Plays Live
Live album by Peter Gabriel
Released	6 June 1983[1]
Recorded	November–December 1982, United States 1983, Bath, England
Genre	Art rock
Length	89:53 (original version) 66:50 (highlights version)
Label	Geffen (US & Canada), Charisma
Producer	Peter Gabriel, Peter Walsh
Peter Gabriel chronology
Peter Gabriel (1982) Plays Live (1983) Birdy (1985)
Singles from Plays Live
"I Don't Remember" Released: June 1983 (UK) "I Go Swimming" / "Solsbury Hill" Released: July 1983[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

Plays Live is the first live and fifth album overall by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was originally issued as a double album and long-play cassette in 1983, with sixteen songs. It was re-released in 1985, as a single CD called Plays Live (Highlights) with only twelve songs, some of which are edited so the album fits on a single disc. It was rereleased in its entirety as a double CD set in 1987. In 2002, a remaster of the Highlights version was issued. In 2019, the complete double-LP version was released on streaming platforms for the first time.

In 2021 the original 2CD version was released in remastered form. The sound recordings copyright (p) date featured on the back of the package suggests this had actually been remastered at the same time as the rest of Gabriel's back catalogue in 2002.

Armando Gallo took the cover photograph. "I was always listening to the music when I photographed a concert," he said. "Somehow my index finger pressed the clicker in time with the lights and the percussion - the heart of the music. I always felt grateful that I could shoot Peter’s entire shows. Once I asked Peter if he didn’t mind me being in the pit photographing his every move. 'No, I love to see a friendly face,' he answered. Making me feel good about it."^[5]

Recordings

The songs for "Plays Live" were recorded at the following venues:

• Braden Auditorium, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 3 December 1982
• Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, 4 December 1982
• Chick Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, 6 December 1982
• SIU Arena, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 7 December 1982

Liner notes by "the producers" admit, "Although this album was compiled from four concerts in the mid-West of the United States, some additional recording took place not a thousand miles away from the home of the artist. The generic term for this process is 'cheating'. Care has been taken to keep the essence of the gigs intact, including 'human imperfection'."

Singles and Promotion

"I Don't Remember" was issued as a single, with an accompanying music video, in the UK only.

In the US and Canada, "Solsbury Hill" was released as a single from Plays Live with "I Go Swimming" on the B-side. This previously unreleased song received airplay and made the US Mainstream Rock charts in 1983. It was initially recorded for Gabriel's third album^[6] and was performed on his 1980 tour.

In several European countries, "I Go Swimming" was the A-side.
A live version of "Kiss of Life" from the 1982 tour appeared as the B-side of "Solsbury Hill" in The Netherlands. It was never included in any version of Plays Live although it was included in Gabriel's 2019 compilation Flotsam and Jetsam.

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Gabriel.

Original vinyl release

Disc one

Side one

1. "The Rhythm of the Heat" – 6:26
2. "I Have the Touch" – 5:18
3. "Not One of Us" – 5:29
4. "Family Snapshot" – 4:44

Side two

1. "D.I.Y." – 4:20
2. "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:22
3. "Intruder" – 5:03
4. "I Go Swimming" – 4:44

Disc two

Side three

1. "San Jacinto" – 8:27
2. "Solsbury Hill" – 4:42
3. "No Self Control" – 5:03
4. "I Don't Remember" – 4:19

Side four

This side was recorded at Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas on 4 December 1982.

1. "Shock the Monkey" – 7:10
2. "Humdrum" – 4:23
3. "On the Air" – 5:22
4. "Biko" – 7:01

Dual CD Version

Disc one

1. "The Rhythm of the Heat" – 6:26
2. "I Have the Touch" – 5:18
3. "Not One of Us" – 5:29
4. "Family Snapshot" – 4:44
5. "D.I.Y." – 4:20
6. "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:22
7. "Intruder" – 5:03
8. "I Go Swimming" – 4:44

Disc two

1. "San Jacinto" – 8:28
2. "Solsbury Hill" – 4:40
3. "No Self Control" – 5:02
4. "I Don't Remember" – 4:20
5. "Shock the Monkey" – 7:40
6. "Humdrum" – 4:03
7. "On the Air" – 5:20
8. "Biko" – 6:50

Plays Live (Highlights)

1. "I Have the Touch" – 4:47
2. "Family Snapshot" – 4:47
3. "D.I.Y." – 4:05
4. "The Family and the Fishing Net" – 7:38
5. "I Go Swimming" – 4:54
6. "San Jacinto" – 8:19
7. "Solsbury Hill" – 4:41
8. "No Self Control" – 5:04
9. "I Don't Remember" – 4:12
10. "Shock the Monkey" – 7:10
11. "Humdrum" – 4:21
12. "Biko" – 6:52

Personnel

• Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, piano, synthesizers
• Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Tony Levin – bass guitar, chapman stick, backing vocals
• David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals
• Larry Fast – synthesizers, piano, keyboards
• Peter Walsh – editing, mixing, "cheating"
• Greg Fulginiti – mastering

Charts