Customer Reviews

Deutsches Album (Security)

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For many years I have been a fan of both Peter Gabriel and the German language and this album is worth the imported price I paid for it. If your not really into German or Peter Gabriel then why are you reading this in the first place? What more really needs to be said?

Peter Gabriel recorded German-language albums of his third and fourth albums; and "Deutsches Album," the German-language version of Gabriel's 1982 album "Security," seems to capture particularly well the anxious texture of early 1980's life. "Der Rhythmus der Hitze" ("The Rhythm of the Heat"), with its syncopated percussion, its low hum of synthesizers, Gabriel's fading screams, reminds me of "Biko" from Gabriel's third album. "Das Fischernetz" ("The Family and the Fishing Net") with its fuzzy bass riff and its plaintive vocals, has a nice world-music sound; I also like the tempo changes, the menacing industrial way in which the song speeds up. "Kon Takt!" ("I Have the Touch") is more uptempo, with polyphonic percussion, a provocative combination of falsetto vocals with a keyboard riff. "San Jacinto" unfolds slowly, starting with keyboard and voice, building in power as the bass and drums kick in. "Schock den Affen" ("Shock the Monkey") is familiar, but refreshingly different; the delivery here seems starker than in the English-language version. "Handauflegen" ("Lay Your Hands on Me") has a steel-drum sound that may remind you of some of Jan Hammer's work from "Miami Vice" days; but I like its vaguely menacing quality, its haunting synthesizers, its use of the spoken word. "Nicht Die Erde Hat Dich Verschluckt" ("Wallflower") begins with soft piano and quiet vocal delivery -- very evocative, it builds as it goes, like a mellower version of the original "Here Comes the Flood." And the uptempo "Mundzumundbeatmung" ("Kiss of Life") provides an interesting blend of Latin tonalities with German lyrics, slowing down nicely toward the end. It is not that "Deutsches Album" is better or worse than the original "Security"; it is more that "Deutsches Album" provides a fascinating variation on a very fine theme.

Diese CD ist sehr gut! I've had this CD for over 10 years and still enjoy it. If you are a Peter Gabriel fan this will be an excellent addition to your collection.

Very good Peter Gabriel CD entitled Shock the Monkey but lyrics re-done entirely in German.

A slightly different sound engineering compared to PETER GABRIEL IV (at least it was on the LP). Minus-one tracks sound tighter with enhanced high bands. One subtle thing enjoyable is the altered phrasing to carry German verses, which well demonstrates the artist's cliche of the time.