Peter Gabriel's first foray into soundtracks was for Alan Parker's contemplative film Birdy and is a successful companion piece, providing a backdrop that is moody and evocative.
Nearly half of the album's dozen tracks incorporate threads from material found on Gabriel's 1982 Security set, including "Close Up," which makes use of keyboard passages from "Family Snapshot," and "The Heat," which is a reworking of "The Rhythm of the Heat" and builds to a frenzied percussive crescendo.
Material specially written for this project includes the murky opening track, "At Night," the tribal "Floating Dogs," and "Slow Marimbas," a track which would become part of future live performances.
The fact that Birdy is comprised of all instrumentals means that listeners whose familiarity with Gabriel is limited to "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" will be largely disappointed.
However, its meditative nature makes it fine, reflective listening for the more adventurous.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | At NightPeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | Floating DogsPeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 3 | Quiet and AlonePeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 02:37 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 4 | Slow WaterPeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 5 | Dressing the WoundPeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | Slow MarimbasPeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | Sketch Pad with Trumpet and VoicePeter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 8 | Close Up | Peter Gabriel | Play | 00:55 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 9 | Birdy's Flight | Peter Gabriel | Play | 03:03 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 10 | The Heat | Peter Gabriel | Play | 04:48 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 11 | Under Lock And Key | Peter Gabriel | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| 12 | Powerhouse At The Foot Of The Mountain | Peter Gabriel | Play | 02:22 | 5 MB | 9 MB |
| 35 mins | 81 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 155 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Bessant | Graphic Design |
| 2 | Norma Bishop | Assistant |
| 3 | Dan Blore | Sleeve Restoration |
| 4 | Richard Chappell | Engineer |
| 5 | Tony Cousins | Remastering |
| 6 | Drummers of Ekome | Special Contributor |
| 7 | Manny Elias | Additional Personnel |
| 8 | Larry Fast | Special Contributor |
| 9 | Peter Gabriel | Composer, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 10 | John Giblin | Additional Personnel |
| 11 | Edel Griffith | Assistant Engineer |
| 12 | Amanda Harcourt | Assistant |
| 13 | Jon Hassell | Guest Artist, Special Contributor |
| 14 | Kerry Hayes | Photography |
| 15 | Daniel Lanois | Producer |
| 16 | Tony Levin | Guest Artist, Special Contributor |
| 17 | Jerry Marotta | Special Contributor |
| 18 | Susie Millns | Design Coordinator |
| 19 | Ralph Nelson | Photography |
| 20 | Morris Pert | Additional Personnel |
| 21 | David Rhodes | Special Contributor |
| 22 | Dan Roe | Assistant Engineer |
| 23 | Mic Smith | Introduction, Research |
| 24 | David Stallbaumer | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |