There’s an old saying: when one door closes, another opens. That applies to this post. The door closed yesterday on Peter Gabriel month on Odds & Sods, followed today by the Peter Gabriel Dozen. This is starting to sound too much like Let’s Make A Deal for my taste. I say Monty, you say Wayne. Let’s call the whole thing off.

I’m old enough to have seen Peter Gabriel with Genesis twice. We both had full heads of hair back then as well.

I also saw his first solo tour; the one where Robert Fripp was introduced as Dusty Rhodes and played in the shadows. I am not making this up.

This listicle sticks to PG’s solo output but with a twist. He became an unlikely pop star because of his outstanding promo videos, so I’m throwing a curveball: all live versions.

I’ve omitted April’s Odds & Sods theme songs to make my life easier. Sorry And Through The Wire, Not One Of Us, and Games Without Frontiers. The dozens are difficult.

The list is in chronological order as to the dates of the original recordings. The performances are all over the place.

Moribund the Burgermeister was the first track on PG’s debut solo album. It was his set opener for the first few tours. As the man himself would say at this point: “No one will tell what all this is about but I will find out. I will find out.”

Solsbury Hill tells the tale of PG’s departure from Genesis. I really dig this orchestral arrangement.

I’ve used Here Comes The Flood many times in posts. It was NOT written about Hurricane Katrina and the Federal Flood, but it evokes it for me.

I’ve never loved PG’s second eponymous album, but I love On The Air, especially played live:

Family Snapshot was inspired by Arthur Bremer’s diaries. Bremer was the guy who shot George Wallace in 1972. It’s another eerily beautiful song.

The only time I met PG was during the Melt tour. He entered Warfield Theatre in San Francisco via the main aisle. I chatted with him in the lobby beforehand and apologized for the crowd noise during this song at the previous show. He shrugged and said, “It’s only rock and roll.” I know.

I Don’t Remember could be theme song of many politicians; most recently Marjorie Taylor Greene, “I don’t remember, I don’t recall. I have no memory of anything at all.”

The Rhythm of the Heat is another album opener, this time from Sanctuary. PG knows how to start off things with a bang.

Shock The Monkey may be best remembered by some because it was used on Cheers. Shocking, I know.

Red Rain is the opening track on PG’s commercial breakthrough album, So. Some hardcore fans were resentful that the PG cult had been invaded. I thought his belated success was well-deserved.

Sledgehammer was the biggest hit in PG’s career. I dig the jacket he’s wearing in this clip. As the kids say, it’s lit.

This version of In Your Eyes was performed upon PG’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Another well-deserved mainstream honor.

The Barry Williams Show is my favorite song from PG’s last album of new material, Up.

As lagniappe, a live performance of the title track of PG’s final album with Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: