Peter Gabriel: Play--The Videos

Ex-Genesis frontman turned solo progressive rock/pop star Peter Gabriel found a perfect venue for his wide-ranging artistic talents with the rise of MTV during the 1980s, and even casual viewers from the Me Decade will recognize a few of the visually dazzling music videos featured in the 23-clip compilation Peter Gabriel: Play--The Videos. In fact, one can almost chart the evolution of music videos through the early '80s mini-dramas of "I Don't Remember" and "Shock the Monkey," the innovative mid-'80s live action/animation blends of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time," and the '90s digital-technique-heavy extravaganzas like "Steam" and "Lovetown," culminating in 2000's mostly handheld-shot multigenerational homage "Father & Son." Nicely spread out across a quarter century--from 1980's third eponymous album Peter Gabriel to 2002's Up--other standouts here include the Gabriel/Sinead O'Connor duet "Blood of Eden," the live version of "Biko," the Jerry Springer take-off "The Barry Williams Show," and the animated video for the instrumental "Zaar." Ironically, two of the worst music videos here are two of Gabriel's best tunes off the smash 1986 So album: "In Your Eyes" and "Don't Give Up" (although "Red Rain" is nicely done). Presented in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include a programmable jukebox feature, three bonus videos, and trailers for other Gabriel DVDs. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)