New Blood [Special Edition]

Peter Gabriel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Special Edition
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B005HXGE9G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,406 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Rhythm of the Heat

2. Downside Up (featuring Melanie Gabriel)

3. San Jacinto

4. Intruder

5. Wallflower

6. In Your Eyes

7. Mercy Street

8. Red Rain

9. Darkness

10. Don't Give Up (featuring Ane Brun)

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Rhythm of the Heat (instrumental)

2. Downside Up (instrumental)

3. San Jacinto (instrumental)

4. Intruder (instrumental)

5. Wallflower (instrumental)

6. In Your Eyes (instrumental)

7. Mercy Street (instrumental)

8. Red Rain (instrumental)

9. Darkness (instrumental)

10. Don't Give Up (instrumental)

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Limited deluxe two CD edition includes bonus CD containing instrumental versions of the album's tracks. 2011 release from the Rock icon. New Blood is a continuum of Peter's previous Scratch My Back album - the song-swap project where he covered the songs of others, all to an orchestral backing. Thanks to the precise arrangements by John Metcalf and Peter, the treatment was so successful that Peter very quickly knew where he wanted to take it next, and work began to apply the same principals to his own songs. "The orchestra provides different dimensions to the music that weren't there initially," confirms Peter. "Rock artists work slowly in studios, building up layer by layer, and one of the great, powerful advantages of an orchestra is all these musicians playing at one moment with all sorts of colors and personalities." And in front of orchestra, taking centre stage when necessary, retreating into the shadows when not, is Peter's rich voice. Retaining its trademark emotive power, it returns to lyrics written 20 or 30 years ago, reinvesting them with new meaning and heightened poignancy. New life, new blood. A musical transfusion. The songs live on.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhythm of the Heat with all the complexity of Night on Bald Mountain October 11, 2011

By Bardwire777

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It can't be easy to be Peter Gabriel. You put out two discs back to back both with lush, brilliantly arranged orchestral songs (one of covers and the other originals) and what you get is a bunch of flack from ungratefuls who want to see another SO. Ugh. Seriously. What else do you want? In this he basically gave us a greatest hits re imagined and infused with passion to spare. New emotions from old songs swoon and emerge again in vibrant vivid color. And his voice is AMAZING still - identical from work he recorded in the late seventies/early eighties. How does he do it? He stays true to his muse. He never compromises. He'll release another studio album when he's good and ready and when he does it will no doubt be a deliberate, thoughtful, and sincerely powerful work - just look at his track record.

OK. I admit, maybe he should stop having his daughter sing on his stuff - seriously her voice even on these limited tracks couldn't carry a paperclip. But his misplaced family loyalty aside, PG is a genius, respected in not just the music industry, but Hollywood, and by musicians across the world. No mission of his can be fruitless. He grows, learns and conjours ghosts others only dream of. And in NEW BLOOD he's given us a brilliant disc - from the theatrical Intruder to the heartbreaking Wallflower or the classic In Your Eyes. I saw him do these songs live at the Hollywood Bowl and they were every bit as magical. I will not forget that show til the say I die.

For those who don't appreciate this or Scratch My Back, I believe the future will prove you wrong. Because if anyone knows how to make powerful recordings that stand the test of time, it's Peter.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius... October 11, 2011

By Moloch

Format:Audio CD

Try sitting through the first two tracks without being moved to tears (you would need to be inhuman). The compositions are beautifully arranged and Gabriel's voice has never been stronger. Some folks are accustomed to hearing these songs a certain way, so they expect to hear them in that original form- remove the conditioning and you'll find New Blood to be a brand new experience. In an Age of Lady Goo-goo and lack of emotional substance being branded into us, it's refreshing to know that some of the greats are still out there... making music their way.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album!!!! October 12, 2011

By The Stephen Lee Band

Format:Audio CD

Just listened to New Blood for the first time from start to finish and it is excellent! The arrangements with orchestra are very atmospheric and almost film score like at times. I've always been a big Peter Gabriel fan and also a big fan of film scores by composers like John Williams, Danny Elfman, Bernard Hermann, Hans Zimmer, Philip Glass, etc. This album is the best of both worlds.

Some of the highlights for me are "Rhythm of the Heat", "San Jacinto", "Wallflower", "In Your Eyes", "Red Rain", "The Nest That Sailed The Sky" and "Solsbury Hill".

I've seen some reviews that aren't fond of "Solsbury Hill" but when I listen to the album straight through it really compliments the whole work and gives a dynamic ending to an excellent album!!! For me the last lines he is singing "I'm coming home....back home" make me think of the long and inspiring career he has had since that was his first really big hit as a solo artist and it deals with going for your dreams and following your heart no matter what the rest of the world may say.

I definitely recommend this to any Peter Gabriel fan and/or enthusiast of film score/ambient music.

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