PLAYS LIVE (HIGHLIGHTS) are highlights from 4 different North American concerts between December 1982 and Spring 1983. Personnel: Peter Gabriel (vocals, piano, synthesizer); David Rhodes (guitar, background vocals); Larry Fast (piano, synthesizer); Tony Levin (stick, bass, background vocals); Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion, background vocals). PLAYS LIVE is the sound of a man finally freeing himself definitively from the shackles that had bound him for years. Admittedly those shackles, being front man for Genesis, one of the most fascinating and consistently creative prog-rock bands of the early '70s, were hardly severe. But they were a constraint nonetheless. (How often could Peter take some fan screaming "Suppers Ready" when trying to debut new material?) Finally, with a substantial body of solo material (four albums, three of them titled PETER GABRIEL), Gabriel was ready to put the ghost of Genesis to rest. And while he did drive a stake through his art-rock past, Gabriel's incendiary stage presence could not be distinguished. Luckily the live set captured here, which draws heavily from the SECURITY album, is consistently first rate and involving. Not content just to breath fresh life into road-weary veterans like "D.I.Y" or "Solsbury Hill," Gabriel reaches for new emotional heights on stellar versions of "San Jacinto," "Biko" and "And Through The Wire." As a bonus for completists PLAYS LIVE also contains the ultra-rare "I Go Swimming." Overall an excellent portrait of Gabriel's live show.

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PLAYS LIVE (HIGHLIGHTS) are highlights from 4 different North American concerts between December 1982 and Spring 1983. Personnel: Peter Gabriel (vocals, piano, synthesizer); David Rhodes (guitar, background vocals); Larry Fast (piano, synthesizer); Tony Levin (stick, bass, background vocals); Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion, background vocals). PLAYS LIVE is the sound of a man finally freeing himself definitively from the shackles that had bound him for years. Admittedly those shackles, being front man for Genesis, one of the most fascinating and consistently creative prog-rock bands of the early '70s, were hardly severe. But they were a constraint nonetheless. (How often could Peter take some fan screaming "Suppers Ready" when trying to debut new material?) Finally, with a substantial body of solo material (four albums, three of them titled PETER GABRIEL), Gabriel was ready to put the ghost of Genesis to rest. And while he did drive a stake through his art-rock past, Gabriel's incendiary stage presence could not be distinguished. Luckily the live set captured here, which draws heavily from the SECURITY album, is consistently first rate and involving. Not content just to breath fresh life into road-weary veterans like "D.I.Y" or "Solsbury Hill," Gabriel reaches for new emotional heights on stellar versions of "San Jacinto," "Biko" and "And Through The Wire." As a bonus for completists PLAYS LIVE also contains the ultra-rare "I Go Swimming." Overall an excellent portrait of Gabriel's live show.