OVO (album)
OVO (also released as OVO: The Millennium Show) is a soundtrack album (although not in reference to a film) by English singer-songwriter and musician Peter Gabriel and his eleventh album overall. It was released on 12 June 2000 by Real World Records as the commissioned work to the Millennium Dome Show, a multimedia performance show that ran 999 times at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London between 1 January and 31 December 2000.
OVO
Writing[edit]
Comparing the album with 2002's Up, Gabriel saw a number of differences: "It's referential to folk music, and there are futuristic elements that I wouldn't normally work with. 'Ovo' has an external focus, whereas the other album I've been working on is more internally focused."[1] "Different versions of Britain" piqued Gabriel's interest: "There was the traditional view of a white
England, with folk references which I knew very little about musically and had to research. Then there was contemporary Britain, and the aim was to include Asian, African, Caribbean, and Irish elements from what is now a very multicultural society."
Gabriel deliberately chose rap as genre in the opening track "The Story of OVO" where singer Neneh Cherry and rapper Rasco narrate the story line: "I wanted to make it appeal to kids, and rap seems to be their No. 1 music these days."[6]
Release[edit]
The album was released in two different versions.[1][7] The double CD edition with the title "OVO The Millennium Show" contains a different cover and booklet, a comic book and bonus track "The Tree That Went Up". It was initially sold exclusively at the Millennium Dome Show. The track listing for this version is shifted in comparison to the other version. The track "The Story of OVO" has been moved to the additional CD. Every CD of every edition includes a multimedia part with the time lapse video "The Nest That Sailed the Sky". While the single CD version's booklet contains an introduction by Peter Gabriel and lyrics, the double CD version's booklet contains a short summary of the story, statements of artists involved and images from the Millennium Dome Show. The single CD release of OVO removed Alison Goldfrapp's name from the credits.
Prior to the official release the album was made available to the public through a web promotion campaign called "Web Wheel" with three tracks not available on the album.[6] The tracks were individually distributed to different interlinked sites timed to expire at the official release date.
Live performance[edit]
Gabriel performed "Father, Son", "The Tower That Ate People", "White Ashes", and "Downside Up" over the course of the Growing Up and Still Growing Up tours. Melanie Gabriel provided backing vocals for "Downside Up". These performances are available on the live albums Growing Up Live and Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped. "Downside-Up" and "The Nest That Sailed The Sky" were also performed as part of The New Blood Tour in 2010 and 2011, the former as a duet between Peter and Melanie Gabriel and the latter as the closing, orchestra-only track of the show. "Father, Son" was also performed. These performances are available on the New Blood Live in London DVD. "The Tower That Ate People" also appears on the Back to Front: Live in London DVD released in 2014.