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Album Review
by SashaS
27-6-2002
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| Peter Gabriel's long atmo-hike |
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Peter Gabriel: 'Long Walk Home'
(RealWorld)
Peter Gabriel celebrates his wedding with an OST disc
Peter Gabriel’s supplant to ‘Us’ (1992) and ‘Secret World Live’ (’94) has certainly been long in coming but deadlines are unknown in the Gabe’s world. So, it seems that ‘Long Walk Home’ is a stop-gap release and probable cause the new studio album is delayed yet again, apart from getting wed recently to a mother of his child. But, with Gabriel, there is no room for substitutes and this is as serious piece of work as any of his ‘official’ albums. Also, he knows only too well you can’t hurry art.
‘Long Walk Home’ is a soundtrack to Phillip Noyce’s film ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ about a very infamous period in Australian political system when Aboriginal children were taken into white families for maximum social integration. Three of them escape and the flick follows their adventures that Gabriel’s music fits simply like the proverbial ‘old raincoat’.
A long-term patron of WorldMusic (years before Paul Simon’s ‘Gracelands’) is provided with an even greater excuse to explore and incorporate plethora of native sounds here. Some titles clearly indicate their persuasion (or percussion-ism), ‘Crossing The Salt Pan’, ‘Running to the Rain’ and ‘A Sense of Home’ but most of the drums’n’(atmo)keys explore minimal soundscapes.
Still, there are so many dimensions in these tunes that take you (mental) hunting with ‘Stealing The Children’ or evoke sense of history on ‘The Tracker’. Otherwise, it is an ambience as dark as a night in Oz-outback and yet as clear as when stars brighten the ‘celestial ceiling’. It is actually a virtual ‘walkabout’ that is augmented by myriad guests – playing instruments you couldn’t even imagine existed – that also include, ‘on vocal’, the Blind Boys Of Alabama.
PG has always been an enigma of British music industry and every subsequent release has been a revelation of sorts. Although this is not the ‘tome’ of ‘Passion’, the Martin Scorcese’s ‘Last Temptation of Christ’ OST – oft-cited as an ‘inspirational’ issue by many – magnitude, it is an album of inquisitive nature, magical depth and marvellous delivery.
It is usually preferable to have a film with its soundtrack but ‘Long Walk Home’ works on its own, so well. Take it as a chill-out album and see how well it directs your soul… or your whole being. Turn out the lights and have ‘Pitch Black’ as a visual accompaniment (sound-off, of course).
8.8/10
SashaS
17-11-2004
Peter Gabriel’s album ‘Long Walk Home’ is available now on RealWorld
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