Peter Gabriel began the year 2026 by announcing to his fans that he would… He will release a song from his upcoming album “o/i” every full moon throughout the year. It started on Saturday for Wolf Month “Been Undone”. It’s a clever move that Gabriel has used before – in 2023 with the rollout of “i/o” – and gives each song a full month to shine. At the same time, he ensures fixed release dates for the notoriously deadline-shy artist.
The problem, however, is that “i/o,” while truly fantastic, has barely made any waves in the pop culture universe outside of Gabriel’s loyal fan base. Many people under 40 only know him for “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer”. If they even know him.
That’s partly because Gabriel has only released three albums of new material since his 1986 commercial breakthrough So, leaving an absurd 21 years between Up (2002) and i/o (2023). Above all, it’s because the singer-songwriter has spent little energy promoting or even maintaining his legacy.
A look at other rock icons
Just look at Bruce Springsteen. Gabriel’s old companion from the Amnesty International tours. The New Jersey icon continues to record new albums and tour with almost all of them. At the same time, however, Springsteen always keeps his past in mind. He has written an autobiography. Personally overseen deluxe reissues of his albums. Many of them coupled with new documentation. Filmed special shows in which he plays entire albums in one go. Released albums from his archive that had been held back for decades. And even cooperated in a major Hollywood biopic about his life. And when these projects appear, they come with great pomp.
All of this helps ensure that Springsteen’s achievements are not forgotten and are continually discovered by new generations. Something similar happened with Bob Dylan, although he is far less directly involved in his documentaries, films and archival box sets. Above all, he doesn’t stand in their way. (Like Dylan, Bing Crosby was a titan in his time – but ask anyone under 75 to name any of his songs other than “White Christmas.”)
Parallels to David Byrne
Of course, Dylan and Springsteen are two Mount Rushmore figures in rock history. So let’s talk about an artist closer to Gabriel on the axis between fame and innovation: David Byrne. The parallels are remarkable. Both Gabriel and Byrne were at the forefront of highly influential art-rock bands of the 1970s, used costumes and choreography in their live shows, quickly became frustrated with the creative limitations of democratic bands, and each released one final album with their group in which they made almost all of the decisions.
Both also worked with Brian Eno, integrated world music into their solo work, became unlikely MTV stars in the eighties thanks to bizarre music videos, and experienced a significant career downturn in the nineties due to the alternative rock revolution and structural changes at MTV and rock radio.
Different paths from 2000
Around the year 2000 they were probably at a similar level in terms of popularity. If anything, Gabriel was the bigger name as he had real solo hits while Byrne didn’t. But over the years that changed. Byrne toured intensively and wasn’t afraid to play his old band’s classics, bringing them back to a certain extent. He stayed attentive to new artists and trends, worked with hot acts like St. Vincent, wrote a book and directed a brilliant Broadway musical full of Talking Heads gems. Unlike Gabriel, he didn’t disappear from the scene for years.
Byrne also put aside years of resentment and reconciled with his Talking Heads bandmates to collaborate on a restored version of the 1984 concert film “Stop Making Sense,” which they promoted at film festivals, talk shows and public screenings across the country. That explains, at least in part, why Byrne elicited such a euphoric reaction at last summer’s Governors Ball when he took the stage with Olivia Rodrigo to sing “Burning Down the House.”
Gabriel’s distance from Genesis
Gabriel, on the other hand, hasn’t played a full Genesis song live since 1983. Of course, it’s a little crazy to compare Talking Heads to Gabriel’s Genesis era. During Gabriel’s time in the band, there was no song like “Burning Down the House” or “Once in a Lifetime” that normal listeners would immediately recognize. And Rodrigo is unlikely to include “The Chamber of 32 Doors” in their festival set and bring Gabriel on stage for it.
Still, Gabriel’s work with Genesis is revered by prog fans around the world. Tribute bands dedicated exclusively to these albums fill 2,000-seat theaters night after night. Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett makes a very good living playing this music to sold-out venues in Europe and North America. Gabriel, on the other hand, has done just about everything to put this chapter behind him – aside from occasional collaborations like the recent ATMOS remix of “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”.
Neglected legacy
Nor has he written an autobiography, commissioned a documentary about his life, released a box set, or done much else to remind the world of his enormous achievements – aside from a largely unnoticed “So” anniversary tour in 2012. On his rare tours, Gabriel has offered the same mix of songs from “So” and “Us” for over 30 years, while almost completely ignoring his first four solo albums. And fans have noticed: His most recent 2023 US arena tour saw weak sales in some markets, with several venues losing out on the upper echelons.
So before he goes back on tour, we humbly suggest that Gabriel consider something radically different. Maybe he’ll start re-releasing his first four albums in super deluxe editions. Each of them is brilliant in its own way and has been ignored for far too long. He should also consider an Underplay tour of theaters – perhaps four nights at the Beacon in New York, four at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and four at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. He’s one of the most fascinating performers in rock history, and people just need the opportunity to experience that for themselves.
A possible new beginning
Such shows would attract enormous attention, trigger a rush for tickets and put Gabriel back in the spotlight for the first time in a very long time. He should also consider writing an autobiography and hiring a great director to make a documentary about his life. (A biopic might seem far-fetched, but one could imagine one about his final year at Genesis and the beginning of his solo career – or about the turbulent period in the ’80s when his marriage collapsed just as he was becoming a superstar.)
And yes, he should also consider a Genesis reunion tour with Hackett, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Nic Collins and perhaps a guest appearance from Phil Collins if he’s able. But at this point it is clear that a reunion of Genesis will probably never happen. So Gabriel can at least remind music fans of the groundbreaking solo works that emerged after Genesis – or introduce them to them for the first time. It’s not too late.