So 25th Anniversary

"So" is one of my favorite 1980s pop albums. It was released in 1986 and has some great songs. It received four Grammy nominations and is often considered Gabriel’s best and most accessible album. The album has a quintessential mid-eighties sound, with plenty of synthesizers. A lot of 1980s music has not aged well, but this still sounds relevant because there are a lot of real musicians as well. "So" is Gabriel’s best-selling album, having sold 5 million copies in the U.S. alone.Peter Gabriel’s first four albums all had the same title: Peter Gabriel. Gabriel set out in early 1985 to make a record that was more commercial than his previous music. He recorded the album at his home near Bath. He used a cowshed that had been converted into a home studio. The album took ten months and cost $260,000 to make."So" was a fusion of rock, pop, funk, avant-garde, and African influences. It also sounded like a pop album. It contains nine-songs. "Sledgehammer" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by four further singles, "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Kate Bush), "Big Time", "In Your Eyes" and "Red Rain."“In Your Eyes” would feature in the Cameron Crowe film "Say Anything" in 1989 and would become one of Gabriel’s most popular songs. John Cusack plays the song on a boombox outside his girlfriend’s bedroom. “Mercy Street” is written about the American poet Anne Sexton who won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book of verse Live or Die. Sexton had long suffered from depression and sadly committed suicide in 1974."So" has an eclectic array of guest artists that includes Kate Bush on vocals. Gabriel recruited world-class musicians for this recording. They included: French-Ivorian percussionist Manu Katché; King Crimson’s Tony Levin on bass; Indian violinist L. Shankar; Stewart Copeland on drums; Simon Clark (Be Bop Deluxe) on keyboards; New York session legend Richard Tee on piano; Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour; Laurie Anderson on vocals; Bill Laswell on bass; Simple Minds' Jim Kerr; soul singer P.P. Arnold; American session drummer Jerry Marotta; Nile Rodgers on guitar; and Joni Mitchell’s husband, Larry Klein.David Rhodes has been Gabriel's principal studio and touring guitarist since 1980 and he co-wrote the song "That Voice Again." "Sledgehammer" was partially inspired by the music of Otis Redding, and Gabriel sought out Wayne Jackson, whom Gabriel had seen on tour with Redding in the 1960s, to record horns for that track and for "Big Time."It seemed strange to hear some of these people on a pop album. I own solo records by Katché, Shankar, and Laswell and I would classify them as jazz/experimental. The album opened the doors for Katché who would later play on records by Sting, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Beck, Jan Garbarek, and many others. His solo albums on the ECM label are very good but they are really jazz records.Daniel Lanois is a brilliant producer and his work with U2 increased his profile in the 1980s. I own several albums he produced in the late 1980s. Particular favorites include Power Spot – Jon Hassell; The Joshua Tree – U2; Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson; and Oh Mercy – Bob Dylan. Lanois also played guitar on a few "So" tracks.Gabriel had been the lead vocalist of Genesis during the band's progressive rock phase of the early '70s. I still like Genesis's prog albums, but this isn’t prog. Unlike most pop from the 1980s, including anything recorded by Genesis after 1977, this album still sounds great.

I've listened to Peter Gabriel for years and have enjoyed almost all of his music. Some of the lyrics seem to hit you right in the heart, as though they could have been written for you personally. His voice seems to carry those emotions when he sings as well. I didn't realize how many songs he had written that I was attributing to other artists. I'm so glad I finally bought this CD. My husband, who is a classical music person, listens to it with me and enjoys it. Even he's surprised by some of the songs he thought were done by others. Well worth the price, and it arrived sooner than I had expected. A great buy all around!Linneaann

Peter Gabriel - pleased to have found this CD.

I was looking for this album in June of this year and was intrigued that there was a remaster version from 2010 available. I've always thought there were some good songs on this album but the album as a whole was - pretty good but not great. My wife was interested in this album so I was seeking out a copy for her. Of course with any CD purchase, I had to critically analyze the remastering job and I must say I'm impressed. There is some clarity in the mid range and bass frequencies that I didn't detect before, but the timbrel balance is still pleasing. Dynamic range is also very lifelike. It's amazing how good an album can sound when they optimize the loudness for the CD medium, but still leave the dynamic range intact. I find it hard to believe that this was mastered by the same person (Tony Cousins) who mastered the recent Genesis reissues. The approach on the two projects are completely different. I think this may be proof that Peter Gabriel did not have input on the green Genesis box set, at least as far as the audio production on the stereo CDs was concerned. If you love this album, this 2010 remaster is highly recommended.

The remaster sounds fantastic. I am now hearing details and instruments i did not notice before.The live show that is included is amazing as well. Three cd's worth of the Athens 87 show. Just a superb performance.

After fronting Genesis from the late 60s to 1975 and releasing 5 solo albums that showed his profound skill for creating unique music, Peter Gabriel for the first time wanted to make a record of as he stated “more proper pop songs.” Released in 1986, So became Gabriel’s most commercially successful record to date and one of his most iconic works. Produced by Daniel Lanois, known for his collaborations with Brian Eno and producing artists such as U2, brings his stylish sensibilities to the project and Gabriel experiments with world music as well as soul and blues. Gabriel’s personal favorite is “Red Rain” which opens the album and a perfect example on where Lanois’ production really shine. The album’s biggest hit was “Sledgehammer” which Gabriel brings an Otis Redding style with big soulful guitars and saxophones. “Don’t Give Up” is a personal favorite of mine, a duet with another favorite artist of mine Kate Bush that is vocally and lyrically moving. “Mercy Street” was inspired from poet Anne Sexton, another favorite of mine with it’s beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. “Big Time” was another hit and has a modern pop approach. “We Do What We’re Told” and “This Is The Picture” show the more experimental side found on earlier albums and then you get what is one of the best pop songs ever written with “In Your Eyes” where Gabriel’s vocals are perfect and its epic soundscapes bring the album to an amazing conclusion.So is one of the greatest pop/rock records of the 1980s and endures today as a masterpiece that has influenced many contemporary artists. Along with U2’s The Joshua Tree and Hounds Of Love from Kate Bush, it is one of my favorite records of its era.

Nice remastered discs

Amazing CDs with some great songs. For the audiophiles out there the sound stage is wonderful. I was very please I remembered this album and made the purchase of the CD. Too much money for vinyl! Highly recommend this CD, fo get it!

Pretty much includes all of Gabriel’s hits except the song/video “father-son” which brings me to tears each and every time I view the video. Excellent sound. His great genius is unbounded here like all his apparitions. The man is so great it is hard to imagine any better. From Genesis to now. The man deserves to live forever and he will thru his music.

excelente

Nicely produced, sounds great.

uno dei tanti dischi di Peter Gabriel dove emerge uno stato d'artista d'avanguardia.

Tego momentu twórczości Petera nie wolno nie znać!