I’d forgotten just how good Peter Gabriel is. An old playlist popped up on a recent car journey with several of his songs on it. They were a great reminder of his talent and only scratched the surface of his musical history.
A new Peter Gabriel album is only a matter of days away. i/o is due to be released on December 1. It has been a long wait in some ways for this tenth studio album. His previous one, New Blood, was way back in 2011.
In other ways though, it’s not been as long a wait to hear the new music from it. Gabriel has been releasing one of the tracks from the album each month this year, at every new moon. The final track from the album, “Live And Let Live” is out on November 27, just a few days before they are all packaged together as an album.
Peter Gabriel’s new album i/o in installments
You can hear 11 of the tracks individually via streaming services now with that final release joining them shortly. Gabriel has also been featuring the new songs on his recent Europe and North America tour, adding in newer ones as and when they are ready. “Live And Let Live” made its first concert appearance in Krakow in May this year.
The month-by-month drop of a single track ahead of the formal release of the album as a package isn’t the only thing that’s different for i/o. There will be three distinct mixes of all 12 songs being made available. There’s a double album via CD and vinyl which provides a ‘Bright-Side’ mix by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and a ‘Dark-Side' mix from Tchad Blake. An In-Side’ mix in Dolby Atmos from Hans-Martin Buff will also be available via a three-disc set.
Gabriel gets visual too
That’s quite a lot for fans of all types, including serious and technical collectors, to get excited by. Gabriel has always been strong on the visual elements of his music too and this new album continues that theme. We can expect a range of art from painting through to photography and sculpture from different artists to accompany each of the dozen songs.
Once again Gabriel has taken a different approach to the norm. The visual element is like another step forward from album sleeve art and adds an interesting angle. In terms of the way the tracks have been released, Gabriel did follow a similar release route for his 2013 compilation album, And I’ll Scratch Yours. He's also indicated he may do so again in the future. He may have been quiet in terms of new music in recent years but with a successful tour and this new album, it's been a busy year for Gabriel.
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