Mercury Studios has a brand-new live Peter Gabriel recording set for release in just a matter of days on Blu-ray. Taking The Pulse is scheduled for release Oct. 10. Filmed in 2010 in Verona, Italy alongside the New Blood Orchestra, the 16-song set is an interesting new presentation for fans of Peter Gabriel. The set list is the most important of the recording’s presentation, along with the group’s performance thereof. While the set list and performance go a long way toward engaging and entertaining audiences, there is at least one negative to note here. That is the lack of any information in the Blu-ray’s companion booklet regarding the concert itself, the planning, the set list, etc. That is not enough to doom the recording but certainly would have enhanced the viewing experience. Knowing this, there is one more positive to note, that being the recording’s production. The production works with the set list and the overall performance thereof to make this recording another enjoyable presentation that despite its one minor shortcoming, is still mostly a successful presentation.
Taking The Pulse, the latest live recording from legendary singer Peter Gabriel, is a powerful new offering from the former Gensis front man. The recording’s success comes in part through its set list. Pulling from six of his then eight studio albums and his “soundtrack” album, Ovo, the set list represents a relatively healthy cross section of Gabriel’s catalog at the time. This is something that audiences will certainly appreciate. Up (2002) and So (1986) are the two most heavily represented of Gabriel’s albums in the set list. Just as interesting to note is the mix of songs that make up the set list. From popular singles, such as ‘Red Rain,’ ‘Digging in The Dirt,’ ‘Solsbury Hill,’ and ‘Blood of Eden’ to other songs, what audiences get here is not just a representation of Gabriel’s catalog at that time but a nice mix of familiar songs and some deeper cuts, too. So this strengthens the set list’s appeal that much more.
The set list does plenty to make this recording appealing. The performance thereof by Gabriel and his fellow performers in the New Blood Orchestra make for their own share of engagement and entertainment. Joining rock and classical is nothing new nowadays as so many audiences know (E.g. KISS, Metallica, etc.) But there is something about the control that the group displays, the “accents” that the musicians bring to each song, that makes each performance so enjoyable.
The combination of the set list and its performance does plenty to make Taking The Pulse well worth experiencing. For all of the positives they bring to the presentation, there is one negative to the overall presentation, that being the lack of any information on the concert in the companion booklet. From what research has found, this concert was not his first with the New Blood Orchestra. It would have been interesting to have had something on that, whether this was part of a bigger tour, why this concert in particular was chosen among others from that possible tour. The lack thereof does not necessarily doom the recording but it certainly would have been nice to have had that to enhance the viewing experience. It would have added to viewers’ appreciation for the concert.
Knowing that the issue with the recording’s companion booklet is not enough to doom the presentation, there is still one more positive to note, that being its production. Throughout the course of this 57-minute concert, audiences at home get the best seat in the house. Those with sound bars as part of their home entertainment systems really get the absolutely best experience. Right from the outset, ‘Rhythm of the Heat’ expertly exemplifies why the production is so impressive. The growing energy from the orchestra is perfectly balanced with Gabriel’s vocals. It should be noted here that said expert sound balance continues through to the concert’s end, showing the result of the painstaking efforts in post-production to ensure the concert recording’s sound was at its best, which it is. As the song crescendos and its energy grows, the editing intensifies to really echo that energy, becoming almost blindingly frenetic right up to its climactic ending. The full audiovisual experience here is such an incredible experience.
On another note, the lighting throughout the concert adds its own special touch to the whole. At times, Gabriel takes the lead light while his cohorts in the New Blood Orchestra are subtly highlighted behind him. At other times, the lighting is reduced even on Gabriel to help escalate the mood of a song. The editing done in post-production to ensure that overall lighting comes out at its absolute best in the end is to be commended in its own right.
On yet another note, the “double box” effect (broadcast news term there) tossed in here and there throughout the concert is a fun way to really show as much of the performance as possible rather than just the typical single shot from a specific angle as are the semi-music video elements tossed in every now and then for good measure. Overall, the production that went into Taking the Pulse is just as powerful and impacting as the set list featured in this recording and the collective’s performance thereof. All things considered they make Taking the Pulse another must have for every Peter Gabriel fan.
Taking The Pulse, the forthcoming new live recording from Peter Gabriel, is a powerful new presentation that every Peter Gabriel fan will appreciate. It has so much to say to its positive, not the least of which being its set list and the performance thereof. The set list pulls from most of Gabriel’s solo catalog at the time, giving audiences a nice cross section of his work to that point. What’s more, that cross section includes songs that were both familiar and deeper cuts. This really adds to the interest. The group’s performance of the featured songs is beautiful from beginning to end. The mood set in each song is perfectly translated through the crescendos and decrescendos. It is wholly translated through the control in each song’s energy that the group exhibits. The whole is completed through the production, which ensures all of the sound is balanced and that audiences at home get the best seat. From the shot edits to the light editing to the sound editing, everything that went into the production results in a viewing experience that is fully immersive for every audience. To that end, Taking the Pulse proves to be among the best of this year’s new live recordings.
Taking the Pulse is scheduled for release Oct. 10 on Blu-ray through Mercury Studios. More information on this and other titles from Mercury Studios is available at:
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More information on the recording is available along with all of Peter Gabriel’s latest news at:
Website: https://petergabriel.com
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