Restored and remastered from the original film, Secret World Live now makes its way to the Blu-ray format, and also DVD for those who have yet to upgrade to the high-definition medium. Filmed in Modena, Italy back in 1993 in support of the Us album, Secret World Live originally won a Grammy Award, and has long been remembered as one of Peter Gabriel's most endearing live recordings.
With a band that included Manu Katche (drums), Tony Levin (bass), David Rhodes (guitar), Jean Claude Naimro (keyboards), Shankar (violin), Levon Minnassian (doudouk), and Paula Cole (vocals), the legendary Gabriel played a magical set that features classics like "Come Talk to Me", "Shaking the Tree", "San Jacinto", "Solsbury Hill", "Digging in the Dirt", "Sledgehammer", and of course "In Your Eyes", among many others. Each song is played expertly, and there's just so much groove here (Levin and Katche are just magical together as a rhythm team) that you can't help but get completely wrapped up in the music and get your feet tapping. Gabriel himself is in fine form vocally, and adds just the right amount of theatricality with this heavily rehearsed and choreagraphed stage show. As a bonus, there's the inclusion of the mighty "Red Rain", a tune that never should have been left out of the film in the first place.
As great as this show is, the video presentation is rather disappointing. Probably transferred from the original 16mm negative , it doesn't seem like much could be done to improve on the picture quality, which in many spots is quite washed out and soft, and not much better than an old VHS presentation. It's a shame as this was a grandiose and colorful concert, but it doesn't really come across as anything special on Blu-ray. The audio however is quite good, and will be a treat to blast on your home theater system. A nice booklet rounds out the package, which, despite the lackluster video quality, is still a recommended pick up for Peter Gabriel fans, as overall it's a spectacular concert from one of rocks legendary vocalists.
Track Listing
01. Come Talk To Me
02. Steam
03. Across the River
04. Slow Marimbas
05. Shaking the Tree
06. Blood of Eden
07. San Jacinto
08. Kiss That Frog
09. Washing of the Water
10. Solsbury Hill
11. Digging in the Dirt
12. Sledgehammer
13. Secret World
14. Don't Give Up
15. In Your Eyes
Bonus Song-Red Rain
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