Writer: Peter Gabriel
Producers: Bob Ezrin
Recorded: Late 1976, The Soundstage, Toronto
Released: February 10, 1977 (album)
| Players: | Robert Fripp–guitar Tony Levin–bass Dick Wagner–backing vocals Jim Maelen–percussion Steve Hunter–guitar Larry Fast–synthesizers Allan Schwartzberg–drums |
| Album: | Peter Gabriel (Atco, 1977) |
Peter Gabriel's debut was the first of four self-titled albums. His fourth album would have remained Peter Gabriel if it was up to the him, but his new label, Geffen, stuck the name Security on the sleeve to avoid further confusion.
“Solsbury Hill,” Gabriel's single from his debut album, was a spare number in comparison to the art rock he had been making with his former band, Genesis. Gabriel had left Genesis after its tour supporting the album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ended in May 1975.
The acoustic-based “Solsbury Hill” lyrically chronicled the singer's break from the band in an allegorical fashion.
Although the song became, and remains, a classic rock radio staple, it had relatively minor chart success. It peaked in the U.S. at Number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it did fare better in the singer's native U.K., where it placed at Number 13.
