Peter Gabriel - The reluctant film star. A look at some of Peter's soundtrack work.

Given that Peter was almost seduced away from Genesis by the world of cinema back in 1974 and had in fact auditioned for a part in the cult film "If" . It is surprising that he didn't make the transition to film star in the way that his erstwhile bandmate Phil Collins was later to do. What sort of roles would Peter have taken on I wonder?

Anyway, Peter's involvement in the world of cinema eventually took the shape of composing for film soundtracks. He has been quite prolific in this field although he got off to quite an inauspicious start with the low key reworking of The Beatles' Strawberry Field Forever in the 1976 film, All This And World War Three. His first proper effort eventually appeared in 1984 and was well worth the wait, as the song was Walk Through The Fire another contribution to the Taylor Hackford film, Against All Odds. Ironically this film is the only one to feature contributions from three members of Genesis with songs by Phil (Against All Odds) and Mike Rutherford (Making A Big Mistake) also appearing. In fact, the latter was to be the B side to the Walk Through The Fire single!

The song itself is a typically atmospheric effort from Peter and one which would not have been out of place on either PG 4 or So. Fortunately it was released on the soundtrack album as well as the single and has more recently appeared on the film music compilation: Peter Gabriel : Rated PG.

Peters next stab at film work was much more satisfying - and extensive - as he was asked to compose the score for Alan Parker's dark melodrama; Birdy, the take of a Vietnam War veteran's struggles with a return to normal life (whatever that is?!). The film was a typical Parker effort and Peter's music - some of it recycled, as revealed in the album notes - was put to excellent use throughout the film.

Speaking of recycling, two tracks by Peter have been used regularly in films: I Have The Touch and In Your Eyes, to varying effect depending on the film.

It was his next film score which was to bring him a degree of notoriety. Martin Scorsese, no stranger to controversy himself, had chosen to make a film adaptation of the thought provoking novel by Nikos Kazantzakis; The Last Temptation Of Christ. The title alone was to drive certain elements to apoplexy. The film is a deeply moving and thought provoking adaptation of the novel which asks the question of what if Christ had been successful in his request to "take this cup away from me" and lead a normal as a fully human being. And so we see those possibilities of life unfold throughout the film in his mind whilst Christ is enduring the agonies of the crucifixion. Powerful stuff, and Peter's music, drawing wonderfully on his various world music influences, is equally thought provoking and emotional - a masterpiece in fact.

Since then, Peter's contributions to the world of cinema have mainly been confined to producing individual tracks for film soundtracks. Some, quite successful, others not so. One of the strangest however must be Out, Out which was part of the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg's second comedy horror film, Gremlins 2. It is a typical piece of what has come to be known as "Gabrielese" a repeated chant of "Out, Out" over some suitably rhythmic accompaniment used during one of the more raucous scenes in the film. Strangely enough, the track was released as a 12" single - heaven knows why, but it is a rarity among Gabriel tracks.

Peter returned to a full film soundtrack effort with 2002's Rabbit Proof Fence. Once again, a highly controversial subject; the treatment of the aboriginal people of Australia by the then colonial government and in particular, the forced removal of their children from their homes and conmunities to be "civilised". This one did not quite reach the heights of its predecessor but both the music and the film deserve more attention than they received at the time and, as usual, Peter's broad use of a sonic pallette results in a profound and at times disturbing soundtrack.

In between those two soundtracks and ever since, Peter has contented himself to
contribute songs or individual musical pieces to films. Some of the best are contained on the aforementioned Rated PG compilation and most of the rest are easily found as downloads.

On the strength of the music alone, Peter can be judged to be an accomplished contributor and enhancer of the cinematic medium.