The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel Without Frontiers (Hardback) - Common

by Daryl Easlea

He became famous with Genesis but simply to call Peter Gabriel a pop star would be to sell him very short indeed. A quintessential Englishman, he has since pursued several overlapping careers, bringing to each of them his trademark preoccupation with quality control and restless curiosity.

In 1975, after leaving the band that made him famous he diversified into writing movie soundtracks, various audio-visual ventures, tireless charity work and supporting major peace initiatives. He also became world music’s most illustrious champion, launching the WOMAD festival and recording solo albums that featured musicians from every corner of the globe. These and several other careers make writing Peter Gabriel’s biography an unusually challenging task, but Daryl Easlea has undertaken hours of new interviews with key friends, musicians, aides and confidants to get to the very heart and soul of Peter Gabriel, his music and his complex life. The result is an extraordinary biography of an extraordinary man.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published September 17, 2013

Reviews

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without Frontiers is more a biography of Peter Gabriel's discography. Very little is said about his life. Reading the book is like slogging through mud, with a little respite here and there. By the time you get to the end you feel exhausted.

The actual page count is 371 pages. The other 100 or so pages are reference credits.

I have chosen not to read Peter Gabriel's real biography. I want to continue the love I have of my music hero. Sometimes it's best never to meet your idols.

If you want to know the personal details of his life and struggles, this is not the book to read.

[Caeser Pink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Peter Gabriel's work from the Genesis days. The book is an interesting read. There have been times over the years where he has seemed to disappear from public view. The book explains a lot about what happened. What I didn't know is that Gabriel is not only a musician, but also a tech innovator, businessman, and actively involved in many non-profit organizations. A few which he founded.

On that I found interesting was called the 'Elder.' It is a think tank on world problems that included Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela.

It seems that artist biography either focus heavily on personal history and don't discuss music as much, or as this one does, focuses on the music career and skims over personal history. I wish the writers would balance between the two.

I've met Gabriel a couple times and found him to be very friendly, and he showed interest in me and my work. After I knew then what a busy man he was with such important work, I might have not been so bold when approaching him.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. Mostly quotes collected from already published interviews and some input from mostly peripheral figures. Nowhere near as interesting as the Spencer Bright biography. Speaking of which, must dig that out now....

[Brian Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very detailed review of the professional life of Peter Gabriel. It gave me a really great insight into one of the most talented, interesting and important rock stars that grew out of the 1970’s. I now better understand why he left the band Genesis in 1975 as the band first began to set itself apart from other bands during this time period. The book covered Peter during the Genesis era, the first four Peter Gabriel albums and his career defining albums apex of So and Us. It walked through the creative process, which was exhausting, the tours and other activities beyond his music. His philanthropic activities are commendable and have gained him tremendous recognition on the international stage. Peter is truly a renaissance man.

[Allan Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into Gabriel, one of the most consistently interesting artists of the last fifty years.

It makes sense of the increasingly long gaps between his album releases with his extensive interests in other areas, not least human rights and technology.

[Eleanore · Rating 4 out of 5]

In need of a better editor, and fairly dry in tone, but overall still an excellent overview of one of the most unique, influential, undervalued, fascinating careers in music. Considering Peter's been making brilliant music since 1969, the fact that his is really only the third book ever to take a close look at his life and work is incredible, and long overdue. Peter's always been my favorite living musician, and probably always will be, if the things I learned about him while reading this are any indication. A worthy tribute to a true artist.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has written a book jammed full of interesting and technical information about the musical and humanitarian career of Peter Gabriel, but is very sparing with the story of his personal life. He writes descriptively of Peter's personality, and I feel as if I know him much more closely than before I picked up this book.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Die Anfänge von Genesis klingen wie die vieler Bands: eine Gruppe junger Männer trifft sich auf der Schule, fängt an, miteinander Musik zu machen und wird nach und nach immer erfolgreicher. Der Weg ist schwierig: es gibt noch keine feste Besetzung, die Mitglieder müssen ihren Platz in der Band noch finden, das erste Album verkauft sich nur mäßig und Konzerte sind selten.

Ich kann verstehen, dass Genesis ein wichtiger Teil von Peter Gabriels Leben ist. Aber das Aneinanderreihen von Fakten über die Band mit nur wenig Berichten über ihn ist nicht das, was ich von seiner Biografie erwarte. Die Geschichte ist interessant, keine Frage. Aber es geht mir zu wenig um den Mann auf dem Cover.

Ich finde seine Widersprüchlichkeit interessant. Er scheint ein eher ruhiger Mensch zu sein, aber auf der Bühne ist er ein ganz anderer. Sie ist sein Ventil, um alles heraus zu lassen, was in seinem Inneren brodelt.

Dafür, dass Gabriels Ausstieg bei Genesis so spektakulär war, wird er eher nebenbei erwähnt. Das ist mir bei dem Buch ohnehin schon aufgefallen: es wird sehr viel erzählt, aber auf mich wirkt es mehr wie eine Aufzählung. Da fehlt mir die Tiefe. Schön finde ich, dass es keine schlechte Stimmung zwischen Peter Gabriel und Genesis gab. Im Gegenteil: die Musiker haben immer wieder zusammengearbeitet. Es ist auch selten, dass in so einem Fall beide Parteien gleichermaßen erfolgreich sind. Meistens bleibt der Erfolg auf einer Seite.

Die Musikszene in den 70er und 80er Jahren kommt mir sehr familiär vor. Jeder scheint jeden zu kennen und man unterstützt sich gegenseitig. Das finde ich sehr angenehm, heute scheint das nicht mehr so zu sein.

Ich habe ab der Hälfte immer schneller gelesen. Leider nicht, weil das Buch so unglaublich spannend war, sondern weil ich damit fertig werden wollte :sauer: Ich habe weiter oben schon erwähnt, dass ich das reine Aufzählen von Fakten über Peter Gabriel nicht so interessant fand. Ich kann mir auch nicht vorstellen, dass es für einen echten Fan interessant ist. Der möchte auch eher etwas erfahren, was abseits solcher Statistiken steht. Aber davon habe ich nicht viel gelesen. Nur im letzten Kapitel gab es einen tieferen Einblick in die Person Gabriels. Davor war mir alles zu oberflächlich.

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book many years ago and only began to read it last week. Why did I take so long to read it? Peter Gabriel has always been my favourite singer and frontman and I suppose as it is with all your favourite artists, be they singers or actors, you don't really want to know what they are really like. But in this book by Daryl Easlea he shows the reader and fan, just what a wonderful person Gabriel is. A very caring and determined human being and an absolute genius when it comes to his song writing and arrangements. A fantastic read and one that I couldn't put down. Excellent!

[Eric Leblanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This summer I read Steve Hackett's, Phil Collins's, Mike Rutherford's and Peter Gabriel's bio, in that order. I kept Pete's last as I expected to like it the most, but nope, not at all. Oh, you learn a lot about his creative process and his albums, but practically nothing about his life or his thoughts. All three of Mike Phil and Steve books were much more about their feelings in specific eras or musical process, especially Mike and Phil. After reading all this, I found that the one that give the most insights about Genesis early days is Mike's.

[John De Marchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best autobiography book out of all the Genesis band members that I read. It was very detailed. Peter formed Genesis with Ant Phillips, Michael Rutherford, Tony Banks and Chris Stewart who all attended The Charterhouse prep school for boys. After Peter departed Genesis, he embarked on his solo career. He was a great lyricist and began experimenting with different sounds that he incorporated in his songs. He is the most successful out of all the Genesis band member next to Phil Collins. He even won a Nobel Peace prize for his humanitarian work.

[Chris Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent bio about one of the pioneers of progressive rock, who had a great career with Genesis(in their heyday, IMHO), and then as a solo artist. The book is well-written and provides a nice of review of the music(band and solo) as well as Gabriel's life. I thought the part about him leaving Genesis was well-done and fair. Small nitpick- the author's liberal political bias shows through a few days, distracting and unnecessary.

[Vanyo666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for fans of Genesis and Gabriel but marginally so. It does get into the stories behind the making of the albums but does not delve enough into his personal life. And ultimately it is too favorable to the character, painting a worshipful portrait.

It's not that I wanted more "dirt", I think that is not worthwhile either, but it does feel a little one-dimensional and one-sided. At least it offers a convincing explanation of why we are still waiting for the follow up to "Up".

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good biography on one of the greatest musical artists ever, Peter Gabriel. This book details Gabriel's career in Genesis as well as his successful solo career. The author does a good job describing Gabriel and where he was in life during his albums being made, as well as what a lot of the songs are about. I especially liked all the chapters on his So, Us, Security, Melt and Up albums. Learned a lot from this book. Good stuff if you like Peter Gabriel.

[Ltopo McFly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very apologetic & fluffing book on Peter Gabriel's musical career made by a very obvious fan but not a critical or insightful biographer or music journalist. Its gives very positive track-by-track reviews of everything Gabriel had done at that point, with many interviews thrown in to often irrelevant effect. If a paragraph is lean, the writer will make a far-fetched speculation about Peter's mindstate so another soundbyte can be used.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was so interesting! I learned so much about Peter Gabriel's work. What an interesting guy. At the same time I was reading this, I was watching Secret World and Growing Up, so the theatricality that the author described was on full display!

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning work that chronicles PG. Extensively researched and presented in a detailed yet approachable style.
You can’t help but learn new and personal aspects about the artist and his work.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. I learned SO much I did not know. The writing is smooth and powerful and the author creates excellent imagery. The pictures are spectacular and well chosen. Highly recommended for fans of PG, Genesis or Prog Rock!

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for any Peter Gabriel fan.

[Gerald Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to Gabriel's career, but light on the man. Easlea probably interviewed 30 important people from PG's life and supplies generous quotations from them, yet this bio just seems a bit cursory. For such a great artists, I expected a more artful biography. Still it is worth a read.

[Parol · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average book about great ARTIST.

[David Kosobucki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informed view of Gabriel's life. Lots of quotations from numerous articles and personal interviews. Well researched.

[Andrew Cowley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less a biography than a list of songs. No original interviews but rehashed from articles. Armando Gallo's excellent 1980 book is far more informative

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Gabriel is my favorite musician, but I only had a cursory knowledge of his life an activities outside of music, so when I saw this, I picked it up. After reading the Prologue and Introduction, I was groaning - was I really in for 300+ pages of this kind of writing? Thankfully, no. After the first sections, the book picks up in quality, doing a wonderful job of not only detailing the major events in Gabriel's life (revolving around his albums, but also including his personal life when appropriate), but also detailing in depth the scene at those times; It's a great way to see why the albums hit (or missed) like they did, and the frames of reference are very helpful. There's some critical analysis of the songs, but it's brief; just enough to make you think about them without overwhelming them with analysis. Lots of quotes, and lots of details that aren't exactly biographical, but are helpful (like tracking the major points of Genesis' lifespan, even after Gabriel left the group). It left me with a much better understanding of how all the music fits together, and gives a strong view of Gabriel's demeanor and personality from the eyes of those around him. Aside from a tendency to re-use quotes as section headers and in the body (and occasionally multiple times in the body), this is a well-written, well-approached biography that paints a clear and not-too-biased picture of Peter Gabriel as both an artist and a person.

[Alex Storer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without Frontiers... is a long overdue up-to-date biography on one of our generation's most innovative and creative artists. Easlea presents a very readable and accurate book; his own admiration of Peter Gabriel's work clearly shines through, but with perspective and objective.

Presented as a chronological journey through Gabriel's life and career, this book is nicely organised by the various phases and albums of his career - it is a book you can either read from cover to cover, or dip selectively in and out of, if you're just wanting to read about a certain album or tour.

Easlea, having previously interviewed Gabriel as a music journalist, presents the artist in an honest and humble light, also offering a glimpse into his life behind the scenes, particularly over the last couple of decades.

While I might still prefer Spencer Bright's older biography on Peter Gabriel, Without Frontiers certainly does its best to take you closer to this pioneering artist, giving an inspiring insight to the man and the mind behind the music.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walking through the library's new book section one day, I happened upon this tome and picked it up. I have always enjoyed Genesis and Peter Gabriel and thought this would be something different from my usual reading material. Primarily this is a catalog of Gabriel's musical output. What added to the fun was being able to use YouTube to call up the songs as they were described. Steeping myself in the music, the words and the videos was a delight for my senses and went beyond the usual just reading a story.

[Jamie Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't typically enjoy biographies where the subject (if alive) is not involved, but in this case I found that his not being involved was perhaps a good thing. The book was very well researched and well-written, giving enough detail to make it interesting without going overboard. The only issue I had was the author's editorial commentary, inasmuch as virtually every album was Gabriel's "best" or "most challenging". Not a big deal, but it was noticeable and became almost humorous by the end. Otherwise, an excellent read!

[j_ay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mess of a book, clearly just culled from previously published interviews and far, far, far too many errors (spelling, grammar, etc), redundancies and repetitions.
Not to mention continually usage of "ironically" misused in baffling, stupefying ways.
What is it Editors do these days?

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways fascinating but not terribly well structured with endless quotes from other sources and little original insight. Did learn a lot about Peter Gabriel though probably 2.5 stars.

[Rollie T Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surface only

Written from the pov of an outsider, I wanted more insight to how PG wrote his songs, not a fan's review of them.