I didn’t realize that I had another one in me. Recently, I’ve been looking at some of Peter Gabriel’s music. You wouldn’t think that a 37 year-old Black dude from the country would be into some Gabriel, but here were are. I mean, I did do a post on Genesis and Phil Collins, alright? I lost my “Awesome Black Dude” card years ago, and I don’t even know how I got it in the first place! I also didn’t realize that did a quick post on his biggest hit “Sledgehammer” years ago. Weird, huh?
Now, I’ve had his greatest hits album for a few years, and
for some reason, listening to “Red Rain” for the first time in years sparked
something in me. By the way, Stewart Copeland (the drummer from the Police) had
a part to play in the song, and I think that’s another reason I kept coming
back to it. I was scouring YouTube for some more hits I hadn’t heard before. I
ended up looking at some of the early music he did after he left Genesis back
in the 70’s and ran into a familiar tune, “I Don’t Remember.” Apparently,
Gabriel had more than a few versions of the song out there, and it does show up on the greatest hits album.
The song was ultimately was released on his third solo album in 1980. It got a
music video in 1982, and… well, there’s a reason there’s a post for it here.
So, what in the heck is up with this video?
- That Bass – The first thing you hear is the bass from Tony Levin who’s a great bass player. He’s mainly known for being the bass player from King Crimson, another Prog Rock group from the 70’s. Here, he’s playing a special instrument called the Chapman Stick which gives a pretty unique sound.
- A Man in Search of Something – We got Gabriel in the video in search for something. What it is, we don’t know, but my guess is a distant memory. I mean, walking through disheveled places littered with pictures, plasters of his face, and a crazed traveling dance group must mean something.
- WEIRD WHITE FOLK – Yeah, if you’re feeling unsettled by the travelling dance crew from Arkham Asylum, you’re not the only one. This was weird. I don’t know if they’re supposed to be demons, old memories taken form, or what. They kinda remind me of those aliens from Dark City. I know that they do make the video cool and kinda unsettling. It feels like Gabriel played with the box from Hellraiser, and these Cenobite wannabes popped out!
- Random Shamans – Yeah, what were the random shamans who use
blowdarts and sit in disheveled apartments gonna do? Apparently transform into
those white ghost/demon/alien things which is what happens to Gabriel towards the
end. We even get a nod to another music video he did during this time, “Shock
the Monkey.”
.gif)
.gif)
Overall, it’s a weird but good video. It also helps that the song itself is pretty good. Somehow, Peter Gabriel also evoked that weird, unsettling vibe to the album version of the song too. It kinda makes me want to check out the rest of that album. I’ve heard a couple of more songs from it and thought they were pretty good. Heck, since Gabriel’s released another album, I might go on and do a true deep dive. Anywho, I’m outta here. Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there. Also, make sure you don’t invite that traveling dance group from Wherever anytime soon. They'll either have sights to show you or want to whisk you away to their homeworld.
