Customer Reviews

Hit

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Peter Gabriel's new 2-CD retrospective, "Hit," is certainly a great collection, spanning Gabriel's solo career from 1977 to the present. Many classic Gabriel cuts are here: "Solsbury Hill," "Games Without Frontiers," "Shock The Monkey," "Sledgehammer," "Digging In The Dirt," "Growing Up," and many others. There's also one previously unreleased song, the great rocker "Burn You Up Burn You Down" (a leftover track from the "Up" sessions), the awesome "Lovetown" (from the "Philadelphia" movie soundtrack), and three songs from Gabriel's import-only release, "OVO"---"The Tower That Ate People," "Father, Son," and a live rendition of "Downside Up" (featuring Gabriel in a duet with his daughter, Melanie). There's even the lovely track, "Cloudless," from Gabriel's "Rabbit-Proof Fence" movie soundtrack. A very good, more-than-satisfying Gabriel retrospective, to be sure. But NO songs at all from Gabriel's 2nd album (which just so happens to be my favorite Gabriel disc)? This is now the second time that Gabriel has snubbed his second album, as nothing from it was included on his earlier greatest hits CD, "Shaking The Tree." I tell you, folks, if I knew how to contact Peter Gabriel directly, I'd get him on the horn right now and say to him, "Look, Peter, you really need to stop ignoring your second album. It's a wonderful album, man, so be proud of it!" Also, nothing from Gabriel's soundtracks to the films "Birdy" or "The Last Temptation Of Christ" is represented, either, which is another unfortunate oversight.Nevertheless, "Hit" is stuffed full of magnificent Peter Gabriel music, clocking in at about 2 1/2 hours total, which is nothing to sneeze at. Whether you're a casual Gabriel fan or a diehard, this set is definitely worth purchasing. But what we Gabriel fans could *really* use right about now is a BOX SET, and one that features songs from ALL of Peter's albums, including the sorely overlooked second album. Peter certainly deserves a box set, and think of all those B-sides and rarities that would be on it, too...(*sigh*)...Well, until then, "Hit" will do for now.

As a compilation, "Hit" is certainly *not* definitive, as some reviewers here have attested, but my complaint stems from the consistent historical revisionism (also present on "Shaking The Tree")in which Gabriel acts like his first two albums don't exist outside of "Solsbury Hill" (and, perhaps, "Here Comes The Flood", although the 1990 version is included here). There were some great tracks scattered on those efforts, including "Humdrum", "On The Air" and "Mother Of Violence", and no compilation (outside of "Revisited", which focused specifically on those first two albums) has addressed them.

If the first two albums are ignored, his last two--"Ovo" and "Up"--are over-emphasized, with three tracks taken from the little known, Euro-only "Ovo" and a whopping five from the just-released "Up". Although both were good albums, and it's nice to see fine overlooked compositions like "Father, Son", "Downside Up" and "The Drop" given their due, it still seems like PG just wants to forget his illustrious past and concentrate on the present. Nowhere is this more evident than in the relative dearth of tracks from the essential PGIV ("Security"); where's the minor hit "I Have The Touch", or the crowd-pleaser "Lay Your Hands On Me", for example? As for his popular 1992 album "Us", I would've thought "Come Talk To Me" (which was even used in that phone commercial) would have been preferred over the repetitive "Love To Be Loved".

The quality of Gabriel's work (and I am a fan of that work from his earliest days in Genesis right through "Up") has been so high that even if "Hit/Miss" is not definitive, it is still filled with mostly classic cuts. The new track, "Burn You Up Burn You Down", is nice, although it seems a bit presumptuous to include it in the "Hit" CD. So, although it is recommended, I would strongly suggest checking out the first two albums and "Security" in their entirety as well, for these are severely underrepresented in favor of more recent material.

THE BAND: Gabriel has played with many session musicians over the decades... most notably on many of his solo records - David Rhodes (guitar), Tony Levin (bass), Jerry Marotta (drums), Manu Katche (drums), and Ged Lynch (drums). Gabriel himself is a master at many instruments - keyboards, piano, organ, mellotron, synth, synth bass, keyboard bass, Surdo drums, flute, recorder, various percussion, drum samples/loops/patterns. Guest artists on select tracks include Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins, Sinead O'Conner, Kate Bush, and Robert Fripp.

THE DISC(S): (2003) 29 songs on 2 discs clocking in at approximately 151 minutes (Disc-1 is 76:01, Disc-2 is 74:35). Included with the discs is an 18-page booklet containing 9 full page pictures, song credits and players, what songs came from which albums, year released, and thank you's. There is an interactive 'The Tower That Ate People" through Noodle Heaven (a website you must download from). Digitally remastered sound. All songs written by Gabriel. Label - Geffen Records.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Peter Gabriel #1: Car (1), #3 Melt (4), Security (3), So (5), Shaking The Tree (1), Us (4), OVO (2), Up (5), "Philadelphia" Movie Soundtrack (1), "Rabbit Proof Fence" Movie Soundtrack (1), previously unreleased (2).

COMMENTS: "Hit" follows Peter Gabriel's solo career (after leaving Genesis) from 1977 through 2003. It's a worthy purchase, and if you're thinking about trading in your "Shaking The Tree" please reconsider. There are 4 tracks on "Shaking The Tree" that make it worth keeping in my book that you won't find here on "Hit". Listen, and then decide. With that being said - this "Hit" and "Miss" collection of Peter Gabriel is dead on accurate. Disc 1 ("Hit") contains the popular tunes that most listeners will recognize - "Solsbury Hill", "Shock The Monkey", "Sledgehammer", "Red Rain", "Games Without Frontiers", "Big Time", "Steam", the Kate Bush ballad "Don't Give Up", etc. Disc 2 contains the deeper albums cuts that perhaps haven't made it to the FM airwaves - with the exception of "In Your Eyes" (one of his big hits from 1986's "So") that would have been better placed on disc 1. The only thing negative about this collection is that there are no track(s) from his 2nd solo album "Scratch" - surely something from this album should have been represented here (my choices would have been "D.I.Y." or "Home Sweet Home"). The 2 unreleased songs are later era Gabriel gems. Gabriel is an island unto himself. His vocals instantly recognizable. His catalog is so different from anything else out there (his days with Genesis were equally unique). His songs are soulful, rhythmic, pop/rock and downright tribal at times. If you never knew which Gabriel studio album were perhaps the best (in my opinion he had two bests - "So" or "#3-Melt")... this definitive 2-disc "Hit" collection is THE place to start. This is a wonderful intro to the man. 5-stars.

This compilation of Peter Gabriel hits spans over the course of most of his career, except for (note taken) his second album, which seems to elude all of his compilations, except for 'Revisited'. On to analyzing this one, anyway...

To put together a Peter Gabriel compilation, as with any other great artist (with a solo career since 1977) is a tough job. But I dare to say that the aptly titled 'Hit' contains the essence of Peter's work, beyond what the 'Sixteen Golden Greats' compilation was able to accomplish. It includes material from his first album ("Solsbury Hill", "Here Comes The Flood"), through the Melt ("I Don't Remember", "Family Snapshot", "Biko", "Games w/o Frontiers") and Security ("San Jacinto", Rhythm of the Heat", "Shock the Monkey") albums of the early eighties to tracks from his more recent works, UP, OVO, US and SO.

Besides providing alternate mixes of previously released songs ("Growing Up and "The Tower") and a live version of the beautiful song from OVO track, "Downside Up" (which he performed while upside down alongside daughter Melanie during his Growing Up tour -don't miss his DVD from this tour that came out along with this compilation!!), Peter shares a couple of treats: previously unreleased track "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" (which will soon be available in a single format, if you prefer to skip the compilation altogether at your own risk); and "Lovetown" a song from the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks movie, 'Philadelphia' which has managed to stay somewhat on the fringes of Peter's production... until now!

My advice is the same for longtime Peter fans and for newbies into Peter's work: get "Hit". Plus, at such a price (for two CDs) you really can't go wrong. With Peter, you can't go wrong!

For as long as I can remember I've enjoyed Peter Gabriel's music, but I never really went so far as to buy many of his albums. Truth be told, I fancied the tracks I heard from Peter on the radio, but I was always hesitant to buy his albums because I thought they'd be a little too odd for my liking. The exception to all of this was Peter's 1986 album, So, which I bought and loved and played incessantly - as with my most cherished albums, I owned that one on cassette and vinyl back in the 80's.

So was my only LP exposure to Peter Gabriel until about three years ago, when I was reading about a forthcoming album, Up, that took Peter 10 years to make. Intrigued by what I read about this disc, I bought it when it hit the market and was rewarded with an hour of OUTSTANDING music. Up was unlike anything I was hearing anywhere at the time, and like the other PG album I had owned 17 years prior, I found myself playing Up over and over and over again, discovering melodies, lyrics, sounds, and harmonies that resonated with me on a multitude of levels. (I wrote an Amazon review on Up, if you're interested...)

My love for Up spawned a desire to buy another copy of So, this time on CD. When I went to buy my third version of that album, I was delighted to find this two-disc compilation of Peter Gabriel's work spanning across his entire career and including all those older hits that I never owned because I was afraid I'd dislike everything else on those older albums. Here are digitally remastered recordings of classic PG tunes, such as "Solsbury Hill," "Shock the Monkey," "Games Without Frontiers," and "Biko;" a number of beloved tracks from that old 1986 album I know so well; some great tracks off of Up; and many other amazing songs I'd never heard before from albums I never owned. Twenty-nine songs (count em, 29!) fill this two-disc set, and as I sit and listen, I just marvel at Peter Gabriel's gift. The man is a true prodigy, an incredible musician, one who has clearly emphasized his art over commercialism but has received worldwide acclaim in the process. This album contains a new song, "Cloudless," which is an appealing variation off of Up's "Sky Blue," building off that tune's memorable choral chant.

Hit offers an abundant sampling of Peter Gabriel's music. These tunes are intense, sophisiticated, challenging, and rewarding. Having been more exposed to Peter Gabriel's work through this compilation, my prior hesitations are gone, and I'm eager to go back in time and buy some of Peter's earlier releases. I highly recommend this album if you are like I was, someone who enjoyed Peter Gabriel's music in the past but wasn't 100% convinced as a devoted fan. Hit will change all that; you'll love this album and acquire a great appreciation for the magnitude of the music this man has created over the course of his career.

I can't really fault Peter's focus on his more recent material and virtual exclusion of his first two albums. After all, he is trying to reach a modern audience, and his old stuff, as good as a lot of it is, belongs to a different era, when he was still searching for his identity as an artist (much like with U2's first two LPs). Towards the end of releasing a collection that modern casual listeners can embrace, I think he succeeds. Nearly all of his recognizable radio hits are covered (including "In Your Eyes", finally!), along with strong selections from his newest album and recent side projects. If I were to burn a two disc "intro to PG" set for a friend, my track choices would be nearly the same (aside from the eight or so songs I didn't have in my CD collection). No, it's not a collection that comprehensively covers his whole career, but since this isn't a boxed set, that really isn't the point.

For people who are already Peter Gabriel fans, a lot of this collection will probably be redundant, but if you are missing one his more recent albums, like Us or Up, the representative material, along with the previously unreleased or hard-to-find tracks (which I think are all pretty good) may make this collection worth getting for you. I can't comment on the remixed tracks vs. the originals, since I haven't really done a side-by-side comparison, but the shortened versions worked for me, anyway. The track ordering seems to flow well, too (though, admittedly, I listen more often on "shuffle").

I'm glad this package came out. Hopefully, it will renew interest in this vital and interesting artist as well as bring him some new fans, at a time when it seems like he's rediscovering his creativity. And hopefully that will help inspire Peter himself to not delay his next album for too long!

First of all, 'Hit' is a better overall compilation than 'Sixteen Golden Greats', the former of which came out before the excellent records 'Us' (1992) and 'Up' (2002). Given the comparable pricing, 29 songs is much better than 16, and both disks have a 76-minute running order.

The buyer should note that there is a U.K. version of this record which has song choice differences on Disk 2. Although the U.K. version has one more song in total, the casual fan would probably prefer the U.S. version since it has the super-hit "In Your Eyes" - a disappointing exclusion from PG's first compilation. (NOTE: The other U.S.-only cuts are "I Don't Remember" and "Family Snapshot" from PG#3 (1980) and "Love to be Loved" from 'Us' (1992), while the U.K.-only cuts are "No Self Control" from PG#3, "I Have the Touch" from 'Security' (1982), "Different Drum" from 'Passion' (1989), and "Washing of the Water" from 'Us'.

Serious PG completists should want to buy either of the versions of this collection for two reasons: (1) the new song, "Burn You Up, Burn You Down"; (2) the track, "Lovetown", previously only available on the 'Philadelphia' soundtrack (1994); and (3) the recently recorded live version of "Downside, Up" with vocals by PG's daughter.

As a serious PG fan, I consider 'Hit' to be a worthy compilation. Reasonable minds who are hardcore PG fans may take minor issue with song choices - with the inclusion of three songs from 'Ovo' (2000) at the expense of PG's first two records may be the most obvious criticism (to me, "The Tower That Ate People" and "Downside, Up" could have been left off for "Humdrum" and "Mother of Violence"). To me, the remix/dub choices were a little misguided - e.g., there was sufficient time to include the full version of "Growing Up" and "Don't Give Up" on Disk 1, and the single edit of "I Don't Remember" would have made room for another tune on Disk 2. I was also a bit disappointed with the liner notes, which are lacking in both volume and content (e.g., "Steam" is listed as an "Radio Edit" when in fact it is the full version; PG's fourth record is listed a "PG#IV" on one description and as "Security" on another).

13 years after his first collection Shaking The Tree it is good time for new Gabriel collection. Instead of fact that he has made only two studio albums between these collections.

Allright! Let's see what songs he and his recording company has chosen. First cd has been named `Hit`(cd1) There are Gabriel's most succesful single tracks such as Sledgehammer(1#, most played video on MTV), Shock The Monkey(first chart hit which went on top 40), Don't Give Up( top 10, a great duet with Kate Bush) and Steam(top 40) My personal favourites on this Hit are interesting Games Without Frontiers, an emotional More Than This and a catchy pop song Red Rain Overall, Hit(cd1) sounds very good and I would give it 4,5 stars. Selections are made by care and with good taste!

Second cd has been named Miss and there are for exemple songs which aren't hits or singles at all. A peaceful San Jacinto, a wild The Rhythm Of The Heat, in posivive way strange Signal To Noise and a beautiful Downside Up are best songs on this Miss cd. The Tower That Ate People and Lovetown are songs that I would drop out this collection because these are booring and horrible songs.

In my opinion, this is not definitive collection because you can not find some important songs here. 2(stratch) album has chosen nothing which means that Gabriel do not like this album at all. Also Passion and Birdy soundtrack has forgotten! But if you are lucky, you can find German Hit edition. There are D.I.Y(2) and A Different Drum(Passion) which means that it is little bit more diverse than original Hit collection. Buy it if you find it! I have heard that Gabriel is going to release box on this year. Hopefully, then I can find many rarities, B=sides and live performances on that box.

This collection is good start for people who wants to know what kind of music Gabriel has made from 1977 to 2003. For fans this collection is not give a lot because there is only one new song(Burn You Up, Burn You Down) and one new recording Downside Up(original version can be found on OVO)
Finally, Hit is not perfect but it is the best official collection want you can find.

Compilations. These are probably the most discussed CDs. When picking up the songs that are going to be part of an artist's collection of greatest hits (or misses), a lot of issues come into play; where the songs released as singles? Did they do well in the charts? Do fans ask for them at concerts? Who has the rights to these songs? Does the artist like this song better, or that one? Does the label want to add a certain song for some reason? How many new tracks should be included? And the list goes on and on, ad nauseam.

HIT, the new Peter Gabriel's collection (the definitive one, if you believe the cover) decidedly asked some of those questions. The most obvious, er, *flaw* that this set has is the lack of songs from PG's second album (Scratch), which is one of the favorite albums of die hard fans (m'self included, thankyouverymuch). The songs from that CD have continuously escaped PG's compilations, except for Revisited, which basically was made up of songs from his 'early' solo career. Although I would have liked to have some of the tracks from that CD here (like On the air and A wonderful day in a one-way world), I understand that there must be a reason for their absence - Peter is very (VERY) fan oriented, so he must have had his reasons.

Another 'problem' with collections such as this one is that it is completely and totally impossible to please everyone. If you read other reviews, you'll find people saying that this track or that track should be included, or complaining that they did include another one that shouldn't be here. Hey, we all have different tastes and different reasons as to why we like PG's songs (if you asked me, I'd say I would have added Mercy Street, although So has probably enough presence here with 5 songs).

If you can put aside these gripes, you'll find that this is an excellent collection that includes some amazing music: Red Rain, Sledgehammer, Biko, Solsbury Hill, Shock the Monkey, Big Time, Family Snapshot, Games without Frontiers and a whole bunch of others. HIT alone is a great CD, but it's also great to have MISS, the second CD that includes tracks that are not as famous or harder to find, like Father, Son, Lovetown and Cloudless. It's a great way for new fans to get to know PG's music. Peter's career as a solo recording artist has produced very little output in the last years (hey, he's busy doing other stuff equally as important, so I'm not complaining) so this second CD has more of the 'newer' songs.

There's also an added bonus in this collection. By having this CD you can access tracks from NOODLE (www.noodleheaven.net). Check it out, it's fun.

This is an amazing collection that fans old and new can enjoy, and a reminder that Peter Gabriel is one of the best musicians out there. From his days with Genesis to his solo career, he has given us over thirty years of great music.

I bought the UK version of this album (along with the Growing Up DVD) from PG's site and was surprised to find that the "Miss" CD had different tracks than the ones listed here. There is some crossover, but it's got a bit more variety than the US version. So, if you want some stuff from PG2 and Passion, you may want to purchase the UK version in addition to this one. I plan to get both. The UK "Miss" track listing is as follows:

San Jacinto
No Self-Control
Cloudless
The Rhythm of the Heat
I Have the Touch (Robbie Robertson Mix)
I Grieve
D.I.Y.
A Different Drum
The Drop
The Tower That Ate People (Steve Osborne Mix)
Lovetown
Father, Son
Signal to Noise
Downside Up (Live)
Washing of the Water

Amazon has it as an import for $30.99. Worth the extra dough? I think so. But this one's pretty great, too, especially since he finally included "In Your Eyes" on a greatest hits CD. It's about time!