The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel [Paperback]

Chris Welch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

Traces Gabriel's early years in Genesis, his departure and emergence as a successful solo artist, his work with Third World musicians and his association with Womad.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Omnibus Pr (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711968128
• ISBN-13: 978-0711968127
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Story Worth Telling, January 24, 1999

By 

JabberWocky "imgunslinger" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel (Paperback)

Chris Welch's book "The Secret Life Of Peter Gabriel" is a well written book about a legend in the music bussiness that goes by the name of Peter Gabriel. This book only helped to confirm what i had already known about Mr. Gabriel; that being that he is the best Singer/Songwriter in the modern day world. I have been a huge PG fan for some years now and this book pretty much gave a step by step analysis of Gabriels life. What i didnt know about Gabriel was what intrigued me most about this literary work. Gabriel deserves to win a life time achievement award for the things hes done in his life time, not only being a hero to his die hard music fans, but for always trying to help those in need and always trying to make people happy. His mind is a asset to the world and we should all be thankfull for the genious that he has produced and bestowed in everyone and everything around him.. The book was extremely well written from a first hand approach in many instances. Well worth Reading...

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best book about The Master, but worth having, November 29, 2004

By 

all love based paths lead to God "loveisthekey" (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel (Paperback)

If you are a serious fan, as am I, then you will want this book, because you will want everything you can get your hands on about The Master, the greatest vocalist/lyricist/composer of our time. Please ignore the first review above, which was obviously written by someone who only knows about Peter's hits. Peter is a serious musician and unequaled in his passion for creating serious music as well as being involved in myriad other projects. His latest album, UP, is a masterpiece! And his concerts are a religious experience! OK, I will quit gushing and review the book. Actually it is NOT well-written. The author is clearly not a writer, as it just does not flow very well. However, it is still worth having, because of the content. I have been a fan for 25 years and I learned quite a few little nuggets of info that I hadn't known b4, and these made it worth the price of the book.

1-7-06 update: Most of the 'tasty gems' of info can be found in Spencer Bright's PG biography, a much better read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for Genesis and Gabriel fans, January 17, 2011

By 

F. R. Jensen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel (Paperback)

The greatest thing about Welch's book is the in-depth discussions, often with quotes from PG himself, about the meaning and motives behind a majority of the Genesis songs, 1969-75, and a many of his own compositions through the late '90's. Like many Genesis fans, I profoundly loved the music and the lyrics, but I often wondered what songs like "Return of the Giant Hogweed", "The Battle of Epping Forest", "Intruder" and "San Jacinto" were really about. This book covers these and many more, including PG's creative use of words and sounds to create moods--not necessarily to tell specific stories. Also visited are connections between Genesis and Yes, ELP, and other progressive rock bands in their formative years. His personal life is also covered in detail thankfully absent of any petty gossip and/or character assassination. Reading this book brought me back to my teenage years--the 1970's--and left me feeling happy to have been a part of rock's most artistic and creative era. I also found the book easy to read and quite professionally written. The only thing missing was a Notes section (i.e., the author's list of resources).