Back in 1993, the world tour following the release of the long-awaited "US" album by Peter Gabriel came in three different 'flavors' (just like with Pizzas): Large, Medium and Small. The small flavor would occur in places where Peter and his band would happen to play some of the songs from the track list, with any available instruments. The medium flavor would be like concert I had the opportunity of seeing in my home country (Venezuela): the band with their own instruments, playing the entire set, and using some of the visual effects that the larger production boasted (I have to say this 'mid-sized' version of the concert almost got me killed of a heart-attack -I'm not joking- due to all the emotions I experienced throughout it). The large 'flavor' was the one most northern hemisphere countries had a chance to enjoy, and what ended up registered in the video and the live album you're reading about here.

The band lineup is just as good as the one in Peter's previous live album 'Plays Live.' The drums, previously played by Jerry Marotta, are played by Mounsieur Manu Katche (also played with Sting, Eric Clapton and others); Jean Claude Naimro took the place of David Sancious (from the live So period); David Rhodes, Tony Levin, and -of course- PG were still part of the line-up; and Paula Cole (now famous for her albums Harbinger, This Fire and Amen) did beautiful backing vocals.

Particularly amazing are: the opening 'Come Talk to Me,' a true display of musicianship meant to get the crowd off their feet; ' the sinplicity and beauty of the rendition of 'Red Rain' and the musical strength of 'Digging in the Dirt,' 'Secret World' and 'In your Eyes,' bound for making the hairs in the back of your neck stand up.

Whether you've been following Peter Gabriel for his theatricals (when performing), his lyrics, his music, or a combination of all of the above, this concert simply belongs in your collection; no questions asked. Once you have it, you'll thank yourself for getting it!

I'm not crazy about live albums but this is an alltime classic. I say this because my two top favourite Peter Gabriel songs sound much better here than in their studio versions: Come Talk To Me and Blood Of Eden. There's more passion and more excitement here, I just go wild when I hear the choral break in the middle of Come Talk To Me, it's a truly transcendent experience. All the other tracks are great too, and just at random I can mention Shaking The Tree, Secret World and In Your Eyes. I recommend his album to all lovers of serious rock music.

Peter Gabriel's Secret World came at the right time for a lot of people who came to the age when spiritual and personal questioning begins. For me, I went through an ugly divorce and self-imposed isolation far from home in the far reaches of Northern British Columbia. I needed to reconsider my life and discover truths from within my past experiences. While going through my healing path I discovered this CD in the town's only music store. I liked Peter Gabriel and this new release was about his latest concert tour, the one I missed, so I bought it and gave it a listen to.
From the beginning it is a cracking and dissolving of hard protective layers and outer shell revealing the joyous and celebratory musical expressions within. I have never been so touched and fullfilled by a simple CD recording. Throughout Secret World I found anguish and release, "Digging in the Dirt", "Blood of Eden", "San Jacinto" and hope and celebration with "Don't give up" and "In your eyes".
Paula Cole's vocals are awsome, Tony Levin's bass strums go right through me, Shankar's violin create a mysterious and subconscious element and Peter Gabriel's lyrics and musical arrangements are genious.
Buy this CD, it is a must for any lover of music and those in need of a healing.

I've followed the Gabriel/Genesis/Collins/Banks/Rutherford phemomenon since 1976 (thanks to a great family, the Rosens of New Jersey, who introduced me to the best music to come from England since J, P, G & R)--

This is Peter at his peak--the staging is unique and puts you right on stage with the band--Paula Cole, Tony Levin--masters themselves, jamming alomg with the rest of the fantastic band. The live versions of Pete's songs, especially Steam, Red Rain, Sledgehammer (which I didn't even care for much as a studio song),and especially Secret World are different from and in my opinion superior as live performances.

Only drawback: not a DVD--the sound is superior hi-fi---but still, we all have gotten used to the "Skip" and "Forward" buttons. Oh well.

To my eyes (ears), that have seen at least 50-150 concerts on video/DVD, this is in the top 5. A masterpiece to me (I just saw his new tour and he is still fantastic--looking forward to *that* DVD)--I couldn't reccomend it highly enough.

Nice going, Pete, Paula, Tony, and all the rest of you guys (especially Peter's ingenious tape loops--especially Secret World--perhaps the best "loop" I've ever heard).

Ian Schneider
New York City

"Secret World" is the second of two live albums released by Gabriel, and by far the better of the two. The first, "Plays Live," was released twelve years earlier, and "Secret World" reveals an artist who had made tremendous strides in the meantime.

Truly great live albums should offer versions of the songs on them that are either substantially altered and/or substantially improved from the originals. For the most part, that's what Gabriel includes here. He was backed on his 1993 by a crack group of world musicians, some of them who participated in his "Us" studio album. As such, it is the best meld of rock and roll with world music since Paul Simon's "Graceland." "Us" is represented by seven of the double album's fifteen tracks and nearly all of the songs top the six minute mark. In fact, if there is a drawback to this album, it's that "Solsbury Hill" is the only one pre-"So" (1986) song to make the playlist. True, Gabriel most likely did not want to repeat himself extensively from "Plays Live," but this record is so good, it leaves you begging to hear the versions of his earlier material as he played them on this tour.

But that's a minor quibble. This is a fantastic live album that also, unfortunately, represents the only rock album Gabriel has released in the last decade. Here's hoping we haven't heard the last of him.