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So (album)

So is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, released on 19 May 1986 by Charisma Records and Virgin Records. After working on the soundtrack to the film Birdy (1984), producer Daniel Lanois was invited to remain at Gabriel's Somerset home during 1985 to work on his next solo project. Initial sessions for So consisted of Gabriel, Lanois and guitarist David Rhodes, although these grew to include a number of percussionists.

So

19 May 1986 (1986-05-19)

February–December 1985

  • 41:56 (vinyl)
  • 46:21 (CD)

Although Gabriel continued to use the pioneering Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer, songs from these sessions were less experimental than his previous material. Nevertheless, Gabriel drew on various musical influences, fusing pop, soul, and art rock with elements of traditional world music, particularly African and Brazilian styles. It is Gabriel's first non-eponymous album, So representing an "anti-title" that resulted from label pressure to "properly" market his music. Gabriel toured So on the This Way Up tour (1986–1987), with some songs performed at human rights and charity concerts during this period.


Often considered his best and most accessible album, So was an immediate commercial success and transformed Gabriel from a cult artist into a mainstream star, becoming his best-selling solo release. It has been certified fivefold platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The album's lead single, "Sledgehammer", was promoted with an innovative animated music video and achieved particular success, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and subsequently winning a record of nine MTV Video Music Awards. It was followed by four further singles, "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Kate Bush), "Big Time", "In Your Eyes", and "Red Rain".


The album received positive reviews from most critics, who praised its songwriting, melodies and fusion of genres, although some retrospective reviews have criticised its overt commercialism and 1980s production sounds. So was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987 but lost to Paul Simon's Graceland. It has appeared in lists of the best albums of the 1980s, and Rolling Stone included the album in their 2003 and 2020 editions of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2000 it was voted number 82 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[12] So was remastered in 2002, partially re-recorded for Gabriel's 2011 orchestral project New Blood and issued as a box set in 2012.

"This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" did not appear on vinyl pressings until 2002.

"In Your Eyes" appears as side 2, track 5 (track 9 on CD) on all pressings from 2002 and later.

All songs written by Peter Gabriel, except "That Voice Again" written with David Rhodes and "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" written with Laurie Anderson.


Notes:

– lead and backing vocals, CMI (all tracks), Prophet synthesizer (all except tracks 5 & 9), piano (all except tracks 7 & 9), Linn 9000 (tracks 3 & 7), synthesizer (tracks 5 & 7), percussion (track 4), Yamaha CS-80 (track 6), LinnDrum (track 9), Synclavier (track 9)

Peter Gabriel

– bass guitar (tracks 1–5), drumstick bass (fretting only) (track 7)

Tony Levin

– guitar (all except tracks 6 & 9), backing vocals (tracks 1 & 5)

David Rhodes

– drums (tracks 1 & 8), additional drums (track 5), bass guitar (drumming only) (track 7)

Jerry Marotta

– drums (tracks 2–5), percussion (tracks 3–5), talking drum (tracks 5 & 9)

Manu Katché

electronic drums, programming (track 1)

Chris Hughes

hi-hat (track 1), drums (track 7)

Stewart Copeland

– guitar (tracks 1, 2 & 4), tambourine (track 2), surf guitar (track 7), twelve-string guitar (track 9)

Daniel Lanois

– trumpet (tracks 2 & 7), cornet (track 7)

Wayne Jackson

tenor saxophone (tracks 2 & 7), processed saxophone (track 6), alto saxophone, baritone saxophone (track 7)

Mark Rivera

Don Mikkelsen – trombone (tracks 2 & 7)

– backing vocals (tracks 2 & 7)

P. P. Arnold

Coral Gordon – backing vocals (tracks 2 & 7)

Dee Lewis – backing vocals (tracks 2 & 7)

– piano (tracks 3, 5 & 6)

Richard Tee

keyboards, backing vocals (track 3), Hammond organ, programming, bass guitar (track 7)

Simon Clark

– vocals (track 3)

Kate Bush

– violin (tracks 4 & 8)

L. Shankar

– bass guitar (tracks 5 & 6)

Larry Klein

– backing vocals (track 5)

Youssou N'Dour

– backing vocals (track 5)

Michael Been

– backing vocals (track 5)

Jim Kerr

bass vocals (track 5)

Ronnie Bright

surdo, congas, triangle (track 6)

Djalma Correa

Jimmy Bralower – kick (track 7)

programming

– bass guitar (track 9)

Bill Laswell

– guitar (track 9)

Nile Rodgers

– synthesizer and vocals (track 9)

Laurie Anderson

– mastering

Greg Fulginiti

Credits adapted from So's liner notes. The track numbers correspond to the original release.[106]