Plays Live (W/Newpk) [Original recording remastered, Live]

With this two double CD set you will get more than buying the newest compilation "Hit". You can find in here a lot of songs you cannot miss from his four first recordings, as "On the air", "Humdrum", "D.I.Y.", "No self control".

I like Peter Gabriel's sound live. And this recording is very good even being almost 20 years old. Secret World sounds a little better and has the rest of the essential songs of PG, but I thik in this case two songs ("Secret World" and "In your Eyes") are too much for half of a disc.

Two excellent songs will be out of this four CD set: "Games without frontiers" and "Big Time" (it should be lovely to listen this track live), but the fact is that all songs in "Plays Live" are enough variety and quality to start knowing PG's first recordings.

Car: Solsbury Hill, Humdrum. (I should have included Here comes the Flood, too).

Scratch: On the Air, D.I.Y. (It is not my favourite album, but both songs are O.K.).

Melt: Intruder, No Self Control, I Don't Remember, Family Snapshot, Biko, Not One of Us. (Very good representation for a great album).

Security: The Rhythm of the Heat, San Jacinto, I Have the Touch, The Family and the Fishing Net, Shock the Monkey. (More than half of the original recording!).

PG's been an extraordinary artist in live performance. What about a DVD with his first solo appearances?

This was originally issued with 16 songs, and if you did some looking, there was a Live E.P. on vinyl that included a live version of "KISS OF LIFE" from the same tour. Some Genius at GEFFEN decided that 4 tracks from the original release and the bouns track from the E.P. didn't merit this latest incarnation and it's a shame.

You're better off buying the orginal disc release of this. for 4 reasons. Namely, the songs omitted

1. The Rhythm of the heat. The live percussion on this track was breathtaking

2. Not One of Us. Again, just a great sounding live track tossed aside

3. Intruder. This was the best version of the song!!!!! The drums were booming and Peters' vocals were melodic opposed to the studio version. ( This is the highest crime on the remasterd version )

4. On the Air. My Goodness! This song is amazing in the live version.

Here's hoping that Geffen puts together a compilation that includes these missing tracks.

The trend ( and a good one ) with remastered versions is to add tracks, not ditch them.

Geffen really dropped the ball with this one. As they did with the remastered back catalogue. No additional tracks on any of these. The packaging is nice, but the assassination of tracks is unforgivable.

Buy the original release of this on C.D.