OVO

''OVO'' (also released as ''OVO: The Millennium Show'') is a soundtrack album 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 soundtrack to the Millennium Dome Show, a multimedia performance show directed by Gabriel and Mark Fisher that ran at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London between 1 January and 31 December 2000.

Background

Gabriel was already working on the songs for his 2002 album '' Up'', which was slated for release in 2001 at the time, when he started work on ''OVO'': "'Ovo' was going to be a six-month diversion. In the end it took two years." Initially, work was being done simultaneously on both ''Up'' and ''OVO'' for a few months, separately by engineers Richard Chappell and Richard Evans (respectively). However, in November 1998, both engineers decided to focus on completing the ''OVO'' soundtrack, so work on ''Up'' was temporarily put on hold.Richard Chappell on working on ''OVO'' Millenium Dome show (archived from Peter Gabriel official website)
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Mark Fisher, creative director of the Millennium Dome, had asked Gabriel to write the music for the Millennium Dome Show. Gabriel agreed to work on the project as collaborator: "I told Mark if he wanted a full collaborator to create something with a story and visual ideas, then I would love to do it. The appeal was that it was a huge project which offered the ability to dream up some crazy things, and there was a budget there to pay for it." The bad public image and the problems revolving around the Millennium Dome were taken by Gabriel as a challenge: "I knew what I was walking into and that it was a quite unpopular project. But the fact that it was going to be controversial was actually what attracted me."

Writing

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." "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."

Release

The album was released in two different versions. 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. The tracks were individually distributed to different interlinked sites timed to expire at the official release date.

Live performance

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.

Track listing

Personnel

The numbers in brackets refer to the single CD edition.

* Peter Gabriel – production, vocals (1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12), keyboard (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, "The Tree That Went Up"), percussion (1, 4), drone treatments (2), tanpura (2), piano (2, 6, 12), synthesizer (2, 6, 11, 12), string arrangements (2, 3, 10–12, "The Tree That Went Up"), piano loops (3), hammer dulcimer treatments (3), crotales (3, 4), African percussion (3, 5), claps (4), strings (5), synth bass (5, 10), brass arrangements (5, 6), treatments (7), keyboard bass (7, 12), keyboard treatments (8), bass (9), backing vocals (10), programming (10, 12), surdu (10, "The Tree That Went Up"), Peruvian drum (10), synth guitar (10), calliope (12)
* Simon Emmerson – production (5b), drum programming (5), bells (5), finger cymbals (5)
* Brian Transeau – production (12), programming (7), fills (7), chorus guitar (7), string arrangements (12), drum programming (12), nord programming (12), bass (12)
* Richard Chappell – engineering, programming, mixing (1, 4a, 7–9), treatments (1, 4, 7, 9), drum programming (1, 3, 4, 7–9, "The Tree That Went Up"), loops (7), end toms (7)
* Richard Evans – engineering, programming, mixing (1–3, 4b–6, 10–12, "The Tree That Went Up"), synthesizer (1), nord bass (2), treatments (3, 11), guitar loops (3), mandola (3, 5, 12), flute (3, 5), hammer dulcimer (3), crotales (4), claps (4), bass (5), drum programming (5, "The Tree That Went Up"), shaker (5), 12 string electric guitar (10, 12), 12 string acoustic guitar (10), electric guitar (12), percussion (12)
* Edel Griffith – additional engineering
* Alan Coleman – additional engineering
* Neneh Cherry – rap (1)
* Rasco – rap (1)
* Ganga Giri – didgeridoo (1, 4)
* The Dhol Foundation – dhol drums (1, 4, 5, 8, 10, "The Tree That Went Up")
* Johnny Kalsi – master drums (1, 4, 8, 10, "The Tree That Went Up"), dhol drum (5), tabla (5)
* Jim Barr – bass (1, 4), upright bass (12), 12 string acoustic guitar (12)
* Hossam Ramzy – finger cymbals (1, 4), dufs (1), tabla (4), crotales (4)
* James McNally – bodhran (1, 4, 5), whistle (4, 5), piano accordion
* Iarla Ó Lionáird – vocals (2)
* Shankar – additional vocals (2), double violin (2, 11)
* Kudsi Erguner – ney flute (2)
* Jocelyn Pook – string arrangements (2, 3, 10, 11), strings (5)
* Electra Strings – strings (2, 3, 10–12, "The Tree That Went Up"), string arrangements (5)
* Richie Havens – vocals (3, 12)
* Ged Lynch – shakers (3), drums (12)
* David Bottrill – mixing (3, 7, 10, 12), end rhythm section recording (10)
* Omi Hall – vocals (4, 9)
* David Rhodes – guitar (4, 7, 10, 12, "The Tree That Went Up")
* Nigel Eaton – hurdy gurdy (4, 5)
* Stuart Gordon – fiddle (5), viola (5)
* Jim Couza – hammer dulcimer (5)
* The Black Dyke Band – brass (5, 6, 10, 11)
* James Watson – conducting (5, 6, 10, 11)
* Will Gregory – brass arrangements (5, 6, 10)
* Elizabeth Purnell – brass orchestration (5, 6, 10, 11), brass arrangements (10, 11)
* Tony Levin – bass (6, 7, 10), mid section bass (12)
* Manu Katché – drums (7, 10)
* Adzido – drums (8, , "The Tree That Went Up")
* Geroge Dzikunu – master drummer (8, "The Tree That Went Up")
* Sussan Deyhim – screams (9)
* Steve Gadd – drums (9)
* Elizabeth Fraser – vocals (10, 12)
* Alison Goldfrapp - vocals (3, 5)
* Paul Buchanan – vocals (10, 12)
* Babacar Faye – sabar (10)
* Assane Thiam – talking drum (10)
* Carol Steel – congas (10), shaker (10)
* Tchad Blake – mixing (10, 12)
* Daniel Lanois – end rhythm section recording (10), flutey section recording (12)
* Jacquie Turner – end rhythm section recording assistant (10), additional percussion session (12), mixing assistant (12)
* Markus Dravs – additional percussion session (12)
* David Bascombe – flutey section recording (12)
* Tony Cousins – mastering
* York Tillyer – E-CD, E-CD video, front and back cover photographs (double CD edition), additional photography (double CD edition)
* Ben Wakeford – E-CD
* Lee Parry – E-CD
* Nils-Udo – images (single CD edition)
* Marc Bessant – graphic design, additional photography (single CD edition)
* Anna-Karin Sundin – additional photography (single CD edition)
* Dennis Kunkel – microscopy images (single CD edition)
* Gideon Mendel – additional photography (double CD edition)
* Peter Nicholls – dome exterior photographs (double CD edition)
* Athena Connal – graphic design (double CD edition)
* Tristan Manco – graphic design (double CD edition)
* Martha Ladly – design coordination

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ovo
Peter Gabriel soundtracks
Albums produced by Peter Gabriel
2000 soundtrack albums
Theatre soundtracks
Real World Records soundtracks