Peter Gabriel
Big Blue Ball

LA RECENSIONE

Finally releasing, after multiple delays, "Big Blue Ball", the project by Peter Gabriel and Karl Wallinger developed over a span of 18 years. In fact, the first recordings of this album date back to 1991, when, upon Gabriel's invitation, musicians from various parts of the world and musical backgrounds gathered at the legendary Real World studios. These jam sessions, sound elaborations and influences from the most disparate parts of the world, lasted three years (summers 1991, 1992, 1995). Artisans of the caliber of Sinéad O'Connor, Billy Cobham, Joseph Arthur, Papa Wemba, Karl Wallinger, the Deep Forest, Manu Katché, Arona N'diaye, and many others participated. They "locked themselves" in Gabriel's studios and recorded a vast amount of material, from which the 11 tracks composing the album were selected and released. The underlying theme in the metaphor of the title is our increasingly mistreated Earth, one of the themes dear to Peter, following his notable and passionate endorsements of various humanitarian projects and organizations.

With this work, under Peter's attentive direction (he is heard singing in only 3 tracks) and the great work in the recording room by the Real World Rec. engineers, one sometimes senses atmospheres reminiscent of 'Passion', one of the most important albums of the '80s.

There are tracks with high communicative and emotional impact (Whole thing, Habibe, Shadow, Altus Silva, Rivers), others with a driving rhythmic pulse. The only one already released and heard live during the 2007 tour, "Burn you up, burn you down", is presented here in a different version.

In essence, "Big Blue Ball" is a work—or rather, I emphasize, an interesting project—even if Gabriel has more of a 'hand' in it than a voice. It is a work to be listened to calmly, even to the point of playing the same track multiple times to grasp its nuances. As mentioned, the musicians come from everywhere: Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Japan (Joji Hirota, percussionist/composer from Lindsay Kemp's theater).

The album, available online at www.themusic.com since the end of May, will be available in our stores by July/August. The formats are the usual CD or a double LP at 45 rpm on virgin blue 140 gr. vinyl (limited to 1,000 copies).

The comparative listening I conducted of the two mediums only confirms that if the vinyl is virgin, robust, and well-pressed, the CD takes a back seat. The sound that emanates from the vinyl has the softness, warmth, and detail that are often 'stopped' or overly emphasized on a CD. The entire discussion holds if one owns adequate playback equipment capable of highlighting the pros and cons of the various media used for musical listening.