So (25th Anniversary 3CD Deluxe) [Original recording remastered, Special Edition]

"So" by Peter Gabriel is a quality three cd set that features nine of his classic hits on cd one. Cd2 and Cd3 are both recorded from the Live in Athens (1987) event. What enhances my enjoyment of this collection is that I had recently been to a live concert of his that brilliantly covered the tracks on "So". "Sledgehammer", "Don't Give Up", "Big Time", "In Your Eyes", "Solsbury Hill" and "Games Without Frontiers" are some of the multiple music gems that are covered on this cd. "So" by Peter Gabriel is best for those who like late 80's and/or 90's music with important social and/or political themes.

Finally one of the ten best records of the 1980's gets the deluxe treatment and this time it's no rip off. First we get the remastered So. It sounds brilliant. I know it always has but next to the SACD and the suprise coming up it's the best you are going to hear the album. You get the DNA disc. Basically songs in their infant stage or somewhere along the line to completetion. Kind of cool, not mind blowing but cool. Now we get to the great. First a two CD live show from the 1987 recorded in Athens. This is the show that was cut up into the POV release from the 1980's. You also get a new recut of that concert. That's the full show on DVD in 5.1. Another excellent Classic Album Feature that goes in depth with the recording of So. Now the suprise! I guess Peter heard the online rumbles. You get a code to download a 24bit version of the record that he refurs to as Studio Quality. So still no 5.1 but the 24bit should sound great. I do not know the format or any other info as I have yet to try the download.
For those of you who have never experienced the album So here is your chance. This record is easily one of the greatest record from the 80's. Even Ozzy is a huge fan. I watched a Much Music special on him a few years ago and the host said he had been listening to all of Gabriel's records and he was amazed how they didn't sound dated. That sums Peter up in a nut shell. But how can you sound dated when no one releases music like yours. Songs like Red Rain, Mercy Street even Sledgehammer could just as easily come out now. As always with Mr. Gabriel the sound is impeccable. Video super sharp and a beautifully laid out coffee table book. Oh I almost forgot about you Vinyl fans. You also get a copy of the album and an EP on vinyl. So with exception of a 5.1 mix you get everything here and for once I did not have to rebuy products I already had. All this at half the price his tickets were on the So back to front tour (LOL sorry $189 for ticket was a little steep) and the show like this box set takes me back to a time where I was finishing high school and starting University best part of anyone's life and this was my soundtrack. Great Box set nuff said!!

Peter Gabriel capped his troika of five star albums with what became his commercial high-point, the energetic (for him, anyway) "So." I guess when you say energetic in regard to Gabriel, that definition comes from the hits "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time." The hard hitting rhythms and memorable videos from those two songs made them huge hits and -- peculiar enough -- dance floor sensations. The hook in "Big Time" is so mammoth that it has since been used to do everything from promote movies to selling automobiles; ironic, considering the song's focus on falsity of the commercial world.

For those who viewed this sudden burst of commercial acceptance as sell out, "So" has something they obviously missed. This is Gabriel's most spiritual album. "Mercy Street," "In Your Eyes" and "Don't Give Up" are unbelievably uplifting songs. Having explored African music for the basis of much of "Security," this time Gabriel enlisted one of that continent's foremost vocalists. The exuberance of Youssou N'Dour at the close of "In Your Eyes" and the angelic (I can't think of any other way to describe it) lead of Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up" make both of these the kind of songs I turn to in moments of despair.

In addition to N'Dour and Bush, "So" has an amazing list of player's players contributing. Everyone from Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, Michael Been of The Call, Nile Rogers of Chic, and producer Daniel Lanois all contribute to making "So" a stunning album of rich musical tones. In fact, this may be the Peter Gabriel album that benefited the most from its remastering. Lanois' production tends to lean on more organic sounds, and this new edition of "So" finds them sounding more crisp and spaced.

The remastering did leave me with one gripe. How come "In Your Eyes" got pushed to the end of this CD as opposed to the track five slot of the original? (This CD's participants' track listing didn't change the guest musicians/running order, either!) On original discs, "In Your Eyes" came between "That Voice Again" and "Mercy Street," leaving the album to end with the more peculiar (and more satisfying) "This Is The Picture/Excellent Birds."

That's just a minor question in perspective to the overall impact of "So." This was one of the Top 5 albums of 1986, and along with albums by Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Simple Minds, one of the best of the eighties as a decade.