Album Review: Peter Gabriel - So (25th Anniversary Edition)

When an artistically and emotionally burnt out Peter Gabriel quit the then oh-so-theatrical and oh-so-English prog band Genesis in the mid-'70s, most thought he'd just fade away or make those records they call 'interesting'. You know, the ones people don't actually buy. It turned out different. A series of four albums – with typical contrariness; all self-titled – offered a range of respectable, and critically respected hits. They often came from his own psyche – like the reflective Solsbury Hill, or the more strident and damaged Shock The Monkey. There was a parallel interest in what would come to be called world music, as he championed artists like Youssou N'Dour, and set in place what would become the WOMAD festivals.

Then the game changed. So's first single, the relentlessly catchy Sledghammer, was a great song anyway – but with it came that video. Those five minutes changed not just production values, but indeed the way music was promoted. Conversely, it perhaps overshadowed the rest of a stunningly good album in its own right. From the beginning, with the slightly ominous electronic underlays of Red Rain – listen to it and the textured Mercy Street, and realise there's obviously a copy of this in Wally de Gotye's hard drive – Gabriel and producer Daniel Lanois put warmth in the machines. But he remains a tremendously expressive singer, as the utterly human Don't Give Up duet with Kate Bush shows. Throw in the synthetic funk of Big Time, and N'Dour's distinctive keening introduced on In Your Eyes, and So is an album that's phenomenal crafted, original and with variety. Along with bonus live discs, this new edition's remastering may well let you hear even more in it.