As the lead singer of Genesis, Peter Gabriel exhibited an uncharacteristic
flair for the visual. His strange costumes and personas – from old man
to flower pot to Puerto Rican street thug to exploding, bulbous creature from
another planet (!) – underscored an uncanny theatrical bent that made
the progressive noodlings of Genesis all the more intense and alluring. As a
solo artist, Gabriel has exploited his visual side with a plethora of revolutionary
music videos. It was only a matter of time before a proper compilation DVD of
these videos would find its way to the marketplace. Needless to say, the Play:
The Videos DVD has it all and then some.
Just as Gabriel’s music varies in style, texture and execution, so do
the videos. “Father, Son,” a solemn, personal montage directed by
Gabriel’s daughter Anna, segues nicely into the award-winning, chart-topping
“Sledgehammer.” The playful, fruit-filled romp turned Gabriel into
a superstar and MTV’s first video vanguard. Consequently, several other
tunes from So also appear, including “Big Time,” “Red Rain,”
“In Your Eyes,” “Don’t Give Up” (with Kate Bush)
and “Mercy Street.” From 1992’s Us, “Blood Of Eden”
(with Sinead O’Connor), “Steam,” “Kiss That Frog,”
“Washing Of The Water,” and “Digging In the Dirt” all
made the grade.
Even though the form has lost some ground in recent years, the disc features
recent clips from 2002’s Up, including “Growing Up,” “The
Drop” and “The Barry Williams Show,” a truly bizarre send
up of the Jerry Springer Show directed by Sean Penn. Elsewhere, “Games
Without Frontiers” and “Shock The Monkey” indicate that the
singer was gearing up to dominate the music video medium. In addition to the
23 videos, there are some noteworthy extras: a stirring 2004 live performance
of “Games Without Frontiers,” an insignificant, but nonetheless
intriguing 1977 video of “Modern Love,” and three trailers for other
Gabriel DVDs (gotta get those plugs in). With new surround sound mixes by Daniel
Lanois and Richard Chappell, the Play: The Videos DVD brilliantly
showcases Gabriel’s insurmountable, multifaceted, multidimensional talent
– something that shows no signs of slowing down.
~ Shawn Perry
