Thursday 29 August 2013

Biko (Peter Gabriel, 1980)

Why "Biko" should be considered as aprog song? Tell me, why not? It's a highly experimental track, combining (sampled) Scottish pipes and (real) African choirs, offering some 7 minutes of distressing atmosphere and mysterious landscapes, and finally featuring clever and strong lyrics against Sourth-African apartheid. If you better like I file this under the label world music, well, I'll certainly do, but still I'll keep it here in my blog. "Biko" has the power to move me deeply each time I listen to it and I sincerely admire this deal of great musical ideas Peter gathered in one wonderful track.

Taken from the third Gabriel's album (also called "melted"),
Biko was released as a single in several different supports.
This one was a 12" vinyl single.

I can't decide what's the best one: the Scottish thing? The electronic drumming melting in the African background? The martial and sad verse? The strange and effective chorus Biko, Biko because Biko? The intense vocals? Name yours, I really can't tell, so, if you please, I take the whole lot. Thank you Peter, thank you so much and if you think a prog blog isn't your place, well, forgive me, but this is exactly what I call prog.

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