Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Solsbury Hill
2. Shock The Monkey
3. Sledgehammer
4. Don't Give Up
5. Games Without Frontiers
6. Big Time
7. Burn You Up, Burn You Down
8. Growing Up (Tom Lord-Alge Remix)
9. Digging In The Dirt
10. Blood Of Eden (Radio Edit)
11. More Than This (Radio Edit)
12. Biko
13. Steam
14. Red Rain
15. Here Comes The Flood

Disc 2:

1. San Jacinto
2. No Self-Control
3. Cloudless
4. The Rhythm Of The Heat
5. I Have The Touch (Remix)
6. I Grieve
7. D.I.Y.
8. A Different Drum
9. The Drop
10. The Tower That Ate People (Radio Edit Mix)
11. Lovetown
12. Father, Son
13. Signal To Noise
14. Downside Up (Live)
15. Washing Of The Water

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3366 in Music
• Released on: 2003-11-03
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .31 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
A judiciously-selected two-CD compendium of Peter Gabriel's finest moments, Hit offers a far more generous windfall than can be found on the only previous Peter Gabriel best-of selection, the 1990 Shaking the Tree. The devil, after all, is in the detail, particularly on the second disc (self-deprecatingly entitled "Miss"), which really traverses the whole gamut of Peter Gabriel's globally-visioned artistry. It includes recent soundtrack work (the haunting "Cloudless" from Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence), material from 2002's sterling Up ("Signal To Noise", featuring a compelling vocal from the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and some ominous string arrangements, really does sound like a thinking man's Massive Attack) and goes right back to that fourth album when marrying the reticence of cold, synthesised new wave with insistent African percussion seemed like a good idea (it was).

The first disc--including the MTV smash "Sledgehammer", anti-apartheid war cry "Biko", "Big Time" (interesting how the styles of Gabriel and his former group Genesis seem to converge at this time) and "Games Without Frontiers"--really speaks for itself, although with hindsight it seems the single-buying public-at-large had a particular taste for a certain kind of Peter Gabriel record. Universally excellent throughout, the collection is rendered even more desirable by the inclusion of three previously unreleased tracks: a live rendition of "Downside Up", a shorter version of "Blood of Eden" and "Burn You Up, Burn You Down", latterly included on a video game and initially earmarked for the Up album but jettisoned at the last minute. --Kevin Maidment

CD Description
This two CD set brings together tracks from Peter Gabriel'scareer since his eponymous solo album in 1977 and his departure from Genesis in 1976. Disc one includes four UK top tenhits including 'Sledgehammer', 'Games Without Frontiers', and 'Don't Give Up' while disc two, titled 'Miss', features tracks that didn't fair quite as well.

Customer Reviews

Definitive 2 CD collection of all things PG!
Hit is a long overdue up-date to the previous Gabriel greatest hits package Shaking the Tree. Whereas that collection culled work souly from his four self-titled records of the late seventies and early eighties, culminating with the multi-selling pop classic So, this collection takes in songs from the majority of Gabriel’s output, from 1977’s eponymous debut, right up to 2002’s Up. This encompasses everything in between, from the mid-eighties eclecticism of PG3 and So, right through to 1992’s Us and soundtracks for Birdy, The Last Temptation... and Rabbit Proof Fence.

Of course, there will always be problems when putting together a truly definitive greatest hits package for an artist as prolific and idiosyncratic as Gabriel, with many reviewers here complaining about the omission of personal favourites like In Your Eyes, or Going Down La Dolce Vita (or for that matter, some of his more worldly, instrumental work), but I’d hazard a guess that this is as comprehensive as things could get. The collection is broken down into two distinct parts labelled Hit and Miss. Hit has all the more well-know, chart friendly favourites like Solsbury Hill, Sledge Hammer, Don’t Give Up (classic duet with Kate Bush), Games without Frontiers, Big Time and Here Comes the Flood... whilst Miss takes in the more leftfield, or experimental works like No Self Control, I Grieve, DIY, and the Tower that Ate People.

It’s nice to see that Gabriel is interested in giving us a strong cross reference of work that will satisfy both casual listeners and die hard fans alike, creating a best of... collection that actually comes close to representing that tag. Gabriel is one of those artists who will always be around creating diverse and interesting music, and as a result of this, he’s worked with some of the very best people in the business. Hit sees the addition of people like the aforementioned Ms Bush, guitarist Robert Fripp, former Genesis cohort Phil Collins, percussionist Ged Lynch, regulars Tony Levin and David Rhoads, as well as producers like Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, Pink Floyd), Steve Lillywhite (the Pogues, Simple Minds), Stephen Hague (New Order, Pet Shop Boys) and Daniel Lanois (U2).

This is a great collection of music from one of pop’s great innovators. Songs like Biko, the Rhythm of the Heart and Downside Up (not forgetting the songs mentioned previously) are some of the most heartfelt and intelligent that any artist could possibly create. I suppose one complaint would be, that die hard Gabriel fans will no doubt have all the albums, soundtracks, collections etc already, so this collection will seem pretty superfluous. However, for those looking for an introduction to Gabriel’s musical world, you’ll find nothing better than this.

The place to start.
This album is amazing. Definitely the place to start for new comers, and a great couple of hours remembering how great PG is for existing fans. The first disc has the well known tracks and the second, the most brilliant ones that slipped through the net. Pg's music has that rare power to both move and uplift you and it is a great feeling every time. Highly recommended for any music collection.

Excellent tracks but some disappoiting versions.
No need to comment on the musical worth of this compilation. PG's fans can make up their mind reading the track list. What buyers should note is the fact that a few tracks are so-called 'radio-edit', i.e. re-mixes of the originals produced for radio consumption (which is one the silliest concepts ever in popular music: why on earth do we need a different mix for radios?). The radio-edits are invariably worse than the album versions, with cheap electronic drum machines taking over the beat and a generally 'sanitized' sound texture.

Some tracks have also been shortened, perhaps to make room for more material, which is another choice artistically questionable.

And... yes, 'Family Snapshot' unfortunately does not feature. Pity...