Product Description

After the worldwide success of 1986's SO, Peter Gabriel produced collections of movie soundtrack music, busied himself with the Amnesty International tour and started his own label. Released in 1992, US was long-awaited to say the least. It was not the commercial smash that SO was; instead it was Gabriel's most personal and introspective work. In the years after SO, Gabriel's marriage broke up and he went into analysis, which he addresses on "Digging in the Dirt". In the past, Gabriel wrote songs in the guise of various characters and invoked epic themes, but here even with exotic rhythms andeclectic influences, Gabriel was grounded in the real world.
While lyrically and thematically distinct from SO, parts of US recall its predecessor. "Steam" is strongly reminiscent of "Sledgehammer", while "Love to Be Loved" has a hypnotic pulse reminiscent of SO's seductive beds of rhythm. "KissThat Frog", with its hip-wiggling beat, is the record's lightest moment. Elsewhere, Gabriel combines gorgeous melodies,poignant vocals and the lush, atmospheric production of Daniel Lanois, especially on the soaring "Come Talk to Me" (sung with Sinead O'Connor), "Blood of Eden" and "Secret World".

Track Listing

1. Come Talk To Me
2. Love To Be Loved
3. Blood Of Eden
4. Steam
5. Only Us
6. Washing Of The Water
7. Digging In The Dirt
8. Fourteen Black Paintings
9. Kiss That Frog
10. Secret World

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34893 in Music
• Released on: 1992-09-14
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Us
'Us' in the acclaimed follow up album to 'So' and while it was less commercially successful, many fans hailed it as return to Gabriel's true sound. It has many great songs, from the popular single 'Steam' to 'Digging In The Dirt' which was inspired by his marital break down. 'Blood Of Eden' is a beautiful ballad that shows Gabriel's songwriting talents fully. There are fun tracks as well like 'Kiss The Frog'. Overall 'Us' is a good album, with something there to delight new and old fans alike. Gabriel doing what he does best, writing top songs and performing them with passion. Well worth a buy.

Peter's most mature studio album
Less varied than "So", and in some ways slow to grab hold at first, this is Peter's most mature studio album. Musically, it can be seen as a development from the sound world of "So" with increased use of traditional instruments. The arrangements are skillful and the playing is committed and lively, this album moves the body even more than Peter's previous work. Lyrically, it's a deeply personal and extraordinarily honest examination of the self. Powerful and moving stuff that conveys its message effectively, but what has been achieved here can perhaps only be fully appreciated by those that have in some way been there themselves. Peter deploys lyrics and music with masterly command of his material and every single song has its place. They don't come much better than this.

The most musically sophistocated album in my collection
While So was certainly a classic album, this represents a greater musical achievement. To me, it is the best PG album. In Top 100 album polls, this is often overlooked in favour of So or sometimes PG3. Musically, it is incredible - the use of world instruments such as Djembes, Surdus etc and even bagpipes is phenomenal. Lyrically, it is deeply honest and revealing about his personal problems before the album's recording. The main theme is relationships: the fragility of love and the pain of seperation.

N.B. Each mark in brackets is out of ten

Come Talk to Me - Wonderful opener. Incredible world beat groove, gorgeous keyboards and haunting vocals from both Gabriel and Sinead O'Connor. About the breakdown of communication in relationships. (10)

Love To Be Loved - Once again an incredible instrumentation. Ambient sounds (courtesy of Lanois and Eno), great bass and world rhythm. About a natural human craving for love. (10)

Blood of Eden - Awashed with keyboards and powerful vocals (once again O'Connor duets with Gabriel). Nice guitars. The use of the word "Union" is ambiguous - it hints at both a couple being together and also union in a sense of making love. (10)

Steam - A favourite of mine. OK it is essentially a more direct and cutting edge version of Sledgehammer but it is just so infectious. Great use of horns and guitars. Obvious about what it concerns - lust. The female in the relationship is cultured and sophistocated while the male is less knowlegeable. But he does know about her. (10)

Only Us - A sad lament about divorce. A bit repetitive but the guitars and ambient sounds are good. (8)

Washing of the Water - A gentle, short, gospel song about trying to get through a difficult time. Good use of keyboards and strings. (9)

Digging and the Dirt - Reminiscent of PG3 with the loud, abrasive guitars and general starkness. About a relationship falling apart and general anger. (10)

Fourteen Black Paintings - Incredible use of world instruments and keyboards which convey a sense of infinite sadness. The calm after the storm of the previous track. (10)

Kiss That Frog - A happy, comical, more commercial tune about the fairy tale itself. Nice use of guitar riffs, a world beat and harmonica. The arrangement is so slick and smooth. (10)

Secret World - A sense of finality. Accepting the death of a relationship and moving on. Nice use of synths, world beat and U2-esque guitars. (10)