An epic production highlighted by the clockwork undertones of "Intruder" and the Afro-prog-rock of "Biko," the third in Peter Gabriel's trilogy of eponymous solo titles is a watermark of the former Genesis singer's career. Drummer Jerry Marotta's tight global-groove templates drive the edgy guitar pastiches of Robert Fripp, David Rhodes, Paul Weller, and XTC's Dave Gregory. Yielding the enigmatic 1980 hit "Games Without Frontiers," the Steve Lillywhite-produced opus travels the dark psychic corners of its narrator with a then-profoundly futuristic sound that's no less compelling than Bowie's Scary Monsters, which was released the same year. The cover may depict Gabriel's melting face, but the album marks Gabriel's arrival as a solid solo artist. --James Rotondi Amazon.com essential recording
Peter Gabriel's third album, know by the distorted image of Gabriel on the front cover, as Melt, is without a doubt an awesome collection of prog rock music. Everything Gabriel touches turns to gold on this cd. The opening track "Intruder" is a great starter, setting a dark, sinister tone, with a steady drum beat, and gothic piano driving much of the song. "No Self-Control" is song which captures the frantic pace of life, while making good use of a xylophone, with Kate Bush singing backup. "Start" is a slower instrumental piece, with a beautiful intermingling of synth and saxophone, played by Dick Morressey, a brief interlude before jumping into "I Don't Remember" a classic Gabriel track, ostensibly about the perils of an empty head. "Family Snapshot" is one of my favorite tracks, about an assasination, by a man who's grown up through a sad chilhood, his mother and father apparently divorcing. A somewhat weaker track is "And Through the Wire", although it is up tempo, and gives me an impression of someone apparently looking through a wire fence of a self made prison. Next is the classic "Games Without Frontiers" with Kate Bush singing in a sexy, breathy voice "Jeux sans frontieres", and reminds me a bit of "Lord of the Flies", I like the dark sense of this song. "Not One of Us" is a song about conformity, or the lack thereof. "Lead a Normal Life" is a soft, somber piece, evidently about someone in a mental institution being told "We want to see you lead a normal life". The piano is haunting in this track. The last track is the phenomenal song "Biko", a tribute to Steve Biko, a noted black South African anti-apartheid activist who died after being 'interrogated'. It's a powerful song, with a steady beat kept by Phil Collins, and Gabriel's emotional voice singing "Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja, the man is dead". It's a song that always moves me, and one that will move you. As it ends Gabriel sings "And the eyes of the world are watching now", very powerful stuff.
It's albums like this one that have given Peter Gabriel a well deserved reputation as a musical and artist genius. I'd highly recommend this cd to anyone.
April 4, 2008 |  | Peter Gabriel goes "without frontiers" |  |
Luis Mejia (son) - Generally speaking, its notorious that the most intriguing fase in Peter Gabriel's music is the one kept in his first four albums, until So, which leads into a more commercial fase. Peter Gabriel 3: Melt, is undoubtly the artist's most experimental, dark, complex and implicit in its content, a masterpiece throughout a music tendency, and his definitively best of all times. While his previous two entered into a more accessible aspect of experimental/progressive rock music, this album keeps a complete dark atmosphere, regarding a side in art rock music that would become firm and solid, I even agree with other reviewers who think that this was also inside just before the new wave explosion; a "delightful madness" in its songs, a versatility but cohersion in its context, and still fine and accessible experiments in his music; that's what makes it his best, swinging from the dark brutality of the hipnotic "Intruder" (with Phil Collins on drums), the blasting instrumentation and mastership in the perforing "No Self-Control", the rebelling "I Don't Remember", the heartful and serious, dramatic atmosphere of "Family Snapshot", the mixed style which penetrated perfectly into popular streams of (my personal favourite) "Games Without Frontiers" to the humanitarian, world music-inflicted "Biko", this release proofs to be comprehensible into popular mainstream and professional, serious ambits in an exact way, with the same impact. Peter Gabriel's vocals and compositions at his best, with Kate Bush in some backing vocals and the chapman stick of Tony Levin; inmaculate performance, being as experimental as possible but yet very familiar and not slick.
The remastered version has a great sound quality, but not perfect, some new pictures in the intern artwork, no bonus tracks.
December 19, 2007One cannot listen to this without being affected in one way or another and this is how "the artist" planned it I believe. The "Dave Matthews" and much of the 1990's "alternative" scene may owe their careers to this collection of thought to music. Not for the faint-hearted.... and should be noted as historic.
October 29, 2007 | | Lost without Banks and Rutherford | |
Let's be honest folks Gabriel is not as great as he has been made out to be. Actually, I think Banks' solo outings are more interesting and that is not saying much. I do like Games without frontiers and I like the progressive vibe throughout some of the songs. But, overall this is minimalistic garbage that somehow attracted an audience. I really can't understand why Phil and Pete became so popular. Both put out some of the most banal lacking music of the 80s and 90s. At least we still have their wonderful work of the 70s.
September 29, 2007Released in 1980, this came out when artistic music was moving from a progressive rock sound to new wave. This album reflects that transition.
Released before CD technology, this album is 45 minutes long. The sound quality of the original CD was OK. But, I can see (hear) where this remastered version might be somewhat better.
This is Gabriel's third solo album. Like all previous two albums, the title is simply "Peter Gabriel". People would call it "Melt" because of his slurred picture and to distinquish it from the earlier two albums. Gabriel's fourth album would also be title "Peter Gabriel" everywhere in the world, except the US, where it would be called "Security".
This album has a transitional sound between progressive rock and new wave. It sounds a lot like the new wave music that would be comeing out of the UK in the early eighties, especiall Tears For Fears.
Many people consider this to be Gabriel's best album. But, I think it sounds a bit dated, especially when you compare it to the sensational So. Still I think it is a very good album.
Gabriel does begin to show the marks of maturity and significant song writing with Biko. This is the type of song and music he would carry on in future albums.
May 28, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
