Peter Gabriel Albums Ranked

Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched a successful solo career with “Solsbury Hill” as his first single. His 1986 album, So, is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The album’s most successful single, “Sledgehammer”, won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV’s most played music video of all time. Gabriel has won three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement,  the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize.  He was made a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his “influence on generations of music makers”. In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. AllMusic has described Gabriel as “one of rock’s most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political”. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, followed by his induction as a solo artist in 2014. In March 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his achievements in music. Here are all Peter Gabriel albums ranked.

Don’t miss out on the memorable music of Peter Gabriel below! Click to enjoy the songs from his solo career!

10. 07.06.03 Montreal, QC (2003)

“There are some well known songs (Red rain, Secret world, games without frontiers, San Jacinto, Digging in the dirt, Solsbury Hill (of course), Sledgehammer, Come talk to me and Biko) but all are films that haven’t been released before and all are often quite different from those we have seen – either in the way they’re performed or the arrangements. “

9. Plays Live (1983)

“One of my all time favorite live albums. I was lucky enough to see Peter live a few times and this record gives a good feel for his live work. One of my all time favorite live albums. I was lucky enough to see Peter live a few times and this record gives a good feel for his live work. A must have for Peter Gabriel fans.”

8. Peter Gabriel II (1978)

“The opening “On the Air” is a superb rocker about Mozo the pirate radio DJ broadcasting from his amateur radio station in a cabin by the river and this song is just incredible. “DIY” is next and was Gabriel’s homage to the punk ethos and punk rock scene that prevailed in the late ’70s and another great song. Next is the ballad “Mother of Violence” which is a great song.”

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7. Up (2002)

“Gabriel has always had a knack for releasing not just albums but full-fledged Events, and this is no exception. As others have pointed out, _Up_ is to some extent a return to the sounds and themes that Gabriel explored before _So_ made him a star — but coupled with everything he’s learned since then about how to use a very well-equipped studio to get his messages across. He reportedly recorded something like one hundred songs before settling on the final track list for this album, and it shows: only one (“My Head Sounds Like That”) strikes me as anything even remotely close to filler.”

6. Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ (1989)

“Passion began as the soundtrack of the film The Last Temptation of Christ and may be Peter Gabriel’s best and most powerful album. Although Passion is layered with Eastern and African influences and instrumentation the music itself is mostly modern and Euro in its structure and is very approachable to the casual listener. While there are many singers featured on this album Gabriel’s voice and musical sensibility stand out and in the end this is very much a Peter Gabriel album.”

5. Us (1992)

“An absolutely superb master of one of Peter’s best albums. Bass and percussion are high in the six and the vinyl remaster capture the rhythmic surge of the tracks to perfection. Lyrically this one was of Peter’s most personal albums and I can’t recommend this too highly. A great record.”

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4. Peter Gabriel (1977)

“Peter Gabriel’s first solo release! Great songs with even better lyrics. BUT, not as good as his earlier Genesis days where “Selling England by the pound” & “The lamb lies down on Broadway” were, in my opinion, the peak of his genuine genius! A total genius.”

3. Peter Gabriel IV (1982)

“1982 is the year… The year ‘Security’, Peter Gabriel’s fourth solo album was released. While I listen to my newly purchased limited edition copy that just came in today, I think of the things that were special about it back then… It was a pioneer in the use of digital recording techniques and sampling, at a time, when synthesizers were far from being a commonplace technology. The splash cymbals, that almost all drum accompaniments have us used to are, simply… not there… PG prohibited their use by drummer Jerry Marotta, which translated into a richer use of the possibilities that this instrument has. “

2. Peter Gabriel III (1980)

“My favorite Gabriel album and it sounds great on this vinyl reissue. However, the record definitely has a slight warp to it. It’s not that bad, and it doesn’t effect playback whatsoever, but it’s noticeable when spinning. The fidelity is fantastic regardless.”

1. So (1986)

“”So” is one of my favorite 1980s pop albums. It was released in 1986 and has some great songs. It received four Grammy nominations and is often considered Gabriel’s best and most accessible album. The album has a quintessential mid-eighties sound, with plenty of synthesizers. A lot of 1980s music has not aged well, but this still sounds relevant because there are a lot of real musicians as well. “So” is Gabriel’s best-selling album, having sold 5 million copies in the U.S. alone.”