Scratch My Back | ||||
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Studio album by Peter Gabriel | ||||
Released | 12 February 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Studio | Air Lyndhurst and Real World Studios | |||
Genre | Symphonic rock | |||
Length | 53:26 | |||
Label | Real World/Virgin | |||
Producer | Peter Gabriel, Bob Ezrin | |||
Peter Gabriel chronology | ||||
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Singles from Scratch My Back | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 67/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
BBC | (favourable) |
The Daily Telegraph | |
Drowned in Sound | |
Entertainment Weekly | B |
The Guardian | |
Mojo | |
MusicOMH | |
The Observer | |
Pitchfork Media | (4.5/10) |
Robert Christgau | |
Rolling Stone | |
Slant Magazine | |
The Times | |
Uncut |
Scratch My Back is the eighth studio album (and fifteenth album overall) by English musician Peter Gabriel, his first in eight years. It was released in February 2010. The album, recorded at Air Lyndhurst and Real World Studios during 2009, consists of cover versions of twelve songs by various artists, using only orchestra and voice. It is produced by Gabriel himself with Bob Ezrin.
The album generally received favourable reviews by music journalists and performed well on the album charts around the world, peaking at No. 1 in Belgium, No. 2 in Germany and Canada, and No. 3 in the Czech Republic, Italy and Switzerland. It also reached the top 5 in France and Sweden. In Gabriel's native United Kingdom it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart on 21 February 2010, the week following its release. In the United States it peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on the Independent Albums chart and No. 3 on the Rock Albums chart on 12 March 2010.
Scratch My Back was initially released on compact disc and as music download; a vinyl album edition was subsequently released in late March 2010.
The idea behind the Scratch My Back project is a song exchange where each artist would cover one of Gabriel's songs in return for his covering one of theirs; the other artists' renditions of Gabriel's songs were to appear on an album entitled I'll Scratch Yours. Initially planned to be released simultaneously with Scratch My Back in 2010, several artists were late in delivering their songs or ultimately declined to participate, necessitating changes to the companion album's concept. With several new artists aboard, the slightly retitled And I'll Scratch Yours was released in September 2013.
According to Gabriel, although he and arranger John Metcalfe had talked about Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich as inspiration, it was the work that Metcalfe did on "Heroes" that "gave us the confidence to be bold in the way in which we were going to approach the record." "Heroes" became the opening track because "without any of the drive of guitar and drums...it builds an enormous tension that bursts open."