"Going to build that power, build, build up that power hey"

[free_laddicals]

Peter Gabriel is on tour doing some of his songs with a full orchestra backing him instead of his normal band. I'm sure that some of his stuff, like "In Your Eyes" or "Down to Earth" would sound great that way, but I cannot get my head around an orchestral version of "Sledgehammer" - it'd be like Alanis Morissette's ultra-slow version of "My Humps

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[word_geek]

First: Aaargh! Bad fan! I had no idea that he was on tour! I had no idea that there was a new album! OK, yeah, it's an album of covers, but still! I used to be the biggest fan, and now I'm going to have to turn in my cred.

OK, as to the point of the post: Never underestimate what Mr. Gabriel can do to his own songs. There's a track on his first album called "Here Comes the Flood," which is this big, bombastic song, as you might be able to guess from the title. I had that album for years, liked the song, and that was the way I was used to hearing it. When I went to see the "Up" tour, he performed it as the third encore...just him, alone at a piano, quiet, with his voice kinda raspy from doing a three-hour concert and two encores, and it blew me away. So if the man says "Hey, I've got this orchestral version of 'Sledge Hammer'," or "I just came up with a new version of 'In Your Eyes' played on didgeridoo and vuvuzela," it'll be worth a listen.