Peter Gabriel - And I’ll Scratch Yours

He’s always been a trailblazer—in music videos, activism and cross-cultural projects. Now Gabriel, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (as Genesis member and solo artist), has reinvented the art of the covers album. In 2010, he recorded songs by his favorite artists on Scratch My Back with the plan of those same musicians returning the favor. Said Gabriel: “Rather than having a passive project where you do your own thing with people’s songs, I wanted to see if I could interact with the people who wrote them.” The result is And I’ll Scratch Yours, which features Arcade Fire tackling Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers,” Lou Reed toughening up “Solsbury Hill” and Feist, together with Timber Timbre, creating an elegiac “Don’t Give Up.” But the real highlight is Paul Simon’s stirring cover of “Biko.” As a response to Gabriel’s stark version of Simon’s “Boy in the Bubble,” it’s perfect reciprocation.