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44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Gabriel Set, But Not Definitive, January 2, 2004
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.
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50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The songs are good, but what happened to the first two LPs?, November 7, 2003
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.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice collection of solo Peter Gabriel, April 24, 2006
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.
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by Peter Gabriel 
