Scratch My Back
by Peter Gabriel

Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
Year: 2010
Release date: 2010-02-16
Overall rank: 6,096th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
68/100 (from 80 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2010 (114th)
Award Top albums of the 2010s (1,150th)
Award Best albums of all time (6,096th)

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Peter Gabriel bestography

Scratch My Back is ranked 10th best out of 30 albums by Peter Gabriel on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Peter Gabriel is So which is ranked number 220 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 7,140.

Peter Gabriel album bestography « Higher ranked (3,134th)
I/O
This album (6,096th)
Scratch My Back
Lower ranked (8,300th) »
New Blood

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

May
16
Sat
The Peter Gabriel Project
Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station, Las Vegas, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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Scratch My Back track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 75 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Scratch My Back rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 6,096th | 2010s rank: 1,150th | 2010 rank: 114th

Scratch My Back collection

Scratch My Back ratings

Average Rating: 
68/100 (from 80 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 80 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
01/12/2026 16:39 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  2,80683/100
 
70/100
 
12/14/2025 23:28 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  7,81970/100
 
70/100
 
12/05/2025 21:57 Araldo  Ratings distribution  1,47180/100
 
60/100
 
11/23/2025 14:52 TonySayers61  Ratings distribution  23,89564/100
 
75/100
 
09/07/2025 20:04 BurndenAce  Ratings distribution  1,13376/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 67.8/100, a mean average of 66.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 67.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.3.

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Scratch My Back favourites

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Scratch My Back comments

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Rating:  
40/100
From 06/21/2021 13:07 | #270890
A mixed bag of an album, the stand outs are Philadelphia and Flume. It's a little too downbeat and some of the tracks are too stripped back and for my ears I'd have liked a bit more instrumentation.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/09/2016 19:44 | #170969
A thoroughly enjoyable and excellent covers album all delivered with alovely orchestral backing. This really is a pleasant surprise of an album. Paul Simon's, the boy in the bubble, and Neil Young's, Philadelphia, are just two of the many highlights.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 02/25/2010 19:47 | #9473
I have not stopped listening to this album since I bought it. Even though the power of Gabriel's voice is not like it used to be, it fits into the mood of the album. Listening to My Body Is A Cage and his intepretation is amazing. This might stay in my chart for some time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 02/18/2010 01:30 | #9291
Peter Gabriel singtalks to an arrangement of orchestral chamber music provided by composer and violinist John Metcalfe. You will either gently waft along on the cloud or go to sleep. The album is bound to disappoint anyone comparing the covers to the originals or who hopes that Gabriel can sing. Leonard Cohen has a better voice and Sting does better arrangements. However, I love orchestral chamber music and will listen to this album as background dinner music.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 02/15/2010 17:41 | #9219
It is an album of covers, but it seems he brings more emphasis to the emotion of the lyrics than some of the originals. Really just beautiful. It seems Gabriel is singing with his last whim on every song; a broken man singing with heart and soul. The atmosphere of the album reminds me of Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt. Drags a tad bit for me. My favorite tracks are: Heroes, The Boy in the Bubble, Listening Wind, The Book of Love, and Street Spirit (Fade Out.)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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