As a member of Genesis and as a solo artist, Peter Gabriel has performed on 16 studio albums. Collectively, those albums have produced some of the most beloved music of the rock era. Yet some of Gabriel’s best work has been produced outside of that esteemed collection of studio work. As a solo artist, he has recorded four soundtrack albums, stand-alone tracks for soundtrack compilations, five live albums, and countless collaborations with other artists.
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One could create a lengthy playlist of great songs that Gabriel has made outside of his studio albums. Any such playlist would have to include these four songs, which showcase Gabriel’s stellar songwriting and musicianship.
“Shakin’ the Tree”
Senegalese singer and musician Youssou N’Dour has been recording music since the 1970s, but he came to the attention of Western music fans in 1986 when he sang on Gabriel’s hit single “In Your Eyes.” Fans got further exposure to N’Dour when he was the opening act on Gabriel’s This Way Up Tour in 1986 and 1987. N’Dour enlisted Gabriel as a collaborator for his 1989 album The Lion, as he co-produced the record with David Sancious and George Acogny. N’Dour and Gabriel also shared the co-writing credits and vocals on “Shakin’ the Tree,” the second track on The Lion.
The duet—which was credited only to N’Dour—became a hit on U.S. modern rock radio stations, reaching No. 9 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart. Gabriel released a rerecorded version entitled “Shaking the Tree” on his 1990 greatest hits compilation Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats. The song was a staple of Gabriel’s 1993-94 Secret World Tour. At this point, he was no longer touring with N’Dour, so Paula Cole duetted with Gabriel in his place. A live version of “Shaking the Tree” was captured on the 1994 album Secret World Live. This version demonstrates what anyone who has listened to the studio versions would suspect—that it’s a great sing-along song.
“When You’re Falling”
Gabriel did not contribute to the writing of this 2001 single from Afro Celt Sound System, but he sings the lead vocal, plays keyboards, and appears in the song’s official video. His connection to Afro Celt Sound System preceded his performance on “When You’re Falling.” The group released each of their first five albums on Gabriel’s Real World Records label, including the two albums that preceded the single and its parent album Volume 3: Further in Time.
As the name implies, Afro Celt Sound System was composed of musicians from West Africa and Ireland, along with English musician and producer Simon Emmerson. “When You’re Falling” also includes a guest appearance by Screaming Orphans, a group of four sisters (Joan, Angela, Gráinne, and Marie Thérèse Diver) from County Donegal who provide backing vocals. Perhaps because it would be difficult to reproduce the backing vocals, which are integral to the sound of the song, “When You’re Falling” never became a part of Gabriel’s setlists. However, it was a commercially successful single, topping Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart for six weeks.
“Burn You Up, Burn You Down”
As has been the case for many of Gabriel’s post-1980 projects, his collaboration entitled Big Blue Ball was several years in the making. Begun in 1991, Big Blue Ball consisted of a large group of musicians from various countries in different parts of the world coming together to co-write and perform songs. The most popular song to emerge from the 2008 collection is “Burn You Up, Burn You Down.” Of all the songs on the album, it has received the most streams on Spotify, and Gabriel has performed it live the most often.
Gabriel sings the lead vocal and plays keyboards on “Burn You Up, Burn You Down,” a song he co-wrote with the late Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys, World Party) and Neil Sparkes (TransGlobal Underground, Temple of Sound). The recording was a star-studded affair, with Wallinger, bassist Wendy Melvoin (Prince and the Revolution, Wendy & Lisa) and drummer Billy Cobham (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra) among the luminaries joining Gabriel for the track. The real stars of the song, though, are The Holmes Brothers, who sing the refrain and chorus. “Burn You Up, Burn You Down” was first released on Gabriel’s 2003 compilation Hit, nearly five years ahead of the release of Big Blue Ball. It was the only single released from Hit, and it spent 13 weeks on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart, peaking at No. 18.
“Downside Up”
The previous three songs were products of Gabriel’s collaborations with other artists, but we shouldn’t overlook the wealth of outstanding music he has made for soundtrack albums. One of those soundtrack projects was for OVO, the musical component of the multimedia performance event called the Millenium Dome Show. A total of 999 performances of the show ran in London throughout 2000. The music for OVO was written entirely by Gabriel, except for one song, ”The Weaver’s Reel,” which he co-wrote with Richard Evans. OVO was a concept album about our mistreatment of the earth, and Gabriel co-wrote the story with Mark Fisher and Douglas Hodge.
Gabriel also performed on the OVO soundtrack, but he lent lead vocals to just six of the 12 tracks. “Downside Up” was sung as a duet by Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) and Paul Buchanan (Blue Nile). While Gabriel sings only as a backing vocalist on the soundtrack version, the song has all the hallmarks of his compositions. It begins softly with a gorgeous melody and, halfway through, moves into a more dynamic section with a catchy David Rhodes guitar riff and an infectious groove. Gabriel has performed “Downside Up” frequently in his live shows, and it was featured in his 2003 concert film Growing Up: Live and on the accompanying 2019 live album. That version is sung by the father-daughter team of Peter and Melanie Gabriel.
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