Plays Live

Plays Live is the first live and fifth album overall by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was originally issued as a double album and long play cassette in 1983, with sixteen songs. It was re released in 1985, as a single CD called Plays Live (Highlights) with only twelve songs, some of which are edited so the album fits on a single disc. It was rereleased in its entirety as a double CD set in 1987. In 2002, a remaster of the Highlights version was issued. In 2019, the complete double LP version was released on streaming platforms for the first time. In 2021 the original 2CD version was released in remastered form. The sound recordings copyright (p) date featured on the back of the package suggests this had actually been remastered at the same time as the rest of Gabriel's back catalogue in 2002. Armando Gallo took the cover photograph. "I was always listening to the music when I photographed a concert," he said. "Somehow my index finger pressed the clicker in time with the lights and the percussion the heart of the music. I always felt grateful that I could shoot Peter’s entire shows. Once I asked Peter if he didn’t mind me being in the pit photographing his every move. 'No, I love to see a friendly face,' he answered. Making me feel good about it."

"I Don't Remember" was issued as a single, with an accompanying music video, in the UK only. In the US and Canada, "Solsbury Hill" was released as a single from Plays Live with "I Go Swimming" on the B side. This previously unreleased song received airplay and made the US Mainstream Rock charts in 1983. It was initially recorded for Gabriel's third album and was performed on his 1980 tour. In several European countries, "I Go Swimming" was the A side. A live version of "Kiss of Life" from the 1982 tour appeared as the B side of "Solsbury Hill" in The Netherlands. It was never included in any version of Plays Live although it was included in Gabriel's 2019 compilation Flotsam and Jetsam.

All songs written by Peter Gabriel.