This is a really large essay which I wrote for English Class while we were studying Emerson's "Self Reliance". I was really happy to get to use all the PG stuff I know..... It was only supposed to be one or two pages,, b ut it sort of got away from me. At any rate, if you want to use any of it, feel free to hack it apart. I had it sitting in this load of files any way.... (I got an A+ on it, BTW)

In Pete ness,
targem

Peter Gabriel: A image of self reliance

by Margaret Cross

Peter Gabriel is one of the most influential and innovative musicians of our time. His willingness to clash with conformist sounds and images and his efforts to bring "world" music to the fore are admirable in themselves, but these endeavors combined with an undeniably amazing musical talent make this award winning British singer a musical force to be reckoned with.

Born in February 1950 in Surrey, England, to an electrical engineer and a musically inclined mother, Gabriel grew up in an idyllic upper-class English atmosphere. At the age of 13, he began study at Charterhouse public school. Even at this young age, he began to display his individuality. His early musical influences from this time included everything from The Beatles and Otis Redding to the hymns he heard played in chapel. Another Charterhouse student and pianist, Tony Banks, shared these interests in music, and together with Gabriel formed The Garden Wall. Later, Banks and Gabriel joined forces with another Charterhouse rock band, and created a group that would change progressive music. Gabriel decided he would make music his career; This was the genesis of Genesis.

Genesis was not the standard seventies fare. The band was making truly dynamic music, but was plagued with difficulties: Money problems, conflicts within the band, lack of record sales, and members of the band coming and leaving at a mind-boggling rate. But through it all, Gabriel was determined to perservere.

Finally stabilizing with group members Gabriel, Banks, bassist Mike Rutherford (also from Charterhouse), guitarist Steve Hackett and drummer Phil Collins, Gabriel motivated the group to stay together even through disappointing sales of their first and second major albums. In an effort to bring more attention to the band's stellar live shows, he began adding a more theatrical air to the shows, with strange makeup, costumes and lighting, as well as his now legendary monologues.

His songwriting flourished during this period. Numbers like "Supper's Ready", a twenty-odd minute treatise on the apocalypse, broke down staid rock boundaries with dark punk folktales filled with fantasy and literary allusions. Gabriel's arguably greatest (and ironically, last) effort with the band he had made reach "super-group" status was the epic, expressionistic film-on-vinyl, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". The existentialist concept album, often said to be a precursor of punk, is still dissected by fans and music appreciation groups alike.

Even though Genesis was fast becoming one of the most popular groups in England, and gaining popularity all over the world, Gabriel had begun to fell like part of a machine. He wanted the opportunity to do more adventurous things with music, and felt stifled by the other members. Peter Gabriel left the band, amicably, in 1975. The band has since become even more financially successful, but in the opinion of many, has deteriorated artistically.

Free, now, to pursue his creative ideas, Gabriel released a solo album in 1977 (It was, as his next four albums would be, self titled.). It had a distinctively different sound from his previous work, but was an album of definite quality that retains it's fresh sound even to today. His second album, which today has nearly gone as far as saying he regretted making, was a slightly less timeless attempt at a pop album. On his next album, however, he refused to cave in to demand from his record label, signing to a different one when he was again pressured to commercialize his sound. It was his first experimentation with African rhythms, and contains varied and intriguing subjects, from a humorous take on a popular British television show ("Games Without Frontiers"), to life in a mental institution ("a normal life") through to the one song that crystallized his new activism and awareness; a stirring anthem concerning the death of South African political prisoner and anti-apartheid crusader, Stephen Biko.

Peter Gabriel's solo work was becoming respected and selling well, though it took a long time to shake off the specters of his former band. He began the annual World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD), a multicultural, globe-touring festival mixing well known American and British acts with lesser knowns and ethnic musicians from all over. He has also been active in Amnesty International, and began the Witness program for preservation of the rights of the oppressed.

All this political activity has not hindered his music making. Indeed, the two passions often come together, producing beautifully meaningful scores. His best selling and most experimental album, So showed a side of Gabriel not previously seen. "Big Time", a satirical look at success and how it affects the average person, combined an introspective look at human behavior, amusing lyrics, a "hit single" status tune, and a MTV awarded video in one song. The album again brought up a wide variety of subject matter, ranging from poet Anne Sexton to a love song in the African tradition of being hearable as a love song to God or between a man and a woman.

Along with two movie soundtracks, several forays into producing, and keeping up his political activism, Real World Studios was formed by Gabriel, to produce his own albums as well as those of world musicians. The palatial complex in Bath, England, serves as a stomping ground for some of the most respected musicians working today.

Video has become another area Gabriel broke new ground in. Complex and fascinating images became the norm in a PG video, and his artistry on film has been awarded numerous times. Along with music videos, he has also created "Mindblender", a sort of ride where one "experiences" a video, and Xplora1, his 1993 CD-ROM, an interactive look at Gabriel, his music and videos, Real World Studios, and a backstage sampling of a concert.

Peter Gabriel could be said to have many faces: progressive rock godfather, political activist, producer, technological innovator, and most importantly, musician. However, behind all these faces is one persevering ethic. In a recent interview, it was said of him, "Gabriel seems to conform to no pattern but the Emersonian notion of genius: the knowing what is true for one's self is true for many." It is a fitting description of one of the most self-reliant musicians of our time.