So: Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel reflects on the making of 1986's So in this illuminating edition of the Classic Albums series. A former drummer, Gabriel says that he tends to think from a percussive point of view, although he didn't initially want to use cymbals on the album (preferring a cleaner, less cluttered sound). Producer Daniel Lanois convinced the stubborn musician otherwise as the pair spent 10 months recording the seminal album in a country house, a brief period of time by Gabriel's standards, even if the hit "In Your Eyes”—a duet with Senegalese vocalist Youssou N'Dour—took 96 takes to finish. Although observers assumed that Gabriel designed "Sledgehammer" to storm the charts, he says he was just trying to put his own unique stamp on R&B. Bass player Tony Levin, drummer Manu Katché, and trumpeter Wayne Jackson (the Memphis Horns) also weigh in here about their contributions to the track, while the unforgettable stop-motion video for "Sledgehammer" merits commentary from Peter Lord and David Sproxton of Aardman Animations (Wallace & Gromit), who worked on it with director Stephen Johnson and the Quay Brothers. Viewers will learn that "Don't Give Up" (with Kate Bush) was originally intended for Dolly Parton and drew from the photographs of Dorothea Lange, while "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" (with Laurie Anderson) was inspired by the works of poet Anne Sexton. A half-hour-plus of bonus footage goes into more detail on the “Sledgehammer” video, the song “Big Time,” and Gabriel's involvement with Amnesty International. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo on DVD, and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended. (K. Fennessy)