New Blood [Special Edition, Import]

It's some 18 months since the release of Scratch My Back and I find myself listening to it less and less, save for "Flume" and "Listening Wind" on occasion. However, this one I think I'll be listening to a lot. Brilliantly revisiting some songs, it occasionally transcends the originals. Thanks to the official Peter Gabriel website and NME we've had the opportunity to listen to the whole album for the week preceding its official release, and that's basically all I've been listening to for the past eight days, now the album having been finally released.

The album opens with "The Rhythm of the Heat", a fitting opening to an album that visits Gabriel's older songs with delight. The song works superbly, and oozes dark grandeur, much like the amazing "Intruder". This music has drama and theatre, but it's far from being theatrically corny. Indeed, this is no Symphonicities, instead displaying the darkness, playfulness and idiosyncratic wittiness of Gabriel's music, especially apparent on the first four self-titled albums.

While the opener ends with a huge orchestral finale, "Downside-Up" is subdued, beautifully arranged by Metcalfe. The opening could be from an aria. Indeed, the song opens so beautifully, perfection to a T, that the verse doesn't quite manage to keep the song alive, fizzling out a bit. The chorus, however, works great, and although I understand perfectly the kind of counterpoint they were going after between the verse and chorus, it doesn't work for me. The ending is quite abrupt even if we're not comparing it to the original on OVO. I can't quite get the direction the song is going, never finding where it's supposed to have its center, that great moment that makes the song as a whole.

The third song is "San Jacinto", a song much like "The Rhythm of the Heat" and "Red Rain" that in itself already has a sense of musical drama most fitting for orchestral arrangement. Indeed, it's playfully brilliant all along, and this is one of the best examples of the interplay between the vocals and the orchestra, since they're in constant conversation. Perhaps the only thing I'm finding hard to grow accustomed to is the decision to first to lead the orchestra to a huge crescendo leading up to the chorus of "San Jacinto", then swerving to an unexpected diminuendo. This does leave room for another slow crescendo, making the ending stand out more, but dramatically it's not to my liking. The song ends superbly, however, taking its time to calm down.

At best Metcalfe captures not only the soul of the original recording but also plays with things only hinted at previously. "Intruder" is such an occasion. It's as creepy as the original, as witty, but there's something more, intangible almost: I can picture Gabriel singing this on the stage stark raving mad, cherishing every breath of it. Definitely a compliment, note! A ballsy arrangement that only swells up toward the ending that could've been a disaster. Instead, it's inviting, exuberant, airy. Amazing!

It would be hard to up the ante if it weren't for the best song Gabriel has ever written to follow, that being "Wallflower". I've been cherishing this song for many years, having been quite taken aback by the lack of attention given to this earlier. You can imagine my reaction upon realizing that he was performing this live and recording it for the album. And what an arrangement! This not only outdoes the studio version, this outdoes everything he has ever recorded. This is what I will always remember him by: the pinnacle of his whole career, right here.

"In Your Eyes" starts energetically. The introduction is fine, but perhaps it's my prejudice, but this song feels a bit redundant. Perhaps it's the central position it enjoys in any Gabriel setlist, the iconic song that it is, perhaps it's the obviousness of it being on the album, I don't really think it fits here that well. There are other superbly energetic songs they could've picked that would've had the moxie in them, "Kiss of Life" being one, but I suppose anything else would've been too opaque. Interestingly, "Red Rain", which is just as essential and iconic, works brilliantly. I think it might have something to do with the leisurely ambience that doesn't translate well to forward-moving orchestration, or perhaps I'm growing out of the song.

We continue on the hit album So, the next song being "Mercy Street". It starts ominously, verified in the first "Lets take the boat out", finding its counterpoint in the beautiful brass-laden chorus. The first verse is sung in an ebbing rubato by Gabriel, something repeated by the signature flute, both decisions I disliked, but Gabriel sings the second verse more to the beat, which I liked more. The flute melody, however, is deliberately stripped down from ornamentation, and doesn't do it for me. The choruses are absolutely brilliant, yet as with "Downside-Up", I thought the song ended way too soon, considering it felt like it was gaining momentum and taking its time to get the atmosphere right.

On its own it might sound a bit off, but when immediately followed by "Red Rain", it actually works as a nice prelude to it. This song is one of the best on the album: boisterous, the chorus is absolutely brilliant, the strings swelling like a pregnant river, the brass like the crescent. One of the highlights of the album, yet the bridge part hasn't quite grown on me as of yet. The ending is, however, more than fulfilling, Metcalfe exploring the whole palette of symphonic expression here without lapsing into corniness.

By now it's becoming increasingly difficult to sustain a sense of freshness in the songs. I admit that one downside of "Scratch My Back" was that the songs started sounding too similar. I think that "Darkness" suffers from this a bit, but might work better when listened to in isolation from the other songs. The chorus is among the most beautiful pieces, both musically and lyrically, Gabriel has ever written. I guess his channeling of Tom Waits in the verses will be the most debatable thing about this song, as well as the subtle lyrical changes made in the verse.

"Don't Give Up" is another safe bet, just as "In Your Eyes" is. I admit I've never been a huge fan of this song. Again, positioned towards the end as it is, it really doesn't do speak to me, sounding a bit too sappy. The piano in the verse after the first chorus is the best thing about this arrangement, and Peter's "Got to walk out of here" is one of his finest moments on the album. I don't, however, care too much for Brun's singing.

In fact, I think "Don't Give Up" and "Digging in the Dirt" share the same difficulties. They suffer from the "Symphonicity" problem, as the arrangements don't swerve as unexpectedly as to somehow differentiate them strongly enough from the originals. Sure, the first choruses of "Digging In The Dirt" have been reworked a bit, but the ending of "Don't Give Up" and a large part of "Digging In The Dirt" and the so-called bonus track "Solsbury Hill" are prime examples of uninteresting work, perhaps "In Your Names": they sound exactly how we've been accustomed to be hearing them, only played by a symphonic orchestra. The brass, however, works brilliantly on "Dirt".

I would've been content had they finished the album with "The Nest That Sailed The Sky" and "A Quiet Moment". Whoever thought of "The Nest" to be included here had a stroke of genius. It's one of the highlights of "OVO" as it is, literally making the album (with "Low Light" and "Downside-Up") for me. The inclusion of "A Quiet Moment", a recording of ambient sounds on Solsbury Hill, would've been completely justified even without having "Solsbury Hill" as a bonus track. The album would've ended in transcendent peace, quietude and awe. Instead, it now ends in what sounds like an afterthought.

The bonus disk that comes with the Special Edition includes instrumental versions of all the songs as well as an orchestrated version of "Blood of Eden", sung by Peter and Melanie Gabriel. The instrumentals are very nice, allowing us fans to redefine what karaoke is all about. As for the version of "Blood of Eden", I'm surprised they left it out, since it would've certainly made a better impression on the album rather than "Solsbury Hill".

What's the verdict, then? It's a superbly produced album, better than Scratch My Back, full of amazing songs, yet some songs leave me lacking. "Wallflower", for me, is the apex of Gabriel's whole career, and it's actually most of the first half of the album where the songs and arrangements shine, fizzling out a bit after "Red Rain". Yet in all fairness, "The Nest That Sailed the Sky" is pure bliss. The artwork is superb, aligning well with the style of the previous album.

It can't be easy to be Peter Gabriel. You put out two discs back to back both with lush, brilliantly arranged orchestral songs (one of covers and the other originals) and what you get is a bunch of flack from ungratefuls who want to see another SO. Ugh. Seriously. What else do you want? In this he basically gave us a greatest hits re imagined and infused with passion to spare. New emotions from old songs swoon and emerge again in vibrant vivid color. And his voice is AMAZING still - identical from work he recorded in the late seventies/early eighties. How does he do it? He stays true to his muse. He never compromises. He'll release another studio album when he's good and ready and when he does it will no doubt be a deliberate, thoughtful, and sincerely powerful work - just look at his track record.

OK. I admit, maybe he should stop having his daughter sing on his stuff - seriously her voice even on these limited tracks couldn't carry a paperclip. But his misplaced family loyalty aside, PG is a genius, respected in not just the music industry, but Hollywood, and by musicians across the world. No mission of his can be fruitless. He grows, learns and conjours ghosts others only dream of. And in NEW BLOOD he's given us a brilliant disc - from the theatrical Intruder to the heartbreaking Wallflower or the classic In Your Eyes. I saw him do these songs live at the Hollywood Bowl and they were every bit as magical. I will not forget that show til the say I die.

For those who don't appreciate this or Scratch My Back, I believe the future will prove you wrong. Because if anyone knows how to make powerful recordings that stand the test of time, it's Peter.

Try sitting through the first two tracks without being moved to tears (you would need to be inhuman). The compositions are beautifully arranged and Gabriel's voice has never been stronger. Some folks are accustomed to hearing these songs a certain way, so they expect to hear them in that original form- remove the conditioning and you'll find New Blood to be a brand new experience. In an Age of Lady Goo-goo and lack of emotional substance being branded into us, it's refreshing to know that some of the greats are still out there... making music their way.

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