As
the leader of Genesis in the early '70s, Peter Gabriel
helped move progressive rock to new levels of theatricality.
In his solo career, Gabriel was no less ambitious,
but he was more subtle in his methods. With his first
eponymous solo album in 1977, he began exploring darker,
more cerebral territory, incorporating avant-garde,
electronic and worldbeat influences into his music.
The record, as well as its two similarly titled successors,
established Gabriel as a critically acclaimed cult
artist, and with 1982's Security, he began to move
into the mainstream; "Shock the Monkey"
became his first Top 40 hit, paving the way for his
multi-platinum breakthrough So in 1986. Accompanied
by a series of groundbreaking videos and the number
one single "Sledgehammer," So became a multi-platinum
hit, and Gabriel became an international star. Instead
of capitalizing on his sudden success, he began to
explore other interests, including recording soundtracks
and running his company Real World. By the time he
returned to pop with 1992's Us, his mass audience
had faded away, and he spent the remainder of the
'90s working on multimedia projects for Real World.
