Released on Sept. 27, 1992, Us was a cool blending of the emotional depth of Peter Gabriel’s 1986 hit So with the instrumental gumption Passion, his 1989 soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. But even though that is certainly welcome, Us was no step backward.
Save for “Fourteen Black Paintings” – the only song here that touched on Gabriel’s penchant for the political – Us found the former Genesis frontman opening himself up in the most surprising of ways: Surveying the wreckage of two past relationships, he came away with few answers.
Peter Gabriel’s core band was in rare form throughout, and they provide the heart of this album. The breaking news, however, was everybody else: Many tracks included more than a dozen people – certainly a first for such an introverted, even egocentric figure. (Gabriel kept naming his albums Peter Gabriel until an American label slapped a sticker with the word “Security” on one of them.)
Despite the crowd, Us drilled in on interior performances that are implausibly taut – very clearly the work of someone who had taken years to sort things out. Credit, too, goes to co-producer Daniel Lanois.
Less pleasing for the drive-by folks who got on board with MTV hits like “Big Time” was this: The melodies often weren’t clearly stated. Despite that tight playing, they didn’t always seem to be particularly interested in hooks – and they took their time not looking: The songs are more than five minutes long, almost every time.
Accordingly, reviews back then fell neatly into two categories – those who listened to Us once or twice, then starting writing … and those who sat with it a little longer.
Like any deeply revealing conversation, however, it was time well spent. Gabriel had immersed himself in Eastern, atonal music, so the songs themselves were admittedly growing ever more complex. But each spin uncovered new layers of meaning, and previously tucked away musical delights.
The results may not have typically been radio friendly, but they were almost uniformly heart-rending – in particular on tracks like the terrific “Secret World” (call it this album’s “Red Rain”). The deft mixture of drum loops, dobro and cello was as driving as it was emotional. That track’s counterbalance was “Love to Be Loved” (this album’s “Mercy Street”), a song that may be obvious but is far from boring. Its arc, as a lyric and as a tune, is huge.
“Blood of Eden” – with soaring vocals by Sinead O’Connor and Lanois – is almost unlistenably beautiful. So much so that “Steam” (this album’s “Sledgehammer”) would have sounded better if it had not crash landed so soon afterward.
The ruminative “Digging in the Dirt” provided perhaps the best argument for Us, and for taking your time with its songs. Ultimately, trying to swallow the LP whole was not a good idea. After a good bit of chewing, though, Us might just become a favorite by this most challenging artist.
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