New Peter Gabriel tune "I'm Amazing"

[Oreb]

I don't think it's bad, as such: just bland and trite.

[bill g]

Kinda cool. I kinda like it. Yeah, does sound a lot like 'Up', but then I rather like 'Up'.

[firth5th]

Sorry fellas, this blows.

[2steves]

Paint by number Gabriel. The composition and sound structure of this may have interested me once when I first heard it 30 years ago but this rehash does nothing for me. Of all my musical heros of yesteryear, I think Gab may be the biggest let down today. And to think I used to stand in line overnight for tickets and rush to the store on new release Tuesdays if he was involved once upon a time.

well said---feel the same---he needs to rejoin Genesis and perform his masterpiece--The Lamb and Selling England----because this is not very good.

[JJ88]

well said---feel the same---he needs to rejoin Genesis and perform his masterpiece--The Lamb and Selling England----because this is not very good.

I mean, I wasn't crazy about this song, but come on.

[aith01]

I mean, I wasn't crazy about this song, but come on.

Were you surprised though, honestly?

[JJ88]

^Well, no, not really. But I find it arrogant to blithely tell an artist what they 'need' to/should be doing. It's the artist's freedom to do what they want and our freedom not to like it, but that's where it ends.

[Casey]

Speaking strictly on a business level, if this is how PG will be releasing his music, it will be way past my bedtime when, or if, the next song is released.

As for taste, I wasn't much of a fan of "Up." I had noticed a change between "Security" & "So" that signaled, somewhat faintly, that PG & I were parting ways. In retrospect I can appreciate that that signal was emanating from both of us. Bottom line: as a one-time fanboy, I'll always be curious to see what PG does, but I no longer HAVE to purchase it.

[Splicer]

As usual with latter-day Gabriel, no "there" there. Where does it begin and what leads it to the end? Is there a conclusion at all? An overproduced fleeting thought captured for posterity.

Addendum:
For all those who say, "Keep criticizing and he'll stop making music." Yeah, well, I wish he would start making some before he stops.

[yamishogun]

I've listened twice. Maybe this should have been cut 2 minutes and replaced the opening track on "Up". Or, it could have replaced "Signal to Noise." Or,...

[moecurlythanu]

I had noticed a change between "Security" & "So" that signaled, somewhat faintly, that PG & I were parting ways. In retrospect I can appreciate that that signal was emanating from both of us. Bottom line: as a one-time fanboy, I'll always be curious to see what PG does, but I no longer HAVE to purchase it.

As usual with latter-day Gabriel, no "there" there. Where does it begin and what leads it to the end? Is there a conclusion at all? An overproduced fleeting thought captured for posterity.

Yeah, it's definitely not for me. Though a former fanboy, the only thing by Pete that I've purchased since So was one of his DVDs. The bloom has been off the rose for some time now.

[JJ88]

As usual with latter-day Gabriel, no "there" there. Where does it begin and what leads it to the end? Is there a conclusion at all? An overproduced fleeting thought captured for posterity.

Addendum:
For all those who say, "Keep criticizing and he'll stop making music." Yeah, well, I wish he would start making some before he stops.

Agree with everything you write here. I'm not keen on that kind of passive-aggressive, put-up-or-shut-up comment; it's intended to stifle criticism and have an echo-chamber of endless 'it's great' fanboy comment.

I have the greatest of respect for and get great enjoyment out of almost everything he recorded from Trespass through to and including Us. Unfortunately after that, the work has taken longer and longer, to its detriment, IMHO. Up had some great moments ('Darkness', 'Sky Blue', 'Signal To Noise'), but quite a bit of plodding introspection, and it was- again- very overproduced IMHO.

I'm not a member of The Cult Of Steven Wilson, but within this interview he did with Anil Prasad for his Innerviews site, Wilson nails what I think is wrong with Up:

http://www.innerviews.org/inner/ptree.html

But whatever, I'll always cherish that 20-plus years of brilliant work.

[Splicer]

I'm not a member of The Cult Of Steven Wilson, but within this interview he did with Anil Prasad for his Innerviews site, Wilson nails what I think is wrong with Up:

http://www.innerviews.org/inner/ptree.html

But whatever, I'll always cherish that 20-plus years of brilliant work.

I agree with him. When the "worldbuilding" becomes more important than the storytelling it tends to meander.

[Fracktured]

Tough crowd...

That's the trouble with releasing something 10 years or so apart. It's going to be scrutinized to death. Fans think if you worked on something that long it should be the best thing you ever recorded and it will never live up to that level.

[2steves]

^Well, no, not really. But I find it arrogant to blithely tell an artist what they 'need' to/should be doing. It's the artist's freedom to do what they want and our freedom not to like it, but that's where it ends.

Don't worry I doubt that Peter is reading this site or would care what I think lol
People have been begging him to do a Genesis thing for years and he ignores us!
Having said that--I do think he needs to reinvent himself---oops there I go again!!

[yamishogun]

Agree with everything you write here. I'm not keen on that kind of passive-aggressive, put-up-or-shut-up comment; it's intended to stifle criticism and have an echo-chamber of endless 'it's great' fanboy comment.

I have the greatest of respect for and get great enjoyment out of almost everything he recorded from Trespass through to and including Us. Unfortunately after that, the work has taken longer and longer, to its detriment, IMHO. Up had some great moments ('Darkness', 'Sky Blue', 'Signal To Noise'), but quite a bit of plodding introspection, and it was- again- very overproduced IMHO.

I'm not a member of The Cult Of Steven Wilson, but within this interview he did with Anil Prasad for his Innerviews site, Wilson nails what I think is wrong with Up:

http://www.innerviews.org/inner/ptree.html

But whatever, I'll always cherish that 20-plus years of brilliant work.

Wilson: " Up just collapses under the weight of its own overwroughted-ness."

Wilson thought In Abstentia was better than Up, but I'd disagree. I understand his comment, but Up works if you cut a couple of songs: "The Berry Williams Show" and "My Head Sounds Like That" so that a 67 minute album is cut to 52 minutes. You could even cut "Darkness" and still have a powerful 45 minute album. That is how I listened to Up from 2003 to 2005 when I listened a lot.

In Abstentia clocking in at 68 minutes is also too long for my ant attention span. The first 28 minutes are great but then "Wedding Nails" can go. Back with "Prodigal" but then "3"..."The Creator Has a Masterpiece" can also go (even though pretty good)... Cut 11 more minutes. So that leaves an excellent 50 minute album.

[yamishogun]

I understanding keeping "Darkness" but got tired of that as the opening after a while. "No Way Out" is part of the essential Up experience! I had to be in a certain mood for my 45 minute version whereas I didn't need to be for In Abstentia, but I think Gabriel's last album is overall more interesting and left a deeper impact on the two years I listened to it but was happy to discover Porcupine Tree around the same time.

[3LockBox]

New music is fine. I just wish he and Jon Anderson would bury the hatchet and reform Pink Floyd properly, so they could go out and perform their classic material like Red in its entirety...

brilliant... encompasses nearly every progressive rock fanboy trope ever uttered on the www.

[tullman]

Peter Gabriel is getting like Robert Plant, just put out any crap and the fans will eat it up.

I'm a fan and I won't buy a lossy version, that is for sure.

[tullman]

I don't think it's bad, as such: just bland and trite.

Bland and trite does = bad.

[aith01]

^Well, no, not really. But I find it arrogant to blithely tell an artist what they 'need' to/should be doing. It's the artist's freedom to do what they want and our freedom not to like it, but that's where it ends.

I'm not a member of The Cult Of Steven Wilson, but within this interview he did with Anil Prasad for his Innerviews site, Wilson nails what I think is wrong with Up:

http://www.innerviews.org/inner/ptree.html

While I really like Steven Wilson, both as a musician and as a person, I have to strongly disagree with his assessment of Up.

Up came out when I was 18, and at a very important time in my life -- a turning point, really. Was dealing with a loss in the family, and the music helped me through that time. In particular, No Way Out and Sky Blue touched me and evoked emotions like no other song ever had before. That was what led to music becoming a passion of mine, rather than just something to listen to sometimes.

Nowadays, it's almost too emotional for me to even listen to; I have to be in the right frame of mind for it. While it's by no means perfect, Up remains very important to me. Of course, not everyone will feel that way about it, and that's okay too.

I can't say the same thing about In Absentia, even though I like it very much. It just presses different buttons.

[HeadingSouth]

Good track, not one of his best things but decent.

I personally think Up is in his top 3 Albums.

[g.bremer]

Wilson: " Up just collapses under the weight of its own overwroughted-ness."

Wilson thought In Abstentia was better than Up, but I'd disagree. I understand his comment, but Up works if you cut a couple of songs: "The Berry Williams Show" and "My Head Sounds Like That" so that a 67 minute album is cut to 52 minutes. You could even cut "Darkness" and still have a powerful 45 minute album. That is how I listened to Up from 2003 to 2005 when I listened a lot.

In Abstentia clocking in at 68 minutes is also too long for my ant attention span. The first 28 minutes are great but then "Wedding Nails" can go. Back with "Prodigal" but then "3"..."The Creator Has a Masterpiece" can also go (even though pretty good)... Cut 11 more minutes. So that leaves an excellent 50 minute album.

I agree with Wilson (even though he can be insufferable sometimes). I was a HUGE Gabriel fan when I was a teenager. PG3 & Security are still some of my favorite music ever.

I think that eventually we just "parted ways" musically. I totally respect his talent, but I'm not really into much of his music since So. I think it's natural for us to want artists we really like to continue to produce music we love. Sometimes we just have to move on.

I do like the track from "Wall-E" though...

[yamishogun]

I agree with Wilson (even though he can be insufferable sometimes). I was a HUGE Gabriel fan when I was a teenager. PG3 & Security are still some of my favorite music ever.

I think that eventually we just "parted ways" musically. I totally respect his talent, but I'm not really into much of his music since So. I think it's natural for us to want artists we really like to continue to produce music we love. Sometimes we just have to move on.

I was in a similar situation to aith01. so when I friend gave me Up, knowing that I was a huge PG fan I reluctantly took it but said I didn't want to listen to something so depressing when I was also down.

Once I took off three songs, I started playing it in the summer of 2004 when recovery was just beginning, listening to it a lot while biking on very wide sidewalks along a river and to to the beach in my area of Japan. I'd listen to In Abstentia as well along with others but nothing was as soothing like "No Way Out" and "Blue Skies" - and really my entire 45 minute version. When the very worst was over I found myself playing Up less until it was actually hard to play for a while since an emotional reminder of the Really Bad Days. I play it, but once a year

So I'm biased, but I think both CDs are around 20 minutes too long and are helped greatly by cutting some songs - especially Up .

[Kcrimso]

I love Up. It is kind of overproduced but I don't mind too much.

New song I have heard just few times so far. It is ok but nothing stunning or really new.