Peter Gabriel
IV

THE REVIEW

Imagine being on a deserted island, sitting on the beach with your feet in the cool water while the wind shakes the palm trees, that welcoming wind that warms your skin. Imagine a horizon at sunset, you, sitting on that sandy beach as evening falls, listening to the wind play its mysterious and welcoming symphony, letting yourself be charmed by the red sun that seems to fall into the sea, by its light.

Don't you like this vision? Wouldn't you like, in the solitude of that deserted island, to reflect and think about the meaning of life, to wonder about the reasons for things? I don't know what I would think, sitting on the beach of a deserted island Robinson Crusoe-style: would I want to leave, to build a raft as soon as possible and go away or to feed on what nature offers me every day? I don't know! The only thing I'm sure of is that it wouldn't be enough to listen to the wind's whisper, the crashing of the waves on the sea, the birds singing on the palm trees, the screech of the seagulls... I would need something more accessible, something more earthly, something for which I wouldn't need to dig inside and grasp the meaning... I would need my music!

Not just any music, not something chosen at random… I would need to feel the chills down my back and head when "The Rhythm of the Heat" starts, with that primal scream and Gabriel's voice crescendo, those percussion instruments at the end of the song that feel so much like a tribal dance. I would also need a quieter atmosphere, a moment of reflection on one hand, and relaxation of the mind on the other, and that breath of the soul that "San Jacinto" can provide. If with this track I will have given my body and mind the chance to linger on the notes and relax, with "I Have the Touch" and "Lay Your Hands on Me" I would have to let my feet take the responsibility of moving in a liberating dance, as a release valve. But I would still need something to reflect on, something to listen to with the heart and with the brain's attention, and "Wallflower" is just the thing for me. "Kiss of Life" is one last excuse to dance, to warm up the muscles and to have fun. If I wanted, I could dance to the rhythm of "Shock the Monkey" with a monkey or fish by the sea while listening to "The Family and the Fishing Net." It wouldn’t be a bad idea!

And what do you think? Would you like to be on a deserted island, sitting on the beach with your feet in the cool water, ready to dirty them and set them in motion to the sound of your music?