Plays "Live"
Most "live" albums disappoint because they are heavily over-dubbed in the studio (Eagles Live and Kiss Alive! are egregious examples) or because the performances are mediocre (The Song Remains the Same soundtrack). Peter Gabriel Plays Live errs on the side of studio fakery. The levels are uniform, there are no bad notes, dropped lyrics, or technical glitches, and the audience sounds are too consistent and never interrupt the performances.
That said, the selection of tracks and the set order are perfect; Gabriel and his band sound great. The album continues the big, booming sound of Melt and Security and the tracks from the first two albums benefit from the this treatment ("D.I.Y." is the best cut on the record and "Solsbury Hill" has an expansiveness the suits the song's topic better than the dry original). Plays Live is essentially a remixed hits LP, but executed with such taste and sureness of touch that one is happy to have it. It's one of the few live albums that are essential listening. *Be sure to buy the original two-disk release and not the single 'highlights" disk.*
Bestätigter Kauf: JaArtikelzustand: Gebraucht