PETER GABRIEL - Love Can Heal - Track discussion

  • BRIGHT-SIDE MIX: 2023.08.31 - available at midnight local time

    DARK-SIDE MIX: 2023.09.15


    CREDITS

    Artwork: "A Small Print Of What I Think Love Looks Like" (2010) by Antony Micallef

    Words and Music by Peter Gabriel

    Engineering by Oli Jacobs, Katie May

    Assistant engineering by Faye Dolle, Dom Shaw

    Pre-production enginneering by Richard Chappell

    Produced by Peter Gabriel

    Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis

    Recorded at Real World Studios, Bath, The Beehive, London, Rexall Place, Edmonton Canada (Rock, Paper, Scissors)


    Percussion: Ged Lynch, Peter Gabriel (Hairy Drum)

    Bass: Tony Levin

    Guitar: David Rhodes

    Guitar FX: Katie May

    Piano: Peter Gabriel

    Synths: Peter Gabriel, Angie Pollock

    Cello: Linnea Olsson

    BVs: Peter Gabriel, Ríoghnach Connolly, Melanie Gabriel, Jennie Abrahamson, Linnea Olsson

    LVs: Peter Gabriel


    • Official Post

    Thanks

    Is there already an official cover available?

    • Official Post

    Here is the video


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  • Wonderful!
    To be honest it doesn’t quite capture the intense atmosphere of the live performance, but it comes close. Now I am curious what the dark side mix will sound like.

    • Official Post
  • I was pretty transfixed with this live. first time in Verona. I loved the strings and the backing vocals and being sat in that amazing venue. So, I do like this version, but as mentioned above I find the live version more satisfying. At Verona, just before the end of the song, in the final fading few seconds someone shouted "we love you Peter!!" and the crowd erupted. I think it was a reaction to the song, rather than just PG himself.

  • What a song, my gods!


    Certainly a very odd feeling listening to a complete studio version it after listening to the live version for almost 7 years. I was already off the mark when I started singing "whatever mess", since he delivers it differently on the album version (feels good to be able to say that — album version). :D I was waiting for him to let it rip near the end, and it was positively shocking how it was mixed into the background. Very nice, mind!


    Which brings me to the mixing. There's so much going in this song sonically (there's even that hint of San Jacinto there in the intro and outro) that — again — it's going to be a great thing to have all three mixes, and since it's a slow, moody song, those mixing decisions certainly have power to alter the overall feeling so much.


    Busy day so haven't had the time to watch the video yet — makes me want to dim the lights and have a glass of wine with that and make an event out of it.

    • Official Post

    Parts of the recording were indeed taken from the 2016 live performance in Toronto.


    Love Can Heal released - PeterGabriel.com

  • I think there's something to be said about the more subtle vocals at the end of this version. At first I missed PG's prominent voice at the end, but for this song it feels more suited. Sort've like how the guitar solo in the chorus of Signal to Noise got cut: my first reaction: "No!", but now I really prefer the song without it.

  • I haven't heard this song live yet, so IMO this studio version is fantastic!!


    Not my favorite, and it's a SUPER EASY one to get stuck in your head!! But I definitely really enjoy it. Beautifully mixed. I know some are saying PG's vocals at the end are buried in the mix, but I kind of like that - it's reminiscient of songs where he does that, like Mercy Street, We Do What We're Told and Some of his softer more instrumental sounding material like something from Birdy.


    I also agree this has similarities to San Jacinto-which I also love. I've noticed that with his new songs for this album; there are several that sound similar to something we've heard from his past material (Road To Joy like Kiss That Frog, Olive Tree with the horns not to far off from Steam, Playing for Time not unlike That'll Do, etc.)

  • A lovely track! I find it difficult to rate this right now, this feels more like a starlight in the album context, at least that's my impression right now. So, more on that later, once we have the whole picture.

  • I think the dark mix should allow you to hear more of Peter's vocals at the end...

    I agree, I would expect the Dark Side mix will bring those vocals out a bit, and also the very distant drum pattern-did you hear it there in the background? Kind of buried, like in Don't Give Up. I bet that will be more prominent in the DS mix.

    • Official Post

    I agree, I would expect the Dark Side mix will bring those vocals out a bit, and also the very distant drum pattern-did you hear it there in the background? Kind of buried, like in Don't Give Up. I bet that will be more prominent in the DS mix.

    probably also the guitar ...