History
This album is an early full digital recording. Its instrumentation is mostly electronic with extensive sampling (through use of the then-new Fairlight CMI) and percussion. It was recorded at Gabriel's then-home, Ashcombe House in Somerset, England in 1981. It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002.
The songs on the album cover a wide variety of subject matter. "The Rhythm of the Heat" is based on Carl Jung’s experience while observing a group of African drummers. "San Jacinto" reflects on the fear and pain experienced by a Native American man who sees his culture overwhelmed by modern white society. "Shock the Monkey", a meditation on jealousy, uses imagery of a primate to describe personal anxieties. "Lay Your Hands on Me" deals with a theme of healing, through trust, which is further explored on later albums. "The Family and the Fishing Net" is a song comparing a modern day wedding to a voodoo sacrifice. "Wallflower" is about the treatment of political prisoners in Latin America during the 1980s.
"Shock the Monkey" was featured on the 1987 film, Project X, starring Matthew Broderick. "Wallflower", along with adaptations of other songs from Gabriel's third and fourth albums, was featured on the 1984 film Birdy, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. "I Have The Touch" featured in the 1988 film, The Chocolate War; an alternate version of "I Have the Touch" was featured on the 1996 film, Phenomenon, starring John Travolta, and a cover version by Heather Nova was featured in The Craft. "Shock the Monkey" was also featured in episode 110 of the animated series South Park.
The recording of the album was profiled in detail in an episode of The South Bank Show, which was broadcast in 1982.
This was the last album by Gabriel to be titled Peter Gabriel until the 2008 compilation album released covermount into The Mail on Sunday.
Read more about this topic: Peter Gabriel (1982 album)
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