth"
* "Panopticom"
* "The Court"
* "Playing for Time"
* "I/O"
* "Four Kinds of Horses"
* "Road to Joy"
* "So Much"
* "Olive Tree"
* "Love Can Heal"
* "This Is Home"
* "And Still"
* "Live and Let Live"

Songs|

* "Moribund the Burgermeister"
* "Here Comes the Flood"
* "On the Air"
* "Mother of Violence"
* "Intruder"
* "Family Snapshot"
* "The Rhythm of the Heat"
* "San Jacinto"
* "That Voice Again"
* "Mercy Street"
* "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)"
* "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)"
* "Come Talk to Me"
* "Love to Be Loved"
* "Secret World"
* "Father, Son"
* "The Tower That Ate People"
* "Sky Blue"

Soundtracks|

* Birdy
* Passion
* OVO
* Long Walk Home

Compilations|

* Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats
* Revisited
* Hit
* Rated PG
* Flotsam and Jetsam

Concert tours|

* This Way Up Tour
* Secret World Tour
* Back to Front Tour
* i/o The Tour

Films|

* Secret World Live
* Growing Up: Live
* Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped

Video games|

* Xplora1: Peter Gabriel's Secret World
* Eve
* Myst IV: Revelation

Other|

* Discography
* Genesis
* WOMAD
* Passion – Sources
* The Story of OVO
* Millennium Dome Show
* Play: The Videos
* Big Blue Ball
* And I'll Scratch Yours
* Real World Records
* Real World Studios
* Solid State Logic (SSL)

Peter Gabriel discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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