peter gabriel - digging in the dirt

I bought US on it's release date at Tower Records on Market St. in San Francisco, went home, snorted a bunch of crystal and listened to it all day and all of the night. Good times!

It's still mythical-proportions engulfing, to this day. Absolutely stunning song.

Yes! It moved me to tears the first time I heard it.

I bought US on it's release date at Tower Records on Market St. in San Francisco, went home, snorted a bunch of crystal and listened to it all day and all of the night. Good times!

― white boi, Thursday, September 15, 2005 7:12 AM (5 years ago)

u guys have some weird reactions to late period peter gabriel!

― piscesboy, Thursday, September 15, 2005 7:52 AM (5 years ago)

i was very slightly disappointed in this when it came out, as I have been with everything he's done since; although it definitely grew on me and within a few months I completely adored the album, saw him on tour for US twice, had all the videos, the stupid Eve computer game, the whole bit. Probably still the strongest track on the record.

"THIS TIME, YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!!!..."

I do like this song. Tho for Gabriel-angst, I prefer "Darkness" from "Up".

Every time he's come out with a new album since Security I've been really disappointed in it (Passion excepted) but then upon some reflection realized each of them was classic...some take longer than others. It's probably going to take a lonnnnnng time to come around on the new one though, which to my ears is little more than a protracted joyless slog.

The prob with "Us" and "Up" is that both feature pop "ringers" so conspicuously aimed at radio that they throw off the flow of otherwise really dark, strange records. Like, imagine "Up" without "The Barry Williams Show" - it'd still be a slog, but a spooky slog. Same with "Us" and "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" - the rest of that album is slow and strange and very nakedly emotional.

The covers album is the only Peter Gabriel yet that I don't feel the need to ever play again. But the "Wall-e" spng was lovely. Then again, the music was a co-write with Thomas Newman.

I'm grateful for the inclusion of "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" though.

this song is so great

I told you I told you I told you

"Barry William Show" is such a weird outlier, period. I know it's been said by others, but 2002 felt so late in the game for a takedown of the Jerry Springer type. The only good thing about it was the video – I didn't even like the video *as a whole* but I liked the contrast between talk show audience and old Petey G dressed as an evil club wizard.

http://japan.helnwein.com/stc/ghpicts/gh844.jpg

Great song. Great video. The "Us" album is generally underrated, IMO up there with "So" and the "melt" album.

The prob with "Us" and "Up" is that both feature pop "ringers" so conspicuously aimed at radio that they throw off the flow of otherwise really dark, strange records. Like, imagine "Up" without "The Barry Williams Show" - it'd still be a slog, but a spooky slog. Same with "Us" and "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" - the rest of that album is slow and strange and very nakedly emotional.

And exactly how is this different from "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" and how they worked for "So"?

otm about "barry williams" but given gabriel's working pace it's probably that he wrote the song ages before and then had to tell the video directors "it's like, about springer show type stuff" and they were like "huh?" and he had to tell them to google jerry springer and figure it out and get back to him

"So" was such an unusual sounding album - unusual in production, unusual in construction, unusual in sequencing. Just about everything on that album sounded different from everything else on the radio, and importantly, everything previous from Peter Gabriel. (Same goes for the weird outlier "hits" from his previous two albums.) But just as "Us" was his first album following up a bona fide smash success, "Steam" was his first overt attempt to court radio by replicating the source of much of that success, which makes it much more conspicuous.

There was no way to know "So" (or "Sledgehammer") would hit the bullseye, familiar though the album and song may now be. "Steam," on the other hand, marks the first time you could actually sense Gabriel aiming for it.

TS: Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" vs "Steam"

Found a CD of "US" in the alleyway earlier. Can't say I've spent much time with this one in general but happy to revisit it

it's a great album, vastly underrated due to Steam and Kiss that Frog being boring.

I bought US on it's release date at Tower Records on Market St. in San Francisco, went home, snorted a bunch of crystal and listened to it all day and all of the night. Good times!

― white boi, Thursday, September 15, 2005 8:12 AM (eleven years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Many of the songs dependent on psychobabble are interminable.

I just watched "Barry Williams Show" and hoo boy

"Many of the songs dependent on psychobabble are interminable."

really? I disagree. which would you put down to that? Love to be Loved? Digging? Secret World?

this album took some time click with me but i do really like it. "only us" is really something.

I love the muddiness of this record.

this song rules, i always forget about it. never checked out the album, sounds like maybe i should?

really? I disagree. which would you put down to that? Love to be Loved? Digging? Secret World?

― akm,

"Love to Be Loved" and "Come Talk to Me," which I used to like, sound ponderous and self-involved now. I still enjoy about half this album.

I love how subtle and natural the African influence sounds on Come Talk to Me but those lyrics really don't repay a close reading.

I'm not sure I've ever really listened to PG's lyrics. I just accept them as elements of mood pieces.