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Product Description
Review
Last year's Scratch My Back saw Peter Gabriel reimagining his favourite songs by other artists - from Bowie to Bon Iver, Elbow to Paul Simon - via orchestral arrangements. No drums, no bass, no guitars. Taking that exquisite, elegiac work on tour - with the gigantic New Blood orchestra - necessitated adding some of his own material, similarly refashioned. So this time he's covering, if you will, his own stuff - radically reshaping it into forms both grander and sparser. Like its predecessor, New Blood is sonically minimalist but emotionally huge. The songs' raw nerves are laid bare, their emphases subtly altered and re-lit.
He doesn't simply revamp the obvious calling-card numbers: there's no Sledge Hammer or Games Without Frontiers, for example, and Biko isn't included despite a stirring rendition in the sibling 3D concert movie. Don't Give Up is here, with Ane Brun tackling the Kate Bush parts with a Björk-like tremble that seems jarring on first listen but increasingly moving with each return visit. More often than not, Gabriel appears intent on shifting the surface and context of the songs as much as possible. The Rhythm of the Heat without percussion is an insane idea on paper, but the 46-piece orchestra work their fingers to the bone finding equally valid ways to drive it forward. San Jacinto is completely unaffected and profoundly affecting, Gabriel's sandy, soulful voice somehow both understated and magniloquent.
There's a groundswell of opinion among fans and critics that his third solo album, usually known as Melt, was his finest, and its intense, twitchy, paranoid opening track Intruder is here lean and streamlined, its breathy presence even more accentuated. Arranger John Metcalfe realises Gabriel's ambitions throughout, whether it's on the comparatively jaunty Solsbury Hill or the sweeping power of Red Rain. And they can shuffle In Your Eyes all they like, but its chorus remains stoically hooky and uplifting.
Ever curious, Gabriel inserts five minutes of 'ambient noise' - in truth, near-silence - recorded on, where else, Solsbury Hill, by the name of A Quiet Moment. This album's a string-driven thing swinging between bravado and bleakness, and always beautiful.
--Chris Roberts
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CD Description
New Blood is a continuum of Peter’s previous Scratch My Back album - the song-swap project where he covered the songs of others, all to an orchestral backing. Thanks to the precise arrangements by John Metcalf and Peter, the treatment was so successful that Peter very quickly knew where he wanted to take it next, and work began to apply the same principals to his own songs.
Great care has been taken, and much discussion shared, in deciding what songs were included on New Blood. It wasn’t simply a case of giving the big numbers an orchestral re-rub. Indeed, some of the big hits are missing in favour of lesser-known material. But the intention wasn’t a deliberate obliqueness; it was more a case of finding the songs that would be enhanced by the massed strings, brass, woodwind and percussion.
“The orchestra provides different dimensions to the music that weren’t there initially,” confirms Peter. “Rock artists work slowly in studios, building up layer by layer, and one of the great, powerful advantages of an orchestra is all these musicians playing at one moment with all sorts of colours and personalities.”
And in front of orchestra, taking centre stage when necessary, retreating into the shadows when not, is Peter’s rich voice. Retaining its trademark emotive power, it returns to lyrics written 20 or 30 years ago, reinvesting them with new meaning and heightened poignancy.
Great care has been taken, and much discussion shared, in deciding what songs were included on New Blood. It wasn’t simply a case of giving the big numbers an orchestral re-rub. Indeed, some of the big hits are missing in favour of lesser-known material. But the intention wasn’t a deliberate obliqueness; it was more a case of finding the songs that would be enhanced by the massed strings, brass, woodwind and percussion.
“The orchestra provides different dimensions to the music that weren’t there initially,” confirms Peter. “Rock artists work slowly in studios, building up layer by layer, and one of the great, powerful advantages of an orchestra is all these musicians playing at one moment with all sorts of colours and personalities.”
And in front of orchestra, taking centre stage when necessary, retreating into the shadows when not, is Peter’s rich voice. Retaining its trademark emotive power, it returns to lyrics written 20 or 30 years ago, reinvesting them with new meaning and heightened poignancy.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Old standards, maybe, but this new set of renditions raises Peter Gabriel's oeuvre to a new level. Fantastic orchestrations by John Metcalfe (just listening to the last minuet of 'Don't Give Up' gave me serious tingles down my spine) delivered by him and the New Blood Orchestra, brilliant reinterpretations by one of our Greatest Living Englishmen, together with some top-notch backing vocals by Melanie Gabriel, Ane Brun (haunting on 'Don't Give Up' - and what a fantastic voice) and Tom Cowley add up to this being a really valued addition to any PG collection. This is the icing on the cake! Can't wait for 'and I'll scratch yours'.... Incidentally there's free 24-bit download link included (until 10/10/12 in the Deluxe 2-disk version - not certain about any others). Seriously recommended.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have been listening to Peter Gabriel for nearly 40 years and to this album for a couple of weeks, and it really grows on you.
I saw Scratch My Back at the O2 and frankly was not impressed with the cover versions, the album is even worse, but the second half of the concert livened up and became a good night out, including a great rendition of Solsbury Hill.
Then this CD came out and I was unsure whether Peter had done the right thing. His vocals strain on some tracks (as usual), so occasionally I actually prefer the instrumental versions. But whichever you are listening to, the orchestrations are beautiful, they bring a new dimension to these songs; this is no musak re-working of old favourites, it's a genuine re-interpretation. I can listen to the album repeatedly all day as I work.
Disappointments? Solsbury Hill is always a triumph live, but this version just fails to capture the sparkle of the song, it falls a bit flat. And 'A Quiet Moment'? If I wanted that I could always switch the CD off and I still haven't worked out why there are 2 versions of 'The Nest That Sailed The Sky', perhaps I'm not listening hard enough. But how often do you buy a double CD where every track is brilliant? I can forgive the occasional lapses for the quality of the whole. Beautiful orchestrations, beautiful playing, crisp recording and superb song writing, what more could you ask for?
Successes? Darkness and Intruder are really atmospheric - the orchestra makes them feel even more threatening; San Jacinto is possibly even better than the original, while Red Rain is just astonishing.
Whatever you do don't buy this and listen once, give it a chance to work into your soul and demonstrate that all those old hit songs can have a secret second life as orchestral pieces. Unlike many albums, this just gets better with every listening.
Now Peter, about an album of new songs .......
I saw Scratch My Back at the O2 and frankly was not impressed with the cover versions, the album is even worse, but the second half of the concert livened up and became a good night out, including a great rendition of Solsbury Hill.
Then this CD came out and I was unsure whether Peter had done the right thing. His vocals strain on some tracks (as usual), so occasionally I actually prefer the instrumental versions. But whichever you are listening to, the orchestrations are beautiful, they bring a new dimension to these songs; this is no musak re-working of old favourites, it's a genuine re-interpretation. I can listen to the album repeatedly all day as I work.
Disappointments? Solsbury Hill is always a triumph live, but this version just fails to capture the sparkle of the song, it falls a bit flat. And 'A Quiet Moment'? If I wanted that I could always switch the CD off and I still haven't worked out why there are 2 versions of 'The Nest That Sailed The Sky', perhaps I'm not listening hard enough. But how often do you buy a double CD where every track is brilliant? I can forgive the occasional lapses for the quality of the whole. Beautiful orchestrations, beautiful playing, crisp recording and superb song writing, what more could you ask for?
Successes? Darkness and Intruder are really atmospheric - the orchestra makes them feel even more threatening; San Jacinto is possibly even better than the original, while Red Rain is just astonishing.
Whatever you do don't buy this and listen once, give it a chance to work into your soul and demonstrate that all those old hit songs can have a secret second life as orchestral pieces. Unlike many albums, this just gets better with every listening.
Now Peter, about an album of new songs .......
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
**** stars.
Like his namesake, the archangel, Peter Gabriel has a heavenly voice - rich in tone, emotive and entirely unforced.
On "New Blood" he revisits a selection of songs from his long solo career, eschewing rock instrumentation for the backing of a 46-piece orchestra.
In typical Gabriel fashion obvious choices have been avoided: no "Sledgehammer" or "Biko" here.
Instead, he and arranger/composer John Metcalfe have opted for songs that might best benefit from the grown-up treatment.
Mostly, it is a great success.
While the opening "Rhythm of the Heat" is a might bombastic, tunes like "San Jacinto", "Wallflower", "In Your Eyes" and "Red Rain" have acquired a mellow splendour.
I missed Kate Bush's vocals on "Don't Give Up" - her place taken by the ceramically fragile vocals of Norwegian Ane Brun - and the decision to send sound engineer Dickie Chappell up "Solsbury Hill" to record five minutes of ambient nothing as a prelude to the song of that name is bunkum.
The rest is a joy. Pete Clark.
Like his namesake, the archangel, Peter Gabriel has a heavenly voice - rich in tone, emotive and entirely unforced.
On "New Blood" he revisits a selection of songs from his long solo career, eschewing rock instrumentation for the backing of a 46-piece orchestra.
In typical Gabriel fashion obvious choices have been avoided: no "Sledgehammer" or "Biko" here.
Instead, he and arranger/composer John Metcalfe have opted for songs that might best benefit from the grown-up treatment.
Mostly, it is a great success.
While the opening "Rhythm of the Heat" is a might bombastic, tunes like "San Jacinto", "Wallflower", "In Your Eyes" and "Red Rain" have acquired a mellow splendour.
I missed Kate Bush's vocals on "Don't Give Up" - her place taken by the ceramically fragile vocals of Norwegian Ane Brun - and the decision to send sound engineer Dickie Chappell up "Solsbury Hill" to record five minutes of ambient nothing as a prelude to the song of that name is bunkum.
The rest is a joy. Pete Clark.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't Share That Needle Peter!
Blimey! I'm not usually one to complain if reviewers disagree with me, (each to his own, matter of opinion, taste varies etc) but by some of the reviews of Scratch My Back, New... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Greg Boyd
Moved...
This album is one you can listen to again - and again - and again. It holds you and makes you think of people, places you once new, it makes you drift off (in a good way, not from... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Richard A. Edmunds
New Blood, New Approach
If you like Peter Gabriel there's a good chance that you'll like this album... actually, you might just get to love this album, because it's terrific. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. J. Curtis
Not as good as I hoped
The playlist looks top-drawer on paper. In the mid-section of the album, there is a run of some great versions of some ace tracks (Mercy Street, Red Rain, Darkness and Digging in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by DerbyRob
Looking Back
I've been a fan of Gabriel for years ever since I saw him in Genesis in support of Johnny Winter at Hull City Hall!! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Glenn Cook
Patchy at best
The New Blood CD is not a total failure. The orchestrations are well done, if slightly over-bearing, and Peter Gabriel's voice has lost none of its power, despite his 60+ years. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Anorak44
Trying too hard to be 'Classical'.
I like Peter Gabriel and I also like Classical music, unfortunately they just don't gel here. It sounds as though Peter Gabriel's vocals, which are excellent, have been... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Smart
Good
I came to New Blood with a lot of the crisism of the album on these pages in my mind. In many ways I tend to pay more attention to negative reviews than positive - what people... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lee Boyes
Great Vinyl
This is a review of the Double Vinyl version of PG's New Blood LP. The music itself I find quite stunning with a number of new nuances being fed into very familiar songs. Read more
Published 5 months ago by R. Steer
If this is the best PG can do now, time for him to do a Phil Collins
So yet another album of rehashing old material, this time his own - going down the orchestral route his old band mate Steve Hackett went. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Boyle
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