Yes, I am a die-hard Peter Gabriel fan, and yes, I own all his albums (just like many of the fans who have posted their comments here). But I also have over 900 CDs in my collection, and more than a few of those are live albums, and I find this one double album happens to combine things not too common in a live production:
-The track listing is flawless. It's more than fair to say that (if you happen to be a newcomer into Peter's work) you have got covered the first solo musical period of Peter Gabriel with it (1977 - 1982) except for the unfortunate absence of 'Here comes the flood' (not that I suggest at all, that you don't buy the rest of his albums -in fact, you'll be almost possessed once you listen to 'Plays Live' and find yourself going to get them all, in a way that's very hard to explain in words). If you want to listen to the best versions of the songs "Solsbury Hill," "Humdrum," "Family Snapshot" and "San Jacinto" this is the place to find them.

-The band... The band are a bunch of guys each of whom is awesome at his instrument! Tony Levin, at the bass (one of the world's best renowned bass and stick players, who happens to have played with King Crimson among others, as well); Jerry Marotta, in the drums; Larry Fast, in keyboards and synthesizers (I happened to be lucky enough to catch these first three performing together at a Tony Levin concert last year -they left me speechless); and David Rhodes doing true wonders with his guitar.

-The recording production (engineered by Neil Kernon; produced by PG and Peter Walsh). Out of all the live albums I've heard, this one stands out as the standard by which all will have to be measured: attention to detail, perfection and balance in the capture of sound (no instrument, not even PGs voice, drowns the others -notice the drums, and barely noticeable splash cymbals, as an example), and most important of all, all the emotion of the artist and of the audience are very easy to perceive and feel by listening to the album.

I own several hundred C.D.'s and have an eclectic taste in music. Out of all the discs that I have, if I had to give them all away and keep only one...Peter Gabriel Plays Live is the one that I'd keep. This is a teriffic introduction to PG's early works, and it sounds just as fresh today as it did when it was released. If you are looking for just one PG disc for your collection...pick Plays Live.

Nice to have this in a single box, but did Geffen truly remaster this CD? After the debacle of the Beatles' White Album reissue (it was just repackaged, not remastered), one has to wonder. If Geffen has remastered this album, why not the earlier studio albums (which sound good, but could sound great using 20+ bit technology)?

The music is still the same, regardless of how its packaged. This is a fine career summation for Gabriel and one of the best live albums. Yes, there's a little bit of cheating(Gabriel admits in the linear notes that he went back and fixed a couple of bits to make the package acceptable to audiences), but it doesn't detract from the power of the performances, terrific playing (by the always underrated David Rhodes and Tony Levin) and great songs.

The material from SECURITY sounds better live than on the studio album--the performances and arrangements expand on the more tentative studio versions. The production by Gabriel with Peter Walsh (who also co- produced the SECRET WORLD live album as well). Most live albums tend to be little more than a document for the fans(most of the latter day Stones live albums), or a way to earn a little extra cash from the tour. PLAYS LIVE belongs in the same category as the Allman's FILMORE album; the live versions here present the songs away from the sterility of the studio full of the vigor that initially inspired them.

A fine addition to any collection, this is an essential Gabriel title.

Well, at least you know up front that this remastered live CD is only a "Highlights" version. Documenting Peter Gabriel's U.S. tour for his 1982 "Security" album, this live set is excellent proof about what a dynamic live performer Gabriel is, and how tight his live band is as well, including guitarist David Rhoades, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Jerry Marotta. The performances are passionate, putting fresh coats of paint on such Gabriel tunes as "I Don't Remember" & "Shock The Monkey." If you're a diehard Gabrielphile, then this live set is a must-own. However, keep in mind that this is only a "Highlights" single-disc version. Originally a 16-track double-disc live set, this newly remastered version removes four tracks: "The Rhythm Of The Heat," "Not One Of Us," "Intruder," and "On The Air," so you're not getting the complete live album as originally released. I recommend this shorter edition of "Peter Gabriel Plays Live" for the casual Gabriel listener who wants a live recording of the man but doesn't want to spend as much. If you're a Gabriel completist like me, however, then stick with the full-length 2-CD version, which is still available.

So far, Peter Gabriel has released two live albums. The first is PLAYS LIVE, which features songs from Gabriel's first four albums (all of which were self-titled, though they have all been given frequently-used nicknames: CAR, SCRATCH, MELT, and SECURITY). The second is SECRET WORLD LIVE, which features songs from Gabriel's fifth and sixth albums, SO and US, as well as a few tunes from other Gabriel recordings. PLAYS LIVE was recorded in 1982 during the SECURITY tour, and released the following year. After the live recording, Gabriel took the recordings into his studio and tweaked them a little. Is this irritating? A little, but it seems more unnecessary than irritating. (At least Gabriel freely admits to tweaking the tunes in the CD booklet.) Regardless of the tweaking, PLAYS LIVE is a lively album that presents some very interesting - and occasionally superior - performances of Gabriel faves.

None of the live performances are bad, though "Solsbury Hill" does lose a lot of its strength when infused with synthesizers. Most of them are quite good, and a few are superior to their studio originals. One such song is "Intruder". The live version adds a little weirdness to the tune, but takes out much of the chillyness from the studio version; still, the PLAYS LIVE version is probably the best. Also, the live version of "The Family And The Fishing Net" is considerably better than the studio version.

Inexplicably, the rest of the songs lose much of their power when performed live. The only other song that really sticks out is "I Go Swimming", available exclusively on this CD. "I Go Swimming" is one of Gabriel's most fun songs and possibly one of his best. What really keeps PLAYS LIVE going is the interesting arrangements of the Gabriel faves - different instruments, new instrumental sections, lyrics sung differently, etc. Still, none are really knockouts, save for the aforementioned tunes.

If you're a big-time Gabriel fan, you'll want to check out this CD. Otherwise, spend your money purchasing his studio albums. PLAYS LIVE is consistently intriguing, but it often feels bland and rarely excites. (Steer clear of the HIGHLIGHTS version, released in 2002 as part of the remastered Gabriel catalogue. The HIGHLIGHTS version deletes six of the album's tracks, most of which were among the best on the album.)