''Plays Live'' is the first live and fifth album overall by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

. His first not titled simply ''Peter Gabriel'', it was originally issued as a double album and long-play

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

in 1983, with sixteen songs. It was rereleased in 1985, as a single CD called ''Plays Live (Highlights)'' with only twelve songs, some of which are edited so the album fits on a single disc. It was rereleased in its entirety as a double CD set in 1987. In 2002, a remaster of the ''Highlights'' version was issued. In 2019, the complete double-LP version was released on streaming platforms for the first time. In 2021 the original 2CD version was released in remastered form. The sound recordings copyright (p) date featured on the back of the package suggests this had actually been remastered at the same time as the rest of Gabriel's back catalogue in 2002. "Plays Live" concerts were recorded at: * Braden Auditorium,

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

, 3 December 1982 *

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, 4 December 1982 *

Chick Evans Field House The Chick Evans Field House is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in DeKalb, Illinois, USA. The arena opened in 1956 and was home to the Northern Illinois University Huskies basketball team prior to the 2002 opening of the Convocation Center. It w ...

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 according to the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian- French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died ...

, 6 December 1982 *

SIU Arena Banterra Center (formerly SIU Arena) is an 8,284-seat multi-purpose arena, on the campus of Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Construction on the arena began in the spring of 1962 and took nearly two years to ...

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...

, 7 December 1982

Liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

by "the producers" admit, "Although this album was compiled from four concerts in the

mid-West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

of the United States, some additional recording took place not a thousand miles away from the home of the artist. The generic term for this process is 'cheating'. Care has been taken to keep the essence of the gigs intact, including 'human imperfection'."

Armando Gallo Armando Gallo (born January 24, 1944) is an Italian journalist, photographer and book publisher. Gallo has been a photo journalist since 1967, when he interviewed The Beatles for the Italian magazine "Ciao Big". Inspired by this experience, he l ...

took the cover photograph. "I was always listening to the music when I photographed a concert," he said. "Somehow my index finger pressed the clicker in time with the lights and the percussion - the heart of the music. I always felt grateful that I could shoot Peter’s entire shows. Once I asked Peter if he didn’t mind me being in the pit photographing his every move. 'No, I love to see a friendly face,' he answered. Making me feel good about it." The album's previously unreleased "I Go Swimming" received airplay and made the US Mainstream Rock charts in 1983. The song was initially recorded for Gabriel's

third album ''Third Album'' is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on Motown Records, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 18. ''Third Album'' featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, " I' ...

Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. I ...

interview with

Nicky Horne Nicky Horne (born 3 September 1950) is an English DJ, who has worked for a variety of radio stations, including Capital Radio. Career Horne worked as a road manager for Emperor Rosko in 1969, before presenting shows on BBC Radio 1, from 197 ...

, broadcast 16 March 1980; transcribed in Gabriel fanzine ''White Shadow'' (#1, pp10) by editor Fred Tomsett and was performed on his 1980 tour. "

I Don't Remember "I Don't Remember" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, from the album ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''. It made its radio debut on 9 July 2007 on Australian radio stations, and was subsequently released as a single ...

" was issued as a single, with an accompanying music video, in the UK.

Track listing

All songs written by

Original vinyl release

Disc one

;Side one # "The Rhythm of the Heat" – 6:26 # "

I Have the Touch "I Have the Touch" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fourth eponymous studio album released in 1982. The song's working title during the recording sessions was "Hands". This song was featured in the film ''The Chocolate ...

" – 5:18 # "Not One of Us" – 5:29 # " Family Snapshot" – 4:44 ;Side two # "D.I.Y." – 4:20 # "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:22 # " Intruder" – 5:03 # "I Go Swimming" – 4:44

Disc two

;Side three # "San Jacinto" – 8:27 # "

Solsbury Hill Little Solsbury Hill (more commonly known as Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill and the site of an Iron Age hill fort, above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to above the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon ...

" – 4:42 # " No Self Control" – 5:03 # "

" – 4:19 ;Side four This side was recorded at Memorial Hall,

on 4 December 1982. # "

Shock the Monkey "Shock the Monkey" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in September 1982 as the second single from his fourth self-titled album, issued in the US under the title ''Security''. The song peaked at number 29 on the US ...

" – 7:10 # "Humdrum" – 4:23 # "On the Air" – 5:22 # " Biko" – 7:01

Dual CD Version

Disc one

# "The Rhythm of the Heat" – 6:26 # "I Have the Touch" – 5:18 # "Not One of Us" – 5:29 # "Family Snapshot" – 4:44 # "D.I.Y." – 4:20 # "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:22 # "Intruder" – 5:03 # "I Go Swimming" – 4:44

Disc two

# "San Jacinto" – 8:28 # "Solsbury Hill" – 4:40 # "No Self Control" – 5:02 # "I Don't Remember" – 4:20 # "Shock the Monkey" – 7:40 # "Humdrum" – 4:03 # "On the Air" – 5:20 # "Biko" – 6:50

''Plays Live (Highlights)''

# "I Have the Touch" – 4:47 # "Family Snapshot" – 4:47 # "D.I.Y." – 4:05 # "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:38 # "I Go Swimming" – 4:54 # "San Jacinto" – 8:19 # "Solsbury Hill" – 4:41 # "No Self Control" – 5:04 # "I Don't Remember" – 4:12 # "Shock the Monkey" – 7:10 # "Humdrum" – 4:21 # "Biko" – 6:52

Personnel

– lead vocals, piano, synthesizers *

Jerry Marotta Jerome David Marotta (born February 6, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American drummer who resides in Woodstock, New York. He is the younger brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a drummer and composer. Career Marotta was a member of the bands ...

– drums, percussion, backing vocals *

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...

– bass guitar,

chapman stick The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines, ...

, backing vocals * David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals *

Larry Fast Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...

– synthesizers, piano, keyboards * Peter Walsh – editing, mixing, "cheating" *

Greg Fulginiti Gregory Fulginiti (born February 13, 1951 in Cape May Court House section of Middle Township, New Jersey) is an American recording and mastering engineer. Fulginiti grew up in Wildwood, New Jersey and graduated from Wildwood High School in 1969 ...

- mastering

Charts

References

External links

* *
Plays Live
at Discogs.com
Plays Live – Highlights
at Discogs.com {{Authority control Peter Gabriel albums 1983 live albums Charisma Records live albums Geffen Records live albums Albums produced by Peter Walsh