-
8.0
8356
8.0 |
Q
Print edition only
-
8.0
8371
8.0 |
Uncut
Gabriel limits his options by opting to record with an orchestral backing, with no guitar or drums. This makes the sound wilfully sombre, particularly as Gabriel's singing is often more theatrical than emotionally expressive
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8.0
8912
8.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
-
8.0
8990
8.0 |
State
Largely fascinating, sometimes ill-advised but often brilliant
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-
8.0
9014
8.0 |
The Guardian
He slows the songs' tempos and sets them to string arrangements that range from filmic and lush to something approaching the icy screech essayed by John Cale on Nico's Marble Index
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8.0
9023
8.0 |
The Independent
A fascinating exercise in musical refurbishment, one whose dominant moods of resignation, anxiety and melancholy reflect the uneasy tenor of the times as much as they do Peter Gabriel's own character
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8.0
9028
8.0 |
The Irish Times
What could be a pointless game of karaoke tennis is actually quite compelling
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-
8.0
9073
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
...inspired selections from Bowie to Radiohead add up to a dark, tender and powerful opus
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-
8.0
9101
8.0 |
The Digital Fix
An always fascinating and sometimes brilliant album that remind us that cover versions can still change one’s perception of how a song should sound
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-
8.0
9457
8.0 |
Spin
...this imaginatively selected and sequenced collection achieves such a haunting consistency of tone that its spell lingers long after the speakers fall silent
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7.0
9113
7.0 |
PopMatters
In spite of the lack of original material, Scratch My Back is as rewarding an experience as a brand-new studio album could be, as it stands as a potent display of Gabriel’s power as a performer
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7.0
9225
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
For those of you that can get beyond your love of the authentic editions of these songs, and treat Gabriel’s intentionally spare renderings as both a tribute to, and a reimagining of the artists intentions, there is a lot to love and discover on this often audacious and earnest album
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7.0
8946
7.0 |
NME
Print edition only
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6.0
9107
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
It's orchestral, pianistic, drumless, slow, formal and, being Gabriel, sung with enough lockjawed grainy drama to generate that peculiar Gabriel effect, English soulfulness
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-
6.0
9083
6.0 |
musicOMH
Ultimately this is not the artistic disaster it could have been, for despite some uncertainties it is clear Peter Gabriel has plenty of original thoughts to add to these songs
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6.0
9048
6.0 |
Evening Standard
Selections from Arcade Fire's My Body is a Cage, Elbow's Mirrorball; Bon Iver's Flume to David Bowie's “Heroes”, Lou Reed's The Power of The Heart and Radiohead's Street Spirit (Fade Out) are predictably worthy
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6.0
8287
6.0 |
Observer Music Monthly
...there's more right than wrong about Gabriel's audacity. With Talking Heads' Listening Wind he hits his mark sweetly, turning David Byrne's jittery original into a dreamy, scary account of terrorism
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6.0
9377
6.0 |
Rave Magazine
The whole album follows the same funereal pace, to the point that the record actually becomes quite oppressive
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6.0
9138
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
Gabriel's distinctive vocal, now more cracked and edgy at the limits of his range, is the star of this show
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6.0
9165
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
The danger of Scratch My Back is that in the attempt to assert Gabriel's 'relevance' – as though that's the most important issue regarding any artist's work – it could make him seem less interesting than he is
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5.0
9653
5.0 |
Rolling Stone
...yawns through David Bowie's "Heroes" and strips Regina Spektor's "Après Moi" of its quirky charm. This is less back-scratching than head-scratching
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5.0
10033
5.0 |
No Ripcord
Even with that most unique of perspectives, some of the tracks are morose in the blandest of ways
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5.0
10131
5.0 |
No Ripcord
An interesting mix of tracks that confronts listeners with reimaging of songs so deeply tied to our heart strings we have no choice but to carefully imbibe and evaluate each note
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5.0
9061
5.0 |
The Observer
Those seeking reappraised obscurities or shocking makeovers will be disappointed
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4.5
9108
4.5 |
Pitchfork
Every song on Scratch My Back, regardless of its original tone or meaning, is flattened out and turned into this one melodramatic and depressing thing, often with Gabriel whispering half the words to go with the ultra-slow tempos
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4.0
9053
4.0 |
The Times
A sense of funless karaoke prevails
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-
4.0
9030
4.0 |
The Times
“My body is a cage,” he intones on Arcade Fire’s eponymous song. These days Gabriel’s body bears closer resemblance to a bouncy castle, which merely pushes the ludicrous solemnity of the enterprise closer to giggling-in- assembly territory
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