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Peter Gabriel — Steam
Album: Secret World Live
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 565









Released: 1994
Length: 7:27
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Stand Back! Said stand Back!
What are those dogs doing sniffing at my feet
They're on to something, picking up
Picking up this heat,
This heat, give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as anything you've seen
Get a life with the dreamer's dream

You know your culture from your trash
You know your plastic from your cash
When I lose sight of the track
You know the way back
But I know you

You know your stripper from your paint
You know your sinner from your saint
Whenever heaven's doors are shut
You kick them open but
I know you

Give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as any place you've been
Get a life with the dreamer's dream

Stand back, said stand back!
Can't you see I've lost control I'm getting indiscreet
You're moving in so close 'til I'm picking up
Picking up this heat, this heat

Give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as anything you've seen
Get a life with the dreamer's dream

You know your green from your red
You know the quick from the dead
So much better than the rest
You think you've been blessed
But I know you

You know your ladder from your snake
You know the throttle from the brake
You know your straight line from a curve
You've got a lot of nerve
But I know you

Give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as any place you've been
Get a life with the dreamer's dream

Everybody nosedive
Hold your breath, count to five
Backslap, boobytrap,
Cover it up in bubblewrap
Room shake, earthquake
Find a way to stay awake
It's going to blow, it's going to break
This is more than I can take

Oh yeah, I need steam
Feel the steam around me
Ah you're turning up the heat
When I start to dream aloud
See you move your hands and feet
Won't you step into this cloud of steam
This steam

Give me steam
And how you feel can make it real
Real as anything you've seen
Get a life with th dreamer's dream

Help me yeah
Ready to steam out the log jam
Stir crazy from the freezer to the foil
Water's bubbling, it's b..b..b..bubbling
bubbling bubbling bubbling bubbling
like it's coming to a boil
Give me steam, lady
Give me steam around me now
Coming alive
Coming alive
Said give me some steam
Comments (117)add comment
Long Live                                                                                                                      Radio Paradise
To me                                                                                                                                       9 -OUTSTANDING
The music's not bad, but the sound quality of this file is terrible.
PSD is where I live! saving grace for this venue...thanks Bill!
PSDed my way here today. Nice feature Bill I hit it four times to get here and it was just what I was looking for

Had the same basic feel as "Sledgehammer", IMO.  Not a bad tune, still, although I've never really "got" Peter Gabriel's music, never desired to buy anything by him. You know how McCartney still sounded pretty much like the Beatles after they split?  Well, I've never been able to relate Gabriel's solo work with his Genesis period - it just sounds totally different but I guess that was by design?   



I've always found these lyrics to be pretty weak.
raga wrote:
Agree
Pfffbbttt! Not his weakest. Watch his live in Italy DVD. Aside from the "showmanship production values" with two stages and a moving walkway between them, it shows his ability to "do it live" which I suspect that a lot of groups played here on RP couldn't begin to approach.
On_The_Beach wrote:
One of Gabriel's weakest efforts, IMO.
Agree
Stand Back!!
On_The_Beach wrote:
One of Gabriel's weakest efforts, IMO.
Odd, I was just thinking the exact opposite. But then again, I don't listen to Gabriel that much.
One of Gabriel's weakest efforts, IMO.
Jamunca wrote:
UPDATE: It's fixed! Praise Jeebus!
Dammit, and I've just opened up the SX-1250 and yanked out a few (more) transistors!!
Jamunca wrote:
HOT WATER BURN BABY! Oh, and this is a bad file. I had to leave one of my headphones out for fear it might burn a hole in my brain.
UPDATE: It's fixed! Praise Jeebus!
Yet, they continue to play it with it's poor audio quality. Is it like this on the CD?? Good grief, Charlie Brown.
One of the Peter Gabriel songs that i really like but the quality is shitty.
I posted a note in the Bug Report thread about the poor quality of this tune.
HOT WATER BURN BABY! Oh, and this is a bad file. I had to leave one of my headphones out for fear it might burn a hole in my brain.
Bad file. Distortion in the treble. How about a clean copy?
Hmmm... glad I checked in here. I thought something was wrong with my speakers. That was excruciating!
Great song. But I rated it marginal, because of the absolutely hideous distortion. It's painful to hear. Ick, Ick, ickety ick.
ziggytrix wrote:
ick, i'd have sworn the last time i heard a live cut of this song on RP it wasn't so painfully distorted in the treble. the irony of the album cover is that it sounds like it's been recorded over a telephone :(
And I thought it was my speakers. Yeah, this file's a mess.
using osx itunes here. the playback of this version's tinny and not pleasant at all, as if i were listening to a much lower bandwidth than "Octoshape 192k MP3"
lingchih wrote:
Arrghh. The pain in my ears. Make it stop. Or get a clean file.
I have noticed a few songs with this problem over the past couple of months. Arg.
KermitDfrog wrote:
Show Off
is that cool? Seems about as cool as being a scientist, which is so humongously dorky that my wife is leaving it for the fast paced world of modern dentistry. This file needs to be replaced by the way (at least I _think_ so...it sounds really bad on my speakers...see biomedvgh below).
biomedvgh wrote:
Sounds like a corrupt file!!!
... and a terrible torture for Nabla's ears!
Arrghh. The pain in my ears. Make it stop. Or get a clean file.
ick, i'd have sworn the last time i heard a live cut of this song on RP it wasn't so painfully distorted in the treble. the irony of the album cover is that it sounds like it's been recorded over a telephone :(
¿Buona sera? ¡Adios! This was en route for a 5 until yer man started singing when it dropped two points, then another point after the tempo switch to MOR soft rock, so 2 from the Nottingham jury. Mind you, I've had it in for Genesis for at least 30 years... ;-|
Sounds like a corrupt file!!!
Mr. Levin!
I'll awlays remember seeing this live. The whole place was on its feet dancing. Just what concerts are supposed to be like!
Misterfixit wrote:
I listen to this while coding assembly language for QNX. Very stimulating.
Show Off
Misterfixit wrote:
I listen to this while coding assembly language for QNX. Very stimulating.
Am I wrong or if you are truly MiB ret. you wouldn't know that you were MiB - true?
great horns in this...
I listen to this while coding assembly language for QNX. Very stimulating.
nigelr wrote:
Love that bass....propulsive!
Yeah, Tony Levin is simply amazing. Keep those sticks a-popin.
Love that bass....propulsive!
sig listens to this while watching chuck norris
bryan listens to this while
OK, turning this up with some expectation.
Power!
I thought it was just me. No, he gets alot (too much) air play. musikalia wrote:
Is it just me or is Peter Gabriel the most frequently played aritst in recent days?
jmpnbob wrote:
the stage show was most awesome 8
Yes it most certainly was!!
the stage show was most awesome 8
In the UK Gabriel is a little passe nowadays which is a real shame, but his enduring quirkiness, passion and fierce individualism is admirable. I love him, Ive seen him twice in London and really appreciate this radio station, its brilliant. Thankyou!!!
bokey wrote:
Why are all those people screaming?He's not that bad.
I agree. I like it!
musikalia wrote:
Is it just me or is Peter Gabriel the most frequently played aritst in recent days?
Well he was played 12/15 days while I was at work this month. That means 8.30 to 5 EST. Plus twice today. Talking heads (the other band I keep track of) was only 10/15. Both being played on the same day is 8/15.
musikalia wrote:
Is it just me or is Peter Gabriel the most frequently played aritst in recent days?
Feels like it. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Why are all those people screaming?He's not that bad.
physicsgenius wrote:
Just play Sledgehammer.
Well, I guess it had to happen eventually; I agree with PG on this one! (although I don't really want to hear Sledgehammer AGAIN, either) For the record, I'm a Gabriel fan; just not this song.
Is it just me or is Peter Gabriel the most frequently played aritst in recent days?
Top Tip - 'Plays Live' double album from 1982 is the best live album ever and one of my all time favourite albums (live or studio). Beware of the later pared down version known as 'highlights'
Sledgehammer Redux.
Has anyone seen Gabriel's latest concert DVD...He looks like Dr.Evil without MiniMe
way better songs from this show.. may i suggest secret world?
nataliak wrote:
Is it me, or does RP really have a hard on for Peter Gabriel?
That's actually one word, not two, I believe.
"...find a way to stay awake.." indeed. NOT the best version of this.
softjeans wrote:
I don't get it. He's likable, a good musician, a longtime promoter of "world music"...but you could say the same for Ry Cooder or probably even Sting, and yet those guys don't seem to be adored the way Gabriel is.
I won't contest his former talent but I'm not sure everyone would refer to Sting and his sidekick Ego as likable. Also, PG doesn't strike me as the type to lend his music to a luxury automobile commercial... Sting! Always found Paula Cole's background vocals on this album annoying. I really preferred Joy Askew who did those parts on the Canadian tour.
Good ol' Pete, working wonders! Like the live version more than I thought I would
Just play Sledgehammer.
hard to go wrong with darn near anything ole pete is associated with. glad bill here seems to see things that way too. it's one of the many reasons i'm an rp junkie.
Less Peter Gabriel please. More Genisis please.
optimusprime10 wrote:
we totally have RP on our speakers in our office too! (and i thought we were the only ones...)
It sure is better then the same 12 annoying songs over and over on the FM radio.
garoo1980 wrote:
We did but RP has a potty mouth sometimes. And some people aren't that comfortable with eclectic
lucky for me, i work in a *very* small office!
optimusprime10 wrote:
we totally have RP on our speakers in our office too! (and i thought we were the only ones...)
We did but RP has a potty mouth sometimes. And some people aren't that comfortable with eclectic
softjeans wrote:
It's not just RP. One of my best friends thinks he walks on water. I don't get it. He's likable, a good musician, a longtime promoter of "world music"...but you could say the same for Ry Cooder or probably even Sting, and yet those guys don't seem to be adored the way Gabriel is.
they are by me! Go PG! Go Sting! Go Ry Cooder!
algrif wrote:
We also have RP on the office speaker system. Some of us are luckier than others, I guess
we totally have RP on our speakers in our office too! (and i thought we were the only ones...)
algrif wrote:
We also have RP on the office speaker system. Some of us are luckier than others, I guess
Where do you work? I want to work there, too....
softjeans wrote:
It's not just RP. One of my best friends thinks he walks on water. I don't get it. He's likable, a good musician, a longtime promoter of "world music"...but you could say the same for Ry Cooder or probably even Sting, and yet those guys don't seem to be adored the way Gabriel is.
Sign me up. I don't get the whole PG adoration thing either. He strikes me as someone who strives to make his music portentous, yet like this song, it is often simply ponderous. I definitely liked him better when he was part of Genesis way back when.
Wow! Turn it WAY UP!!!!
So nice version
nataliak wrote:
Is it me, or does RP really have a hard on for Peter Gabriel?
It's not just RP. One of my best friends thinks he walks on water. I don't get it. He's likable, a good musician, a longtime promoter of "world music"...but you could say the same for Ry Cooder or probably even Sting, and yet those guys don't seem to be adored the way Gabriel is.
i like this version
I would've enjoyed hearing this live, then having fond memories of it later. Hearing this live recording only underscores my first sentence.
I prefere the cd's version....but with a band like this....it must be art!
We also have RP on the office speaker system. Some of us are luckier than others, I guess
trekhead wrote:
Your whole office listens? Cool office. PG is still a 10.
That IS cool. wonder if they're hiring?
Geecheeboy wrote:
We have a running joke in our office. When PG comes on, someone always says "guess who?"
Your whole office listens? Cool office. PG is still a 10.
That version of the song is the first track in 9 months of listening to RP that made me switch off. Exrutiatingly bad. And I like Peter Gabriel.
nataliak wrote:
Is it me, or does RP really have a hard on for Peter Gabriel?
We have a running joke in our office. When PG comes on, someone always says "guess who?"
live is not quite so great like the cd version ... but ... great song!!
drtjdel wrote:
Be nice.
I deserved that.
Pipes wrote:
And the babbles continue!
Be nice.
Mari wrote:
... Steamin' Streamin' Radio Tropical Paradise! ... ... Oh, That Bass! ... Shiver! ... ... Feels Live in here! ... ... Gimmy Steam! ...
And the babbles continue!
WordMariner wrote:
hearing him live is one thing.....SEEING HIM LIVE IS SOMETHING ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT........by FAR, the finest live performance by ANY band i have ever seen..........and i've been around a long damn time.......
Is it me, or does RP really have a hard on for Peter Gabriel?
rolf wrote:
I like live recordings far better than the version where the interesting details are "finished" away
Actually, it's my understanding that most (if not all) "official" live recordings (i.e., not bootlegs) are tweaked in the studio with overdubs, etc. to improve the performance and remove errors. This has been going on since the late 60s (e.g., the Stones' Get Yer YaYas Out). I was very disappointed, in fact, to discover that much of Lowell George's vocal and guitar work on what I consider to be one of the greatest live albums of all time, Waiting for Columbus, was re-recorded in the studio. Even so, I too often find "live" versions to be superior to the studio versions for many of the reasons others have expressed here.
I'm JEALOUS that you got to see him live! I like just about everything he does.
hearing him live is one thing.....SEEING HIM LIVE IS SOMETHING ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT........by FAR, the finest live performance by ANY band i have ever seen..........and i've been around a long damn time.......
That bass! That bass!!!
RongoTBurg wrote:
I always thought the cliches in this one and Sledgehammer were deliberately piled on and delivered with a wink to be kind of funny, so it never bothered me. Now, if a band like Whitesnake were to sing "I wanna be your ... sledgehammer", I'd say run, screaming, from the banality.
i agree with this comment. and i also deleted my comment saying i didn't typically like pg. that was an olllld comment (so old, in fact, that i had forgotten i had posted it in the first place) & pg has grown on me considerably since. :D
I think I'm waking up now.... Go, PG!
I had not heard this live version before. It is nice to have a different version once in awhile! BTW, one of my favorite live albums is Peter Gabriel Plays Live. If this live album is half as good as that one, I will want to buy this one!
rolf wrote:
if you hear artists live, you will hear their skills. No mixing away the mistakes. And it normally sounds more "alive", sometimes you can hear that they have fun playing their songs... I like live recordings far better than the version where the interesting details are "finished" away
I totally agree with you plus the fact it is the truest intentions of the artist. There are no engineers, producers,etc. to quibble with.
Love this song. Just give me some steam.
DrLex wrote:
I prefer the album version. Mostly I don't get the point of listening to live recordings without video of any kind, because the sound quality is always worse. Also, if you've been to that concert I can imagine you'd like to revive the memories, but otherwise I'd rather listen to a more 'finished' version. Unless of course there is something original or special about the performance, but the originality here ends after the intro...
if you hear artists live, you will hear their skills. No mixing away the mistakes. And it normally sounds more "alive", sometimes you can hear that they have fun playing their songs... I like live recordings far better than the version where the interesting details are "finished" away
Ooh, not heard this version... Nice
RongoTBurg wrote:
I always thought the cliches in this one and Sledgehammer were deliberately piled on and delivered with a wink to be kind of funny, so it never bothered me. Now, if a band like Whitesnake were to sing "I wanna be your ... sledgehammer", I'd say run, screaming, from the banality.
Ditto that.
i dig peter a lot but this song kinda sucks. however... there's a really cool slow version of it on an EP that has more of the moodiness of 'mercy street' that gives it a whole 'nother twist. seems more animal soul than culture grab grab
sonnysavage wrote:
I tend to enjoy Peter Gabriel, but these lyrics stink... one cliché after another.
I always thought the cliches in this one and Sledgehammer were deliberately piled on and delivered with a wink to be kind of funny, so it never bothered me. Now, if a band like Whitesnake were to sing "I wanna be your ... sledgehammer", I'd say run, screaming, from the banality.
Levin on bass just rocks. But then the whole song rocks.
ScopArch wrote:
I'm starting to wonder if RP stands for Radio Peter!? Bill plays ALOT of Gabriel. I'm not complaining but there's also alot of other music he could play, if only a little less PG!
Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Tom Petty. Playing less Peter would be like punishing him for being the standard bearer of all things musically eclectic. He belongs here, and I love that he's all over the place.
DrLex wrote:
I prefer the album version. Mostly I don't get the point of listening to live recordings without video of any kind, because the sound quality is always worse. Also, if you've been to that concert I can imagine you'd like to revive the memories, but otherwise I'd rather listen to a more 'finished' version. Unless of course there is something original or special about the performance, but the originality here ends after the intro...
Generally I would agree, but I still like professionally produced live albums sometimes. This album is one that I enjoy quite a bit. But my days of tracking down crappy bootlegs are long gone.
Yeah, this lacked the verve and power of the studio version. Still a cool song.
I prefer the album version. Mostly I don't get the point of listening to live recordings without video of any kind, because the sound quality is always worse. Also, if you've been to that concert I can imagine you'd like to revive the memories, but otherwise I'd rather listen to a more 'finished' version. Unless of course there is something original or special about the performance, but the originality here ends after the intro...
PG can do NO wrong....NONE! A 9.
The Secret World DVD that's out now is great, especially this song where huge vents of steam shoot up from the stage and almost blow off PG's shirt...I've loved Peter Gabriel for years, but finally seeing him in concert this past year just solidified it.
I'm starting to wonder if RP stands for Radio Peter!? Bill plays ALOT of Gabriel. I'm not complaining but there's also alot of other music he could play, if only a little less PG!
Darlington wrote:
This song's ok, but not this version.
Exactly.
Maybe it's better LIVE or on DVD, cause it rocks then. It does seem to lose something without the visuals. And I love PG and Paula Cole's background vocals/harmonies.
This song's ok, but not this version.
I tend to enjoy Peter Gabriel, but these lyrics stink... one cliché after another.
Beautiful intro!
Just be thankful its not Phil Collins.
This song and Sledgehammer definitely constitute the low point of Peter Gabriel\'s career. Give me Mercy Street any day over this pap ...
I liked this song a lot when it was called Sledgehammer. This version\'s ok too, I guess :roll: