Believe the hype...

Here's the simplest way to "get" this record:

1) Buy it.

2) Turn off the lights (candles would be fine)

3) Crank it up.

4) Beginning to end.

5) And you'll be SO glad you did.



Security is eight tracks of the most extraordinary perfection ever recorded, a momentous journey of rhythm, sound and passion likely unparalleled in the history of music. I simply cannot imagine any human being with taste not being blown away by this album. (And, in fact, I've never encountered one - people who were initially annoyed have then thanked me profusely for forcing them to shut up and LISTEN to this. And then raced out and bought their own copies.)



If lyrics are your thing, there's plenty to enjoy here - it's actually a very political record, but think "human" politics rather than "government" politics. Perhaps "existential" would be a better word? And yet, rather amazingly, the album actually provides a wonderful "happy ending" that entirely works.



But it's the music that makes this. It's thick and lush, tribal and primal, and esquisitely percussive. It's more about the bottom end, down in the bass range, than the thinner top above (left largely to his voice), a record you will FEEL as it alternately thunders and crawls and soars.



My favorite music, personally, is music rife with tension that builds to fabulous crescendo. Some other reviewers below have pointed out that some tracks are "too long." I'd earnestly disagree. Each of the eight tracks is a perfectly-paced escalation of tension into release, and their length should be savored as exactly that. ("Family and the Fishing Net" would perhaps be THE standout, but you've got to LISTEN to it, as a process of brilliant congealing, to "get it.")



So are their any caveats? Yeah, it's not nearly so practical for "casual" listening (though great for nighttime driving). And definitely do NOT settle for a used copy of the pre-remastered version. The previous master had grown really long-in-the-tooth, almost to an unlistenable extent, and the remaster brings it back up to speed with the recording quality you're used to, and that this record deserves.



Ultimately, if you take the plunge, you will find this truly an unforgettable and irreplacable experience. Eight tracks of flawlessness, and one of the most visionary and utterly perfect albums ever made.

Interesting but uneven album with some great moments.

Peter Gabriel, never content to sit still, begins pursuing a new direction after the brilliance of "Peter Gabriel 3". "Security" does not succeed as consistently as 3 did, but it is nonetheless an incredible album with some of Gabriel's best material. Joined again by David Rhodes, Tony Levin, Larry Fast, and Jerry Marrotta, Gabriel begins to fuse his world music interests with the paranoia and darkness of the previous album. The result is often astonishing. But unlike 3, this album lets up a bit from the darkness.



Mind you, you wouldn't know it from the opening number: "The Rhythm of the Heat" sounds like it the material on "3" but with tribal percussion added to it, its one of Gabriel's strongests pieces. "San Jacinto" though is the first sign of change-- it maintains the world feel, albiet not as directly, and while not exactly a cheery song, it has a bit of an optimistic sense to it.



What follows next is a bit unexpected, particularly after the strong focus of "3"-- in many ways similar to "Peter Gabriel 2", the album starts to drift a bit, as though Gabriel is trying to find his way. A somewhat funkier sound is beginning to emerge in Gabriel's music, most apparent in "I Have the Touch", "Shock the Monkey" and "Kiss of Life". This along with the emergence of the world elements in his music leads the way to the future. But bizarrely enough, with all this forward looking, "The Family and the Fishing Net" is sandwiched between two of these, an overlong piece that would sound more appropriate alongside the punk tracks on "2". Ditto for the later "Lay Your Hands On Me", a reasonable song, but again way too long.



One of the unnoticed gems in Gabriel's catalog, "Wallflower", follows "Lay Your Hands On Me". A pretty ballad, with a much more general feel (although similar mood) than something like "Biko", features a great piano figure during the chorus.



This album could be better, Gabriel's restlessness gets the better of him and some of its not well enough developed, but there's enough strong material to make it worth having.

You have never heard anything like this....

...and you never will again. "Shock the Monkey," a great song to be sure, is dwarfed by most of the songs on this album, none of which are anything similar to it. This album was far ahead of its time, and would still be groundbreaking if released today. "The Rhythm of the Heat," "San Jacinto," and "Wallflower" raise the bar to a whole new level. Some have made the horrible mistake of giving up on this album after one or two listens, because it is so different from anything anyone has ever heard. Don't expect "Sledgehammer," "Games Without Frontiers," or "Big Time" at all. This is a genius at his very best, making an album on his own terms. If the sonic experience of "The Rhythm of the Heat" doesn't capture and keep your attention, I don't know what to tell you. A must for true audiophiles.