Scratch My Back

Peter Gabriel's 'Scratch My Back' album is the first part of a series of song exchanges in which this art-rock legend and other leading artists reinterpret each other's songs.

To help craft his recording of the album's eclectic array of cult favourites & classic tracks, Peter enlisted former Durutti Column member, John Metcalfe; composer / arranger / producer, Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' / Lou Reed's 'Berlin') and engineer / mixer / producer, Tchad Blake (Suzanne Vega / Sheryl Crow / Tom Waits).

Making a conscious choice not to include guitars or drums, Peter describes 'Scratch My Back' as a very personal record, featuring twelve songs performed only with orchestral instruments backing his distinctive voice. The richly diverse pieces chosen for the album include the sparse romance of Lou Reed's "The Power of the Heart"; the powerful musical journey of Elbow's "Mirrorball"; and an epic arrangement of Arcade Fire's "My Body is a Cage".

Peter and his collaborators recorded the album at George Martin's Air Lyndhurst Studios and the Real World Temple, with further editing & mixing at Peter's own Real World Studios in Wiltshire. The first public hearing of the album came when Peter opened his set at the 2009 Summer W.O.M.A.D. festival, with a performance of Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble".

The singer first came to international prominence with the success of Genesis, a band that he co-founded while still at school. Since leaving Genesis in 1975, Peter's recording career has included seven studio albums; acclaimed film soundtracks for 'Birdy', 'The Last Temptation of Christ' and 'Rabbit Proof Fence'; as well as interesting side-projects like 'Ovo' & 'Big Blue Ball'; plus a number of "in concert" releases on both CD & DVD. His wider musical career has included multiple Grammy Awards and the creation of the now global W.O.M.A.D. festival.

Peter co-founded the human rights organisation, Witness.org, in 1989 and in 2007 the Elders.org was launched by Nelson Mandela, being founded by Peter & Sir Richard Branson. In 2006 Peter was awarded the prestigious "Man of Peace" title by The Nobel Peace Laureates. He has also engaged in a wide variety of tech-based businesses throughout a variety of creative industries.