On The Air/DIY/Mother Of Violence/A Wonderful Day In A One Way World/White Shadow/Indigo/Animal Magic/ Exposure/Flotsam And Jetsam/Perspective/Home Sweet Home
Follow up solo album from Peter Gabriel, irritatingly given the same eponymous title. Like the first, the songs comprise a variety of styles, although this time they are not so distinctive. (US:45 UK:10)
“It doesn't help that Gabriel seems conflicted as to which direction he wants to go in. Tracks like Mother Of Violence or the majestic White Shadow feel at points he is harking back to the progressive stylings of Genesis, whilst others like Animal Magic point to a quirky art rock direction The end result is an album which is half compelling, half forgettable.”
“There are still some songs that conceivably could have been by Genesis. The best is the lovely Mother Of Violence. Peter's gentle delivery perfectly suits the melody and arrangement and though it's a sombre, serious song, there's also some token surreal humour in there.”
“Gabriel’s second solo LP, sometimes referred to as ‘Scratch’ after the cover art, is by no means a bad album, but the ones preceding and following it were so stunning that this one pales in comparison. The songs just aren’t as memorable.”
“Not as solid a collection of songs as on his predecessor, however he's still sounding quite decent in a pop environment which he entered into with his first solo album. The songs aren't as memorable or moving though.”
“Here the late 70s New York scene influences are clear and the sound is harder and moodier then the first album. A mixed bag stylistically and a definite move away from the mainstream, with some songwriting high points here like Home Sweet Home.
“Peter Gabriel's second solo album sticks out as a tentative experiment in the midst of his early prog-rock with Genesis and the later dark-edged art-pop and world music dabbling which would begin with his third effort. It was clear on this album that he was still attempting to find his solo voice; he had scaled his songs down to pop size but had yet to find a cohesive sound.”
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