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Scratch My Back |  | Artist: Peter Gabriel
Label: EMI Label Services
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $12.98
as of 9/7/2010 19:38 CDT details
You Save: $7.00 (35%)
New (25) Used (8) from $12.74
Seller: cdbaron
Rating:  108 reviews
Format: Deluxe Edition, Special Edition
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.4
MPN: 18
UPC: 180030000185
EAN: 0180030000185
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Heroes (David Bowie) | | • | The Boy In The Bubble (Paul Simon) | | • | Mirrorball (Elbow) | | • | Flume (Bon Iver) | | • | Listening Wind (Talking Heads) | | • | The Power Of The Heart (Lou Reed) | | • | My Body Is A Cage (Arcade Fire) | | • | The Book Of Love (The Magnetic Fields) | | • | I Think It's Going To Rain Today (Randy Newman) | | • | Apres Moi (Regina Spektor) | | • | Philadelphia (Neil Young) | | • | Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radiohead) |
Disc 2
| • | The Book Of Love (Remix) | | • | My Body Is A Cage (Oxford London Temple Version) | | • | Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks) (Oxford London Temple Version) | | • | Heroes (Wildebeest Mix) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Peter Gabriel s Scratch My Back album project is the first part of a series of song
exchanges in which Gabriel and other leading artists reinterpret each other s songs.
To help craft his recording of the album s eclectic array of cult favorites and classic
tracks, Gabriel enlisted former Durutti Column member John Metcalfe, composer,
arranger and the expertise of producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd s The Wall , Lou
Reed s Berlin ) and engineer, mixer and producer Tchad Blake (Suzanne Vega,
Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits).
Gabriel describes this as a very personal record with twelve songs performed only
with orchestral instruments and voice. He made the choice not to include guitar or
drums. The album s richly diverse sounds include the sparse romance of Lou Reed s
The Power of the Heart , the powerful musical journey of David Bowie s Heroes
and an epic arrangement of Arcade Fire s My Body Is A Cage. Gabriel and his
collaborators recorded the album at George Martin s Air Lyndhurst Studios and the
Real World Temple with further editing and mixing at his own Real Worlds Studio in
Wiltshire. The Scratch My Back release is one of the most creative and engaging
records from an iconic artist in a long time. The marketing focus is to penetrate
Peter Gabriel s core fan base as well as fans of all genres and in all demographics
given the scope of artists being covered as well as its depth of composition.
Album Description
Limited two CD edition includes a bonus CD that contains four bonus tracks: 'The Book Of Love' (Remix), 'My Body Is A Cage' (Oxford London Temple Version), 'Waterloo Sunset' (Oxford London Temple Version) and 'Heroes' (Wildebeest Mix). 2010 album from the Rock icon, a collection of beautifully performed cover versions. Gabriel describes this as a very personal record with 12 songs performed only with orchestral instruments and voice. He made the choice not to include guitar or drums. The album's richly diverse sounds include the sparse romance of Lou Reed's 'The Power of the Heart', the powerful musical journey of Elbow's 'Mirrorball' and an epic arrangement of Arcade Fire's 'My Body Is A Cage.'
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 108
 Drumless covers, but still very Gabriel March 4, 2010
D. Merk (OH USA)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I cannot tell you how exciting this album is to me. I'm a bit shocked to be able to say that - considering that it is, at heart, a covers album and a Gabriel album without the percussion so essential to his other work. We hear only suggestions of the original songs in Gabriel's interpretations (with the exception of "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", which bares resemblance to Randy Newman's original) - and we certainly hear something very much like "Gabriel songs", regardless of the other songwriters and instrumentation.
Scratch My Back is as nakedly painful and loving and fragile and dark as almost anything Gabriel's done - by which I mean his voice, his performance, the brilliantly unpredictable arrangements are just out there between our eyes and in our chest, and we *feel* it. While it goes to a lot of places and sounds, there is no Sledgehammer here (which I don't say to slam Sledge or this album). It's not timid - it gets raucous, but it doesn't rock (it doesn't try to). Though the album may not dance with you, it will alternately hold you, grab and shake you and stare uncomfortably at you.
I could not make it through the album without replaying songs and then parts of songs again - and I'm dying to play the whole thing again as I write. That is a great thing to say (and something I can't pretend I say often). I don't want to take it apart bit by bit - take it in yourself. I do think it's outstanding.
Very DEEP and INTENSE in a way that will go over many heads. April 8, 2010
Scott Purdy
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Of course it wasn't what I was expecting but it is SO GOOD and keeps getting better with each listen. It's not easy listening. It's not background music. Sometimes it's a little TOO intense. Mirrorball has to be the best track and it is a triumph (never heard the original). Anybody who would call this record "mellow" has a very limited understanding of music. This version of Heroes is cinematic and epic. Once again Mirrorball is the kind of piece that makes you want to take a big risk that will change the course of your life. I'm talking purely from the musical perspective, when you add the lyrics it feels like deeply reveling in the joys of the human experience.
Book of Love is Tender and deeply touching.
Boy in the bubble is contemplative and raw.
Just an amazing album. I never know what he's going to do next but he NEVER disappoints and always leaves me feeling like I have grown just by listening.
It goes way beyond rock and pop and to listen is to evolve, no wonder some listeners are scratching their heads unable to comprehend what this is.
Intimate Performances from a Legendary Singer April 15, 2010
Music Producerhead (CA, United States)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
If you just looked at the song titles presented on "Scratch My Back", you might expect a medley of re-treads from songs you probably liked best in their original form. It is, in fact, a 'covers' album. But Peter Gabriel is not one to give us that kind of performance. Instead, he effectively locked the drummer and guitarist out of the studio, and bared his soul through the lyrics of some of the most memorable (and yes, forgettable) pop songs from the last 35 years or so.
With a large orchestra to support him, Gabriel gives us a recording closer to a classical collection of famous arias than it is to any arrangement of any song here you've probably heard. The difference is that Gabriel does not keep his distance. It is as if he whispers secrets in your ear. Then, tells you things about the songs you never realized. And then wailing out over the orchestra with that voice everyone knows, just to remind you it's still him. Some of these songs, like Simon's "Boy in the Bubble" are a revelation (the non-ironic version is here to display Paul's brilliant lyric work). Others are tunes I frankly could not stand in their 'original' form (I won't mention those out of courtesy), but are now receiving much attention in my CD player, thanks to his newly overhauled renditions. I'm guessing that if you don't know the words to some of these songs, you simply will not recognize them.
Peter Gabriel turned 60 this year. But he knows better than to attempt the embarrassing over-the-hill rock star routine. This is a mature work, not to be found on American pop radio, I'm sure. He has once again struck out into new territory, and he never ceases to surprise me. Don't expect to find another "Sledgehammer" here. Brace yourself for something truly personal, and involving.
The spirit dance unfolds.... March 9, 2010
Gene Johnson (Minneapolis, MN USA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Reviews are all over the place on this one so I clicked the purchase button with trepidation. I haven't listened to Peter Gabriel for probably ten years and wouldn't call myself a fan. My expectations were neutral, curious, maybe even non-existent.
If you want the PG of 25 years ago, pay attention to the negative reviews and download "So". If you love the original versions of the songs he covers, download the originals. However, if you are open to a somewhat dark yet thought provoking re-working of other artist's work, then you should find this a very pleasant experience.
A transformative work.. April 3, 2010
J. Carroll (Island Heights,NJ)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
When I heard that Gabriel was going to do a covers CD, I couldn't help but be disappointed. It has been a long time since his last recording and it's hard to look forward to something that often becomes a forgettable part of any artist's collection. I shouldn't have underestimated Gabriel's talent. On SCRATCH MY BACK does not just cover songs, he transforms them. Through the use of orchestration and his distinctive phrasing, these songs become new works that stand on their own, ostensibly becoming Peter Gabriel songs. Songs like "Heroes," probably my favorite Bowie song, become a meditation instead of a proclamation and "My Body is Cage" is now a wistful lament instead of an angry cry. Each song is rendered with such thought and care; it becomes very easy to forget the originals, quite an accomplishment. I am sure some Gabriel fans are bitterly disappointed, but as someone who has been listening since the beginning of his solo career, I found this to be one more example of Gabriel's talent.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 108
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