The 40 Best Peter Gabriel Covers Ever

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30. Take 6 — Don’t Give Up

Take 6 are an a cappella gospel group that started in the 1980s. But, on “Don’t Give Up,” they sound a whole lot like a group that followed them: Boyz II Men. (Or maybe I should say, Boyz II Men sounds like Take 6). On their 2002 album Beautiful World, they dramatically rearranged “Don’t Give Up.” It’s not only that it’s now all-voices; they twist the rhythm on the chorus and add a whole lot of moving vocal runs. — Ray Padgett

29. Kobori Masakasu – Supper’s Ready

“Supper’s Ready” might be Genesis’ magnum opus and it’s a contender for the greatest side-long track ever created (well, at least within the rock world). A seven-part suite inspired by the Book of Revelation and Gabriel’s former wife’s personal experience, it captures everything great about Gabriel-era Genesis. For some reason, when most people cover prog rock epics from the ’70s they adhere pretty closely to the originals. It’s not that different for Kobori Masakasu the alias of Sean Goldsby, but at least he mixes it up a bit.

For the opening of “Lover’s Leap” he does a faux baroque thing on his synth, which is fitting given that his alias was a Japanese garden designer from the 17th century. As Goldsby adds more synthesizers to the stew, the track begins to more closely resemble the original, though it’s entirely instrumental so the lack of vocals (and Gabriel’s puns) does render it more distinct. Adding percussion and some synths meant to sound like guitars takes Goldsby’s version even closer to the original at times. But during “How Dare I Be So Beautiful?” for example, it sounds like its own piece entirely.

By breaking down this very complicated performance into its constituent parts and playing it entirely on keyboards, Goldsby gives it a fresh faux retro feel, with some sections nearly sounding like chiptune and others close enough to the classic Gabriel-era Genesis sound. It’s a fun experiment that lacks the gravitas and/or pomposity of the original (which may be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes). — Riley Haas

28. Love Canon — Solsbury Hill / Icecaps Of Pentatonia Medley

Love Canon generally keep their marvelous musicianship for ’80s covers, but they reached back to 1977 for this one. The subject matter must have appealed to them. For the first part of the song they deliver their customary excellent cover, but then they move into an improvised reverie, a coda to the story and song. After all, if you are going to have a mystical eagle who comes to determine a change in personnel and direction for English prog rock bands, it presumably has to come from somewhere. The flexible pentatonics of bluegrass suggest that the eagle might have come from the Appalachians, which seems remarkably fitting!— Mike Tobyn

27. Sons of Bill — In Your Eyes

People of a certain age will always associate “In Your Eyes” with the scene in Say Anything where Lloyd Dobler holds up a boombox and plays it for Diane Court. But that’s not the first time we hear it in the movie. The first time is when Lloyd and Diane are commingling in the back of a Chevy Malibu, and Diane tells him, “Listen to this song. It’s a really good song.”

That’s where the Sons of Bill meet “In Your Eyes,” in the soft intimacy of a clinch rather than the soaring emotions of a cry. And where Youssou N’Dour took the song into the stratosphere with his guest vocal, Molly Parden brings hers into a male/female duet that brings out all the song’s romance, and there’s a lot of it. Listen to this cover. It’s a really good cover. — Patrick Robbins

26. Happy Rhodes — Here Comes The Flood

This is a fuzzy-at-the-edges audience recording from 1996 and features a little low-key banter for the first minute. Go ahead and fast forward through that for the “Flood.” The band’s performance here is shimmery, spacy and warm to be sure, but the star here is the famously pristine multi-octave Rhodes voice. She honors and owns the song, and makes it downright hymnal. You can’t take your ears off of her. — Hope Silverman

25. Down And Above — Digging In The Dirt

“Digging in the Dirt” is a surprisingly gritty funk-rock song, which was Gabriel’s first hit in nearly six years when it was released as the lead single from his sixth album, Us. Minneapolis alternative rockers Down and Above lean into that grittiness, with just massive distorted guitars and lead singer David Young shouting the first two parts of the refrain. For the softer chorus proper, they retain the quieter feel of Gabriel’s version, with a huge dynamic U-turn that is almost sweeter and poppier than the original. Bassist Ian Allison occasionally adds fills that remind us of the funkiness of the original, but mostly this is full-on alternative rock, bordering on metal at times (especially in its conclusion). It’s an extremely aggressive cover that really captures the anger in Gabriel’s lyrics. — Riley Haas

24. The Bad Plus — Games Without Frontiers

Jazz group The Bad Plus take Gabriel’s first Top 10 UK hit and really lean into the atonality of David Rhodes’ Frippian guitar playing. Pianist Ethan Iverson plays Kate Bush’s vocal line as if he’s playing Rhodes’ part, fracturing the melody and making it sound foreign. He returns to something more traditional when he takes on the whistling but gets really out there when he does take on some of Rhodes’ guitar lines as well as some of Gabriel’s vocals. As Iverson vacillates between the catchy and the avant-garde, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King lay down a complex, kind of funky, kind of swung rhythm that anchors their cover with something a little more approachable than Iverson’s aggressive piano. The Bad Plus did a lot of covers back when they were a piano trio, and this has to be one of the more consciously difficult ones. But their musical ability is on full display as they threaten to but never completely take apart the song. — Riley Haas

23. Simple Minds — Biko

Subtlety never the main calling card of Jim Kerr and co, there is still no end of their trademark grinworthy bombast to infuse this song with an undeniable charm. Indeed, sufficient to expunge the hint of po-faced propriety that could sometimes seep into, especially, live performances by the song’s writer. And the pipe and drums? Whoever’s idea that was, it was a stroke of lunatic genius. I dare say it was meant with all the very best of intentions, and, for that, the band need praise. But outcome requires adulation. — Seuras Og

22. Jeffrey Gaines — In Your Eyes

Jeffrey Gaines is a singer/songwriter with a long and varied career, having released his first album in 1992. That same year, he first included a live cover of “In Your Eyes” as a B-side to a single. Nine years later, in 2001, he released new studio and live versions of the song. This time, the cover became a minor radio hit and has endured as one of Gaines’ best-known songs (especially to those not familiar with his original material).

Of the three renditions, the 2001 live cut is easily the best. Gaines plays while strumming an acoustic guitar. His raspy vocal delivery is a stark contrast to Peter Gabriel’s rendition. Towards the end, the audience joins in singing the refrain of “In Your Eyes” along with the final chorus. It’s a stunning performance that highlights Gaines’ ability to captivate a crowd. — Curtis Zimmermann

21. Erasure — Solsbury Hill

In Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill,” he sings of having “walked right out of the machinery.” In Erasure’s version, they walk right into it. But where Gabriel was singing of leaving the tour/album/tour grind of Genesis life behind, Erasure was giving the song a good beat that you could dance to – not the 7/4 time Gabriel famously applied, but a basic 4/4 that brought the Erasure fans to their feet. Both versions are about approaching an uncertain future; only Erasure’s felt like the future of a fantasy novel. — Patrick Robbins

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