Thursday, January 02, 2014

Peter Gabriel's 'And I'll Scratch Yours' streaming on NPR's "First Listen"

Happy 2014 everybody. Here is an exciting release that landed in my inbox today...

PETER GABRIEL’S AND I’LL SCRATCH YOURS STREAMING NOW ON NPR “FIRST LISTEN”; OUT JANUARY 7 VIA REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE COMPANION TO CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SCRATCH MY BACK FEATURES ARCADE FIRE, LOU REED, DAVID BYRNE, BON IVER, FEIST, PAUL SIMON AND MANY MORE

INDUCTED INTO ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME THIS YEAR ALONGSIDE NIRVANA, HALL AND OATES AND KISS


Peter Gabriel, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this April, will release And I’ll Scratch Yours on January 7 in the U.S. through Real WorldStreaming now onNPR’s “First Listen,” the album is the anticipated follow-up to 2010’s Scratch My Back, concluding a series of song exchanges in which Gabriel and other leading artists reinterpret each other’s songs. The upcoming collection features Lou ReedDavid ByrneArcade FireRegina SpektorFeist and others covering classic Gabriel songs such as “Shock the Monkey,” “Don’t Give Up,” and more. Full track listing is below.

Scratch My Back and And I’ll Scratch Yours are the culmination of a years-in-the-making songwriting swap. Gabriel chose songs from some of the greatest songwriters of the modern era and reshaped them, with the understanding that each selected artist would reciprocate. Gabriel explains, “Rather than make a traditional covers record, I thought it would be much more fun to create a new type of project in which artists communicated with each other and swapped a song for a song, i.e. you do one of mine and I’ll do one of yours, hence the title:Scratch My Back…And I’ll Scratch Yours.” Bearing in mind the caliber and careers of the artists whose songs he selected, it’s incredible that all but two songwriters were able to reciprocate. For those uncompleted swaps, Joseph Arthur and Feist willingly entered the fray.

And I’ll Scratch Yours is already receiving critical acclaim in the U.K., with the Evening Standard awarding it 4 stars. The Times states “the stand-out is Byrne’s discombobulated electro-punk take on Gabriel’s 1980 single,” and The Independent praises “Bon Iver’s ‘Come Talk to Me,’ a calm blend of guitar, banjo and synth pad that develops a moving emotional momentum.” The Sun asserts; “one of the most jaw-dropping efforts is Lou Reed’s take on ‘Solsbury Hill.’ Gone is the twinkling, airy melody of the original, replaced by a menacing, sparse, grungy arrangement.” The 12-song album will be available digitally and physically as a single disc CD plus a digi-pack double disc CD which also features Scratch My Back.

Peter Gabriel first came to international prominence with the success of Genesis, a band that he co-founded while still at school. Since leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful Grammy Award-winning solo career, contributed to acclaimed film soundtracks for “Birdy,” “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “Rabbit Proof Fence” as well as releasing live and compilation albums. Gabriel is also known for the creation of the now global WOMAD festival and curation of the 25-year old label Real World Records.

Peter Gabriel is set to join The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and will be inducted in April 2014. Chosen by more than 700 voters (artists, historians and music industry professionals) of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, the 2014 honorees will also receive an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland in conjunction with the ceremony. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording. This year (for only the second time) fans were able to participate in the selection process and 1.4 million votes were cast. The awards ceremony will take place on April 10 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and is open to the public and tickets will go on sale in January and a TV special will be aired on HBO in May. On hearing the news today Peter said “Because this is recognition for all your work, it means a lot more to me than an award for a single or an album. It’s also great to get some acknowledgement from your peers. I’m looking forward to coming in April.” Alongside Peter other artists inducted included Hall and Oates, KISS and Nirvana.

Gabriel co-founded the human rights organization Witness.org in 1989, and more recently founded Elders.org alongside Sir Richard Branson, which was launched by Nelson Mandela. In 2006 Gabriel was awarded the prestigious Man of Peace title by The Nobel Peace Laureates. He has also engaged in a wide variety of tech-based businesses throughout a variety of creative industries.

And I’ll Scratch Yours
  1. David Byrne – “I Don’t Remember”
  2. Bon Iver – “Come Talk To Me”
  3. Regina Spektor – “Blood of Eden”
  4. Stephin Merritt – “Not One of Us”
  5. Joseph Arthur – “Shock the Monkey”
  6. Randy Newman – “Big Time”
  7. Arcade Fire – “Games Without Frontiers”
  8. Elbow – “Mercy Street”
  9. Brian Eno – “Mother of Violence”
  10. Feist feat. Timber Timbre – “Don’t Give Up”
  11. Lou Reed – “Solsbury Hill”
  12. Paul Simon – “Biko”

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