Peter Gabriel

Hints at Peter Gabriel's new musical direction came to light in February 1980, with the release of the single, "Games without Frontiers" b/w "Start/ I Don't Remember." Recorded with the album the previous summer, the title is a reference to the UK game show Jeux Sans Frontières. The single was well received, reaching No. 4 in the UK and No. 48 in the US. But the album, again titled Peter Gabriel, was even more successful, topping the UK chart and rising to No. 22 in the US—where it was released by Mercury Records, after being rejected by Atco Records! As the opening track "Intruder" attests, the new direction is nothing short of revolutionary. Built on a drum pattern played by Phil Collins, it's the first example of the now-legendary "gated reverb drum sound" that would define 80s rock production. Obviously, Gabriel made some crucial choices in enlisting the services of producer Steve Lillywhite and engineer Hugh Padgham to create this "new" sound. To say that Gabriel breaks ground here is an understatement; he offers an entirely new take on the progressive, one rooted in a new, modern aesthetic. Cymbal-less, angular and decidedly forward-looking, the tracks rely more on the technology used to construct them for their identity, than with traditional composition or performance. Gabriel's subject matter is darker too—whether self-evident on a track like "Family Snapshot," or more oblique, as on "No Self-Control" and "Games without Frontiers." "I Don't Remember" features Tony Levin's massive Chapman stick (his only contribution to the album), while "Not One of Us" bounces over John Giblin's nimble bass. The album ends with "Biko," a moving tribute to the South African anti-apartheid martyr. It also points to another significant chunk of Gabriel's new direction: world music. In parallel to his music career, he would dedicate significant effort and resources to his Real World Studios and label. Again, he went on a successful tour (dubbed China 1984) to support the album, with guitarist David Rhodes now part of his band. Also, in a somewhat novel marketing move, Gabriel released the album entirely sung in German, as Ein Deutsches Album.