News

Peter Gabriel to Release Orchestral Covers Album

5:30 p.m. · November 13, 2009 · by Bruce Porter

If you think of the ‘80s as an era of too much Aqua Net and metrosexual bands who wore puffy pirate shirts, you’d only be half right. One of the decade’s bright spots was the former frontman of Genesis, Peter Gabriel, who had several MTV art-house video hits with songs like “Sledgehammer” and “Shock the Monkey.” For his first release in seven years, Gabriel recorded with composer John Metcalfe, producer Bob Erzin (Lou Reed, Pink Floyd), at George Martin’s Air Lyndhurst studios in London, in the kind of grandiose undertaking we’d expect from the uncompromising musical pioneer.

Scratch My Back is described as a “song-swap” collaboration with some of the biggest names in music, including Radiohead, Arcade Fire, David Bowie and Bon Iver. In an article with The Guardian, Metcalfe said his role was “reinterpreting the music of the songs [Gabriel] has chosen to cover.” The album is acoustic, using only “orchestral instruments (no guitars, drums or world instruments) and range in size from sparse chamber music to a much fuller orchestral sound.” That said, don't expect to hear these reditions in an elevator, although that would be cool.

NME has confirmed the track list, set for release Jan. 25. As this is the first in a planned series, presumably the tit-for-tat arrangement, with the featured artists covering Peter Gabriel songs, will come at a later date. [Via: Pitchfork] 

Scratch My Back:

1.       Heroes (David Bowie)

2.       The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)

3.       Mirrorball (Elbow)

4.       Flume (Bon Iver)

5.       Listening Wind (Talking Heads)

6.       The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed)

7.       My Baby is a Cage (Arcade Fire)

8.       The Book of Love (Magnetic Fields)

9.       I Think It’s Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)

10.   Après Moi (Regina Spector)

11.   Philadelphia (Neil Young)

12.   Street Spirit (Radiohead)