[W0lfd0g]

As I type this I am listening to Peter Garbriel's new album "New Blood" for the first time.  It consists of Gabriel singing fourteen of his classics over orchestral arrangements. 
 
This album is .....stunning for want of a better word.  His voice has lost none of its capacity to move.  The orchestral arrangements are complementary to the vocals to such an extent that I would call it truly synergistic.  There are no cliches here in the music.  The arrangements are not mere re-hashings of the originals, but take into account the capabilities of the instruments at the arranger's disposal and draw from a vast pool of styles. 
 
The recording quality is magnificent.  I am using an LCD2 rev 2 through a Meier Corda Concerto straight out of a Cambridge Audio Azur 550C.  Gabriel's whispers on one track sound like he is standing directly behind my left shoulder.  The air and separation given to the instruments is of a grand scale.  Possibly one of the best orchestral recordings I have heard.
 
This is not a review, just an impression.  I just had to tell someone who I thought would appreciate this stuff.  Most people I know would look at me politely and stop listening as soon as I said the word "orchestra".
 
Has any one else heard this?  If so, please tell me I am not jumping up and down in ecstasy for no reason.  If not, please take the time to check it out. 
 
This rambling probably says as much about me as it does about the musicians.  I just hope that there are some others out there like me. 

 

[W0lfd0g]

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM0edsIm2-0
 
Check it out ....please

 

[bigshot]

Your link doesn't work, but I checked out the youtube videos of Red Rain and Solisbury Hill. The orchestral backing is lifeless and rhythmically soft. I much prefer his regular band. They were really great musicians. The two songs I looked at were at a very slow tempo and forced him to sing like an old man (which he is). I'm glad you like it, but I remember seeing him at the Roxy with Fripp and he had a ton more energy back then.

 

[Holowlegs]

Hello
 
 
Downloaded this album from B&W society of sound
 
If you enjoy this album you may also enjoy Scratch My Back which is a cover album done in the same vein with orchestral arrangements.
 
But you can download the album in 24 bit flac.
 
Do like this track The Boy In The Bubble
 
Also you may like to see this Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon on 'The Boy In The Bubble' and 'Biko"
 
Cheers Frank.
 

 

[W0lfd0g]

Quote:

Your link doesn't work, but I checked out the youtube videos of Red Rain and Solisbury Hill. The orchestral backing is lifeless and rhythmically soft. I much prefer his regular band. They were really great musicians. The two songs I looked at were at a very slow tempo and forced him to sing like an old man (which he is). I'm glad you like it, but I remember seeing him at the Roxy with Fripp and he had a ton more energy back then.

 
Sorry about the link bigshot - It works for me (check it again just a moment ago).  I, like you, love the original versions of the songs, which is what inspired me to buy this album. 
 
I also agree with you to a point about the level of energy in the songs, but I think music is about more than just energy.  The power of music lies in its ability to move and evoke an emotional response.  I have a different background and so the response it evokes in me is different to the response it has evoked in you.
 
Furthermore, if you come to these arrangements expecting the same thing (albeit rehashed) as in the originals, you are always going to be disappointed. 
 
I am sorry that you don't like the music, but respect that too.  We just have different expectations and the mood/emotiion evoked by the backing differs between us. 
 
Cheers!

 

[W0lfd0g]

Quote:

Hello
 
 
Downloaded this album from B&W society of sound
 
If you enjoy this album you may also enjoy Scratch My Back which is a cover album done in the same vein with orchestral arrangements.
 
But you can download the album in 24 bit flac.
 
Do like this track The Boy In The Bubble
 
Also you may like to see this Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon on 'The Boy In The Bubble' and 'Biko"
 
Cheers Frank.
 

Hi Frank
 
I have one track off the "Scrach My Back" - "The Book of Love" - Fantastic arrangment and very non obtrusive.  I am on a break at work at the moment, but will check out the other tracks you suggest when I have a chance. 
 
Kind regards
 
Nathan

 

[Sarah]

The new orchestral arrangements seem to be pretty unpopular with people I've talked to - lots of haters... only talked to one other person who liked it out of all my music buddies.
 
Me, I really loved "Scratch My Back" and thought the recording quality was excellent. I was less crazy about "New Blood," kind of hit and miss for me. Some of the songs are spectacular with the orchestral arrangements. Some, not so much. And yeah, it's not a recording with "energy," you're not going to be dancing to it. But it's got serious power in some of the songs. His voice is in top form (I much prefer his "later" sound, one of my favorite male voices). If you like "New Blood" this much, I think you should run, not walk, to buy "Scratch My Back." The cover of "Apres Moi" they did actually gets me air-conducting an imaginary orchestra in my livingroom... held back only by the cord on my AKGs

 
I was remarkably fortunate and happened to be in New York visiting family the weekend he was playing Radio City Music Hall on the original SMB tour, and snagged last-minute perfect tickets (center orch, 1/3 of the way back)... and then I happened to be in London last year visiting friends the week he was playing the Hammersmith and recording the new live album/3D movie, so I was able to see one of those shows too. If you think it sounds good on CD... seeing it live was stunning! Stuff like "Signal to Noise" - with the huge crescendo - and a few others were just AMAZING with a live orchestra. "San Jacinto" was never a huge favorite of mine but live with the orchestra it brought tears to my eyes... and I could not believe how good his voice sounded at his age.
 
Anyway... you're not the only one

 

[W0lfd0g]

Quote:

The new orchestral arrangements seem to be pretty unpopular with people I've talked to - lots of haters... only talked to one other person who liked it out of all my music buddies.
 
Me, I really loved "Scratch My Back" and thought the recording quality was excellent. I was less crazy about "New Blood," kind of hit and miss for me. Some of the songs are spectacular with the orchestral arrangements. Some, not so much. And yeah, it's not a recording with "energy," you're not going to be dancing to it. But it's got serious power in some of the songs. His voice is in top form (I much prefer his "later" sound, one of my favorite male voices). If you like "New Blood" this much, I think you should run, not walk, to buy "Scratch My Back." The cover of "Apres Moi" they did actually gets me air-conducting an imaginary orchestra in my livingroom... held back only by the cord on my AKGs

 
I was remarkably fortunate and happened to be in New York visiting family the weekend he was playing Radio City Music Hall on the original SMB tour, and snagged last-minute perfect tickets (center orch, 1/3 of the way back)... and then I happened to be in London last year visiting friends the week he was playing the Hammersmith and recording the new live album/3D movie, so I was able to see one of those shows too. If you think it sounds good on CD... seeing it live was stunning! Stuff like "Signal to Noise" - with the huge crescendo - and a few others were just AMAZING with a live orchestra. "San Jacinto" was never a huge favorite of mine but live with the orchestra it brought tears to my eyes... and I could not believe how good his voice sounded at his age.
 
Anyway... you're not the only one

 
I am one very jealous man - Wish I could have been at the live performance.
 
Have added SMB to my wish list.  I don't think it will be a long time coming. 
 
Couldn't agree more with your evaluation of PG's voice.  I think it has developed with age.  It's rich and engagingly imperfect in timbre (like buttered sandpaper, which is also rich and a bit rough round the edges, altough I would not recommend its use on the ears as I would the use of PG's voice).
 
Cheers!

 

[Sarah]

Yeah, I tend to greatly prefer the perfectly aged/broken-in kind of voice compared to the Autotune pop singer types. Johnny Cash, Bettye Lavette, voices that sound wise instead of pretty...
 
Just hours after I wrote that post about his great live performances, he announced that he's coming here to do a 25th-Anniversary "So" concert in September (less than 2 miles from where I live, which is a lot more convenient than London or New York!) and the presale is tomorrow! No orchestra this time... 

   I managed to miss him the last two times he was here - well, one was the same tour I saw elsewhere and I didn't particularly feel like spending the money again; one I just missed.

 

[W0lfd0g]

Quote:

Yeah, I tend to greatly prefer the perfectly aged/broken-in kind of voice compared to the Autotune pop singer types. Johnny Cash, Bettye Lavette, voices that sound wise instead of pretty...
 
Just hours after I wrote that post about his great live performances, he announced that he's coming here to do a 25th-Anniversary "So" concert in September (less than 2 miles from where I live, which is a lot more convenient than London or New York!) and the presale is tomorrow! No orchestra this time... 

   I managed to miss him the last two times he was here - well, one was the same tour I saw elsewhere and I didn't particularly feel like spending the money again; one I just missed.

 


"So" is probably my second favourite PG album, just behind "Us".  I "so" wish that I was you!