Mercy Street...

I got a sudden urge to make a new recording last night.



This is a classic Peter Gabriel song from his 1986 album, So.  I heard it in my head and decided I wanted to try it.  I raised the key.  It turned out well, though listening to it now, I wish I had sung it with less volume.  I made the backing vocal and turned it down a bit.  Should have done the same with the lead vocal.  This is supposed to be a quiet, contemplative song.  But it turned out pretty cool for an amateur effort.



Here's Peter Gabriel singing it live in Milan back in 2003.

I really love Peter Gabriel's music.  He is such a talented guy and so much of his music is such a part of my personal soundtrack.  

Shock the Monkey!

I am a big fan of Peter Gabriel's music.  I probably got more into it in the mid 80s, when his album So was a huge hit.  That album actually led me to learn more about Peter Gabriel's sound... I remember being shocked that he had once been in Genesis, a band that got a lot of airplay in the 80s with Phil Collins lead singing.  I like Phil Collins as much as anyone, but Peter Gabriel is a rare kind of brilliant...

I was reminded of "Shock the Monkey" this morning while watching the news on CBS.  What a weird song.  I don't remember thinking it was a great song when it was popular, but now that I'm older, I love it.  It's a special kind of odd.

Of course, I liked songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time", too.  I remember the videos for those songs were all the rage.

But they were also really creative, cool songs, especially for the 80s.

Years later, I listened to Peter Gabriel's amazing soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ.  I remember taping the CD and listening to the haunting music as I rode buses through Armenia.  The soundtrack had this really otherworldly sound, created by musicians from all over the world.

And then there's the ever popular "Shaking the Tree"...  This is an AWESOME song, especially in the morning.

And "Secret World"... another song I really discovered while riding trains through Europe in 1997...

I could go on and on.  I love Peter Gabriel's music.  Might have to pull more out today and listen to it for some review action.