Expert: The Committee - 8/2/2000

Question
i desperately need to know the titles of all his solo albums (excluding the soundtracks) and why he`d chosen those names and if there`s any special meaning behind them.
thank u so much

Answer
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this...this must've slipped under my radar.

Anyway, Gabriel's first three albums are self-titled "Peter Gabriel". He said it had to do with the fact that he saw albums as being a continuing body of work, like a magazine.

He wanted to name his fourth album Peter Gabriel as well, but his US label, Geffen, was afraid that people would keep buying the wrong albums if he kept this cutesy same-title thing up. So the fourth had two names...UK: Peter Gabriel. US: Security.

Not counting Plays Live or the soundtrack to Birdy, then we have So. Gabriel publicly stated that he simply liked the word as it "has a nice shape to it and very little meaning to it."

However, the untrue, never will be confirmed in a million years urban legend goes like this. [Gabriel on phone with Geffen record executive]
RE: Peter, it's been forever since you released an album, and now that you're finally coming releasing something, we still not doing that "Peter Gabriel" title stuff again. We need a real title for this album."
PG: So?
RE: Okay. [click]

After So came Us. One again, Gabriel liked the shape of the word, but it definitely had meaning...the whole album was about relationships, both male-female relationships, and as how people relate to others in a society.

Gabriel's next album is titled Up. We're not sure of the theme of Up yet, but according to rumors, it may be a dark, disturbing moody album. So, Up may in fact be a downer.
Gabriel had the idea of "Up the River", and with his love for two-letter titles, it go shortended to Up.

Personally, I was hoping he name the new one PG. That way, he'd have his two letter title and start naming albums after himself again at the same time.

I hope this helps!