Peter Gabriel has released a self titled album with an interesting mix of the bizarre, the crazy and some mundane moments just to keep us all sane.
The tracks as per usual are littered with curious melodies and some echoing accompaniments.
The participants reads like a who’s who of current boundary shifting music. Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Robert Fripp, Dick Morrissey and Kate Bush all make an appearance or two.
Of the tracks, the stand out ones are ‘Games without Frontiers’ complete with thought provoking and thoughtless lyrics, great melody and sing song chorus, destined for singalongs the world over and maybe inclusion in some top 10’s.
But by far the most intriguing track is the last one entitled ‘BIKO’ after the anti apartheid activist who died violently while in police custody in South Africa.
BIKO
September ‘77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In Police Room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
- the man is dead
When I try to sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
- the man is dead
You can blow out a candle
but you can’t blow out a fire
once the flame begins to catch
the wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
- the man is dead
and the eyes of the world are
watching now watching now
The lyrics are haunting and the song is too, it would be fun to be able to see where it has moved to in a couple of decades time.
Peter Gabriel released by CHARISMA RECORDS LTD 1980.
One Comment
The song, “Biko” was instrumental in getting me nominally involved in the movement. I named my middle son Mandela (my last name is Nelson) and my youngest is named BIKO. I’d heard about apartheid before hearing Peter Gabriel’s song, but it wasn’t until his song, “Biko” that I had the visceral prompting necessary to become involved. Much thanx to Peter for his personal efforts and his musical and political gifts to the world.
Amandla!
gary nelson USA