For his last album, Scratch My Back, the one-time Genesis frontman offered his own unique interpretations of an eclectic selection of covers, including songs from the likes of Arcade Fire, Elbow, Bon Iver and Randy Newman – all performed with an orchestral, rather than his usual rock/experimental, backdrop. Earlier this year, he took to the stage at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London in the company of a 46-piece orchestra for a series of concerts – some of the results of which can be heard here. The shows (also filmed in 3D for a DVD/blu-ray release) featured a handful of the songs from Scratch My Back but the majority of the set was taken from his extensive back catalogue.
Many of the songs here are among his most popular, with some big hits included (though his best-known hit, ‘Sledgehammer’ is notably absent.) For the most part the interpretations here stand up well, with some arguably surpassing the originals. Arrangement-wise, ‘Don’t Give Up’, his duet with Kate Bush, isn’t a whole lot different to the earlier version, the female part sung exquisitely here by Norwegian singer Ane Brun, while favourites such as ‘In Your Eyes’ and ‘Red Rain’ are given a more dramatic treatment with the strings and brass punctuating the rhythm like a film soundtrack during a fast-action sequence. Elsewhere, the melancholic ‘Wallflower’ from his 1982 self-titled fourth album is more pared down, while ‘Solisbury Hill’, his first solo hit on leaving Genesis, benefits most from the new treatment, the strings and piano providing the perfect backdrop to Gabriel’s voice, which has hardly changed in the 30-plus years since this was first recorded.
Other highlights on this stunning-sounding recording include the gorgeously atmospheric ‘Mercy Street’ (originally on his huge selling So album and also featuring Ane Brun here) and the poignant ‘San Jacinto’.