With over twenty songs on two discs, “Live Blood” offers the definitive version of the groundbreaking London concerts featuring Peter Gabriel with the New Blood Orchestra. This latest edition offers the complete show, including deep cuts from Gabriel’s solo career.
Eagle Rock Entertainment heretofore released the highlights of the performance in video and audio form but this two-disc set provides a greater sense of the majestic nature of the performance, complete with the musical peaks and valleys.
While some may think that mining this show for yet another release is overkill, it is unlikely that Gabriel fans would have been pleased if such a large portion of the show was not prepped for commercial release, and their frustration would have been justified.
One thing that stands out in this performance is Gabriel’s vocal ability. While some seasoned artists struggle to hit notes from days gone by, Gabriel does it with ease. His subtle nuances and his haunting howls cut through the large orchestra making the listener wonder if Gabriel has aged a day since his tenure with Genesis.
If there is one shortfall in this collection it is that Gabriel chose not to include songs from his Genesis days. Since Genesis is, for all intents and purposes, defunct and he established himself as a solo performer decades ago, a Genesis song or two would have added to the majesty of the night.
