I/O (studio album) by Peter Gabriel

From Squonk007 04/30/2024 20:11

A top top quality release.

Album Rating: 74.71
(1,793/24)

01.12.2023

Peter Gabriel (UK): I/O (studio album)

1.Panopticom (Bright-Side Mix) 74
2.The Court (Bright-Side Mix) 71
3.Playing For Time (Bright-Side Mix) 72
4.I/O (Bright-Side Mix) 73
5.Four Kinds Of Horses (Bright-Side Mix) 85
6.Road To Joy (Bright-Side Mix) 71
7.So Much (Bright-Side Mix) 64
8.Olive Tree (Bright-Side Mix) 79
9.Love Can Heal (Bright-Side Mix) 84
10.This Is Home (Bright-Side Mix) 74
11.And Still (Bright-Side Mix) 70
12.Live And Let Live (Bright-Side Mix) 63
13.Panopticom (Dark-Side Mix) 76
14.The Court (Dark-Side Mix) 72
15.Playing For Time (Dark-Side Mix) 83
16.I/O (Dark-Side Mix) 73
17.Four Kinds Of Horses (Dark-Side Mix) 83
18.Road To Joy (Dark-Side Mix). 74
19.So Much (Dark-Side Mix). 74
20.Olive Tree (Dark-Side Mix). 81
21.Love Can Heal (Dark-Side Mix). 83
22.This Is Home (Dark-Side Mix). 79
23.And Still (Dark-Side Mix). 70
24.Live And Let Live (Dark-Side Mix). 65

Great vocals and incredible album from peter gabriel at such a late stage of his career.

I thought Gabriel was sounding GREAT on this album! The songwriting, playing and arrangements were all really strong too and the concept of having a Bright-Side / Dark-Side was intriguing (if perhaps a little unnecessary) but overall made for a unique experience and helped me get to know the tracks even more :-)

I've been listening closely to both mixes of the album, in order to decide on the version that works best for each song. These are my picks:

01. Panopticom {Bright-Side}
02. The Court {Dark-Side}
03. Playing For Time {Dark-Side}
04. I/O {Bright-Side}
05. Four Kinds Of Horses {Dark-Side}
06. Road To Joy {Bright-Side}
07. So Much {Dark-Side}
08. Olive Tree {Bright-Side}
09. Love Can Heal {Bright-Side}
10. This Is Home {Bright-Side}
11. And Still {Dark-Side}
12. Live And Let Live {Dark-Side}

I would have preferred the artist to have taken this last step of compiling the album, though. The songs themselves are fine, great in most cases! But, releasing both mixes as 'the album' kinda leaves the smell of an unfinished project.

Slowly honed by the tides of time, this high quality offering has become surprisingly stuck to my digital turntable. The album’s quality is inescapable, but it’s the experience and beauty in Gabriel’s voice, now in its eighth decade, that really impresses.