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Up (Peter Gabriel album)

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Up
Studio album by
Peter Gabriel
Released23 September 2002
Recorded
  • April 1995 – October 1998
    (principal recording)
  • Early 2000 – April 2002
    (additional recording)
Studio
  • Real World (Box, UK)
    (principal recording)
  • The Meduse (Senegal)
  • Real World Mobile (France)
  • AIR (London)
  • Hype Studios (Singapore)
    (additional recording)
Genre
Length66:40
Label
Producer
Peter Gabriel chronology
Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence
(2002) 		Up
(2002) 		Hit
(2003)
Singles from Up
  1. "The Barry Williams Show"
    Released: 16 September 2002
  2. "More Than This"
    Released: 30 December 2002
  3. "Growing Up"
    Released: 30 June 2003
  4. "Darkness"
    Released: 2 August 2004 (Switzerland only)

Up is the seventh studio and thirteenth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 23 September 2002 through Geffen and Real World Records. The album rose to number 9 in the US, number 11 in the UK, and captured the number 1 position in Italy. The album debuted with sales of 76,000 units in the US and was the highest charting album on the Billboard 200 from a British artist that week.[4] Most critics reviewed it positively, though Rolling Stone said Gabriel was "out of touch".[5] This would be Gabriel's last studio album of new original material until the release of I/O (2023), although he did release several studio projects in the interim (including a covers album, Scratch My Back, in 2010, followed a year later by an album of orchestral re-recordings, New Blood).

Gabriel supported the album with a world tour in 2003 called Growing Up, his first in ten years since the Secret World Tour. Gabriel's Growing Up tour included backing vocals by his daughter Melanie, age 26–27. Select dates were filmed and released as Growing Up Live.

Background

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Gabriel started work on the album in the spring of 1995. He and engineer Richard Chappell travelled between different locations during the initial writing stages of the album using a portable setup (recording at Real World Studios in between): the first two months were spent in a rented chalet in Méribel, then three months in Senegal starting in October 1995, followed by another trip to Méribel in Spring 1996 and a brief recording stint on a friend's recording-studio-equipped boat along the Amazon in Summer 1997.[6] From then on, the rest of the album work was based at Real World Studios, where further writing, recording, overdubbing, editing and mixing took place over the next four to five years.[6] At one point, work was being done simultaneously on both Up and the OVO soundtrack for a few months, separately by engineers Chappell and Richard Evans (respectively). However, in November 1998, both engineers decided to focus on completing the OVO soundtrack, so work on Up was temporarily put on hold.[7]

By late 2000, work on the album was finally gathering renewed pace, with a string section recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Hall Studios in London amongst other things. Renowned mixer Tchad Blake was invited to Real World Studios in early 2001 to begin the final mixing stage.[8] He would work on the mixes in the Big Room in Real World Studios, while Gabriel and Chappell continued recording in the Writing Room. Between them they'd figure out which of the newly recorded parts would be used in the mix or not.[6]

Its name was Up from the start, though at one point the name I/O was considered (which Gabriel started work on during the making of Up and OVO as well, though it would not be released until 2023): "I think 'I/o' is a good title because I noticed a lot of the songs were about birth and death and a little bit of in and out activity in between." [9] In 1998, Gabriel learned that R.E.M. also intended to release an album bearing the same title, but decided to keep it after consulting with the band and much consideration: "I have been living in an 'Up' world for four years now and have no wish to come down."[10] In the months preceding the album's release, video clips of Gabriel talking about the songs as well as short demos of each song were released at the coming of every full moon on Gabriel's official website.

Songs

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The album's lyrics deal mostly with birth and especially death. The opening track, "Darkness", is a song about overcoming fears. "Growing Up" is a summation of life put to a pulsating beat. "Sky Blue", according to Gabriel, was the oldest song from the album, dating back to the Us recording sessions.[11] The track "No Way Out" is the first track to deal with death solely, though death is a common theme across the entire album. "I Grieve" was conceived after Gabriel looked over his catalogue of music as if it were a catalogue of emotional tools. He found one major missing tool to be one to cope with death and therefore "I Grieve" was born. Gabriel performed the song live on the television show Larry King Weekend on the first anniversary of September 11 attacks in the US, during which Gabriel said that his two daughters were living in New York City and he could not contact them for some time, and that this song was for people who did not hear anything from their relatives then.[12] It was not, however, written specifically for 9/11, having appeared in an earlier version on the City of Angels soundtrack in 1998.[13]

The first single from Up, "The Barry Williams Show" is a down-beat song dealing with reality talk shows such as Jerry Springer (in fact, The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams appeared as an audience member in the Sean Penn-directed music video for the song with Requiem for a Dream actor Christopher McDonald playing the titular talk show host).[14] "My Head Sounds Like That" was built around the sounds of a malfunctioning DeltaLab Echo Unit. The song's lyrics reference a heightened awareness of sound and smell when in different emotional states.[13]

"More Than This" was one of the album's final additions. Gabriel achieved some of the melodic motifs through a Fender Telecaster, which he sampled with a keyboard.[15] The song "Signal to Noise" features guest vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose vocal performance was salvaged from the VH1 performance on 28 April 1996 following his death in 1997.[9][16] Originally he performed the song in a "much starker" form, before Gabriel transformed it into a strings-oriented piece as the cornerstone of the album.[17] Finally, "The Drop" consists of only Gabriel and a Bösendorfer grand piano.[13]

Formats and packaging

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The album cover features five water drops in a diagonal line, over a blurred background of Gabriel's face. Each drop contains a refracted image of Gabriel. Similar to Us, the album cover does not include any text.[18]

In a similar fashion to the earlier Us, Up used specially commissioned artwork representing each song, which was reproduced in the CD, vinyl, DVD-A, and SACD packaging. In this case the medium chosen was photography. Pictures are by Arno Rafael Minkkinen for "Darkness", M. Richard Kirstel for "Growing Up", Shomei Tomatsu for "Sky Blue" and "I Grieve", Mari Mahr for "No Way Out", Paul Thorel for "The Barry Williams Show", Granular-Synthesis (Kurt Hentschläger and Ulf Langheinrich) for "My Head Sounds Like That", Susan Derges for "More Than This", Michal Rovner for "Signal to Noise", Adam Fuss for "The Drop."

Protected CD copies, released in US only, include "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" (this song was later released on the compilation album Hit in 2003 and on Big Blue Ball in 2008). On these copies, "No Way Out" has a different name, "Don't Leave".

The album was made available in stereo on CD & vinyl while Surround Sound versions are encoded in Super Audio CD, and DTS DVD-A.[18]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Entertainment.ie[21]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[22]
The Guardian[23]
Kludge7/10[24]
Pitchfork7.2/10[25]
Rolling Stone[5]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Up received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from 16 critic scores.[19]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that Up was not immediately accessible, but "grows stronger, revealing more with each listen."[20] Pitchfork praised the first half of the album, but was more critical of the last five songs on the album, singling out "My Head Sounds Like That" for being "shapeless" and dismissing both "More Than This" and "Signal to Noise" as uncreative compositions that "will entertain only the least critical in Gabriel's audience."[25]

While Entertainment Weekly criticized "The Barry Williams Show" for being a "muddled stab at social criticism", they were more complimentary of some of Gabriel's more introspective compositions such as "Darkness" and "No Way Out". They further stated that "those who value the emotional nakedness of his best work will find much to treasure on Up."[22] Entertainment.ie described the production as both "claustrophobic and womblike - which is entirely appropriate for an album that's heavily preoccupied with solemn ruminations on childhood and, less frequently, death." They found some of the compositions to be "lengthy, disparate collages bordering on the unbearably pretentious", but were more complimentary of Gabriel's vocals.[21]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Peter Gabriel, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Darkness"6:51
2."Growing Up"7:33
3."Sky Blue"6:37
4."No Way Out"7:53
5."I Grieve"7:25
6."The Barry Williams Show"7:16
7."My Head Sounds Like That"6:29
8."More Than This"6:02
9."Signal to Noise" (featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)7:36
10."The Drop"2:59
Total length:66:40
Early promotional CD tracklist
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Darkness" 6:50
2."Growing Up" 7:48
3."Sky Blue" 6:37
4."No Way Out" (titled as "Don't Leave") 7:41
5."I Grieve" 7:24
6."Burn You Up, Burn You Down"Gabriel, Karl Wallinger, Neil Sparkes5:03
7."The Drop" 2:58
8."The Barry Williams Show" 7:13
9."My Head Sounds Like That" 6:26
10."More than This" 5:57
11."Signal to Noise" (featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) 7:35
Total length:71:32

Personnel

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Musicians

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Technical personnel

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  • Peter Gabriel – production, design concept
  • Steve Osbourne – additional production (2)
  • Stephen Hague – co–production (5)
  • Richard Chappell – recording, engineering
  • Richard Evans – additional engineering
  • Alan Coleman – assistant engineering
  • Edel Griffith – assistant engineering
  • Meabh Flynn – assistant engineering[26][27]
  • Dan Roe – assistant engineering
  • Chris Treble – assistant engineering
  • Ben Findlay – on–band recording session engineering
  • Steve Orchard – orchestra engineering (1, 9)
  • Derek Zuzarte – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
  • Kevin Quah – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
  • Yang – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
  • Steve McLaughlin – additional engineering (Black Dyke Band)
  • Tchad Blake – mixing (1–4, 6–9)
  • Claire Lewis – mix assistant
  • Marco Miglari – additional mix assistant
  • Paul Grady – additional mix assistant
  • Richard Evans – mixing (5)
  • Stephen Hague – mixing (5)
  • Kurt Hentschläger – granular synthesis
  • Ulf Langheinrich – granular synthesis
  • Marc Bessant – design concept
  • Susie Millns – design coordinator
  • Adam Fuss – photography
  • Arno Rafael Minkkien – photography
  • M. Richard Kirstel – photography
  • Mari Mahr – photography
  • Michal Rovner – photography
  • Paul Thorel – photography
  • Shomei Tomatsu – photography
  • Susan Derges – photography
  • Susan Derges – sleeve photography
  • Dilly Gent – photo coordination

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Up
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[50] Gold 50,000^
Germany (BVMI)[51] Gold 150,000^
Japan — 60,000[52]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[53] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 60,000^
United States — 338,000[55]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Peter Gabriel Albums from Worst to Best". 19 July 2013.
  2. ^ Easlea, Daryl (13 July 2016). "Peter Gabriel's solo albums Us and Up abandoned pop for prog's darkest side". Louder Sound. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Peter Gabriel Comes To TIDAL: Brush up on a Legend". Tidal. 2017.
  4. ^ Jones, Joanna (12 October 2024). "US Chartfile: Presley Hits Set Takes Top Spot" (PDF). Music Week. p. 6.
  5. ^ a b Rolling Stone review
  6. ^ a b c Tingen, Paul (May 2003). "Richard Chappell: Recording Peter Gabriel's Up". soundonsound.com. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  7. ^ Richard Chappell on working on OVO Millenium Dome show (archived from Peter Gabriel official website)
  8. ^ Update on Up album on Peter Gabriel official website from 2001 (archived here)
  9. ^ a b The Making Of Peter Gabriel's 'UP'
  10. ^ 1998 Announcement on Peter Gabriel's official website (archived here)
  11. ^ Sky Blue
  12. ^ Peter Gabriel on Larry King : I Grieve 2002 on YouTube
  13. ^ a b c Scarfe, George (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. pp. 86–88. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
  14. ^ Greene, Andy (16 February 2021). "Flashback: Peter Gabriel Mocks Trash TV With 'The Barry Williams Show'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ^ "More Than This". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. ^ Pink Moon update 21 July 2005
  17. ^ Peter Gabriel official website
  18. ^ a b Bowman, Durrell (2 September 2016). Experiencing Peter Gabriel: A Listener's Companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 181. ISBN 9781442252004.
  19. ^ a b "Reviews for Up by Peter Gabriel". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  20. ^ a b AllMusic review
  21. ^ a b "Entertainment.ie review". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  22. ^ a b Schinder, Scott (27 September 2002). "Music Review - Up (2002)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  23. ^ The Guardian review
  24. ^ Kludge review
  25. ^ a b Pitchfork Media review
  26. ^ City Of Angels (1998) Soundtrack CD liner notes for "I Grieve"
  27. ^ Album, What Album? (petergabriel.com, archived 1998)
  28. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Peter Gabriel – Up" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Peter Gabriel – Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Peter Gabriel – Up" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  33. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Gabriel – Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  35. ^ "Peter Gabriel: Up" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  36. ^ "Lescharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Gabriel – Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  38. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  40. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  41. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  43. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  44. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  45. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  46. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  47. ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  48. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on 6 September 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  49. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Peter Gabriel – Up". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  51. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Peter Gabriel; 'Up')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  52. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  53. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Up')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  54. ^ "British album certifications – Peter Gabriel – Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  55. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan". nielsen.com. Search for "Up" by Peter Gabriel. 2003 Data: 338,000 Sold Units in the United States. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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