My Top 1000 Songs #938: Moribund The Burgermeister

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Feels a little excessive to pick a 3rd track off Peter Gabriel's 1977 solo debut (particularly since, as overall works, I prefer the two records that followed). But opening track "Moribund The Burgermeister" was so delightfully weird; as the first thing to be heard from Gabriel since he departed Genesis, it suggested he'd be carrying on with the prog torch--which, in fact, turned out to be very much not the case, as the album (and those that followed) pivoted into different directions. The song, with its odd voices and disturbing lyrics and twisted musical dynamics, is probably the most Genesis-like thing he did as a solo artist, and while it's hard to fault him for continually evolving as an artist, it's always felt like a thoughtful parting gift to those of us who lamented his departure from that band.

Live 1978:

Live 2007 (audio):