Experiencing Peter Gabriel

A Listener's Companion

Durrell Bowman

In Experiencing Peter Gabriel, author Durrell Bowman delves into the sounds and stories of the innovative, versatile, English pop icon. As not only a singer-songwriter and musician, but also a music technologist, world-music champion, and humanitarian, Gabriel has consistently maintained an unabashed individualism and dedication to his artistry.

From 1969 to 1975, Gabriel served as the lead singer, flute player, occasional percussionist, and frequent songwriter and lyricist of the progressive rock band Genesis. With the band, Gabriel made six studio albums, a live album, and numerous performances and concert tours. The early version of Genesis made some of the most self-consciously complex pop music ever released. However, on the cusp of Genesis becoming a major act internationally, Gabriel did the unthinkable and left the group. Gabriel’s solo career has encompassed nine studio albums, plus five film/media scores, additional songs, videos, major tours, and other projects. As a solo artist and collaborator, he has worked with first-rate musicians and produced unrivaled tracks such as the U.S. No. 1 hit “Sledgehammer.” Gabriel won six Grammy Awards in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as numerous additional awards and honors for his music and his videos, as well as for his humanitarian work.

From his early work with Genesis to his substantial contributions as a solo artist, Gabriel’s music ranges from chart-topping pop songs to experimental explorations often filled with disarmingly personal emotions. Experiencing Peter Gabriel investigates the career of this magnetic performer and uncovers how Gabriel developed a sound so full of raw authenticity that it continues to attract new fans from across the world.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 246 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼

978-1-4422-5199-1 • Hardback • September 2016 • $62.00 • (£48.00)

978-1-4422-5200-4 • eBook • September 2016 • $58.50 • (£45.00)

Series: Listener's Companion

Subjects: Music / Individual Composer & Musician, Music / Genres & Styles / Rock, Music / General, Social Science / Popular Culture

Experiencing Peter Gabriel

A Listener's Companion

Hardback

eBook

Summary

In Experiencing Peter Gabriel, author Durrell Bowman delves into the sounds and stories of the innovative, versatile, English pop icon. As not only a singer-songwriter and musician, but also a music technologist, world-music champion, and humanitarian, Gabriel has consistently maintained an unabashed individualism and dedication to his artistry.

From 1969 to 1975, Gabriel served as the lead singer, flute player, occasional percussionist, and frequent songwriter and lyricist of the progressive rock band Genesis. With the band, Gabriel made six studio albums, a live album, and numerous performances and concert tours. The early version of Genesis made some of the most self-consciously complex pop music ever released. However, on the cusp of Genesis becoming a major act internationally, Gabriel did the unthinkable and left the group. Gabriel’s solo career has encompassed nine studio albums, plus five film/media scores, additional songs, videos, major tours, and other projects. As a solo artist and collaborator, he has worked with first-rate musicians and produced unrivaled tracks such as the U.S. No. 1 hit “Sledgehammer.” Gabriel won six Grammy Awards in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as numerous additional awards and honors for his music and his videos, as well as for his humanitarian work.

From his early work with Genesis to his substantial contributions as a solo artist, Gabriel’s music ranges from chart-topping pop songs to experimental explorations often filled with disarmingly personal emotions. Experiencing Peter Gabriel investigates the career of this magnetic performer and uncovers how Gabriel developed a sound so full of raw authenticity that it continues to attract new fans from across the world.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 246 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼

978-1-4422-5199-1 • Hardback • September 2016 • $62.00 • (£48.00)

978-1-4422-5200-4 • eBook • September 2016 • $58.50 • (£45.00)

Series: Listener's Companion

Subjects: Music / Individual Composer & Musician, Music / Genres & Styles / Rock, Music / General, Social Science / Popular Culture

Author

Durrell Bowman is a cultural musicologist, musician, and IT consultant. He is author ofExperiencing Rush: A Listener’s Companion (2014) and coeditor of Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United (2011).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: “Tell Me My Life is about to Begin” – 1950-1971 and early Genesis
Chapter 2: “The Chamber was in Confusion” – 1972-1975 and the Exodus from Genesis
Chapter 3: “They’ve Come to Take Me Home” – 1976-1978 and Peter Gabriel I (“Car”) and II (“Scratch”)
Chapter 4: “If Looks Could Kill” – 1979-80 and Peter Gabriel III (“Melt”)
Chapter 5: “Cover Me, When I Run” – 1981-1984 and 4 (“Security”)
Chapter 6: “This is the New Stuff” – 1985-1989 and So
Chapter 7: “I Reach Out through the Border Fence” – 1990-1999 and Us
Chapter 8: “In Transition Once Again” – 2000-2015 and Up, Scratch My Back, and the Rock Hall

Experiencing Peter Gabriel

A Listener's Companion

Durrell Bowman

Experiencing Peter Gabriel

A Listener's Companion

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