Gabriel described his break from music as his "learning period", during which he took piano and music lessons.
He had recorded demos by the end of 1975; the fruits of a period of writing around 20 songs with his friend Martin Hall.
After preparing material for an album Gabriel recorded his solo debut, Peter Gabriel in 1976 and 1977 in Toronto and London, with producer Bob Ezrin.

Gabriel did not title his first four albums.
All were labelled Peter Gabriel, using the same typeface, with designs by Hipgnosis. "
The idea is to do it like a magazine, which will only come out once a year," he remarked in 1978. "
So it's the same title, the same lettering in the same place; only the photo is different."
Each album has, however, been given a nickname by fans, usually relating to the album cover.

For many years, Gabriel was managed by Gail Colson.

Peter Gabriel (a.k.a.
Peter Gabriel 1: Car) was released in February 1977 and reached No.
7 in the UK and No.
38 in the US.
Its lead single, "Solsbury Hill", is an autobiographical song about a spiritual experience on top of Solsbury Hill in Somerset. "
It's about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get ..." said Gabriel. "
It's about letting go."
Gabriel toured the album with an 80-date tour from March to November 1977 with a band that included guitarist Robert Fripp often playing off stage and introduced as "Dusty Rhodes".

In late 1977, Gabriel started recording the second Peter Gabriel album (a.k.a.
Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch) in the Netherlands, with Fripp as producer.
Its "Mother of Violence" was written by Gabriel and his first wife Jill.
Released in June 1978, the album went to No.
10 in the UK and No.
45 in the US.
Gabriel's tour for the album lasted from August to December 1978.
On this tour, Gabriel and his band shaved their heads.

Gabriel recorded the third Peter Gabriel album (a.k.a.
Peter Gabriel 3: Melt) in England in 1979.
He had developed an interest in African music and drum machines and later hailed the record as his breakthrough.
The album has been credited as the first to use gated reverb on the drums, creating a distinct sound.
While recording drums on "Intruder", one of the tracks featuring Phil Collins, Gabriel had Collins play various rhythms without using cymbals for several minutes which he used to develop the song further.
Collins used the gated effect on his debut solo single "In the Air Tonight" which became a signature sound in the 1980s and beyond.

Atlantic Records – Gabriel's US distributor, which had released his first two albums – refused to put it out. "
An American A&R person came over in the middle of recording and – other than attempting to make one track sound like the Doobie Brothers, which he failed considerably to do – he was convinced that the thing was much too [adopts American accent] 'esoteric, Peter'… He wasn't convinced then that they would want to do anything with it.
And, sure enough, when it was sent over there, it was given the big elbow."

Gabriel signed with Mercury Records.
Released in May 1980, the album went to No.
1 in the UK for three weeks.
In the US, it peaked at No.
22.
The singles "Games Without Frontiers" went to No.
4 and "Biko" went to No.
36 in the UK.
After a handful of shows in 1979, Gabriel toured the album from February to October 1980.
The tour marked Gabriel's first instance of crowd surfing when he fell back into the audience in a crucifix position.
The stunt became a staple of his live shows.

On Peter Gabriel four (a.k.a.
Peter Gabriel 4: Security), Gabriel took on greater responsibility over the production than before.
He recorded it in 1981 and 1982, solely on digital tape, with a mobile studio parked at his home, Ashcombe House, in Somerset.
Gabriel performs a Fairlight CMI computer and incorporated electronic instrumentation with sampling world beat percussion. "
Over the course of the last two albums," he observed, "I've got back into a rhythm consciousness.
And the writing – particularly with the invention of these drum machines – is fantastic.
You can store in their memories rhythms that interes
Gabriel described his break from music as his "learning period", during which he took piano and music lessons. He had recorded demos by the end of 1975; the fruits of a period of writing around 20 songs with his friend Martin Hall. After preparing material for an album Gabriel recorded his solo debut, Peter Gabriel in 1976 and 1977 in Toronto and London, with producer Bob Ezrin.
Gabriel did not title his first four albums. All were labelled Peter Gabriel, using the same typeface, with designs by Hipgnosis. "The idea is to do it like a magazine, which will only come out once a year," he remarked in 1978. "So it's the same title, the same lettering in the same place; only the photo is different." Each album has, however, been given a nickname by fans, usually relating to the album cover.
For many years, Gabriel was managed by Gail Colson.
Peter Gabriel (a.k.a. Peter Gabriel 1: Car) was released in February 1977 and reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 38 in the US. Its lead single, "Solsbury Hill", is an autobiographical song about a spiritual experience on top of Solsbury Hill in Somerset. "It's about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get ..." said Gabriel. "It's about letting go." Gabriel toured the album with an 80-date tour from March to November 1977 with a band that included guitarist Robert Fripp often playing off stage and introduced as "Dusty Rhodes".
In late 1977, Gabriel started recording the second Peter Gabriel album (a.k.a. Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch) in the Netherlands, with Fripp as producer. Its "Mother of Violence" was written by Gabriel and his first wife Jill. Released in June 1978, the album went to No. 10 in the UK and No. 45 in the US. Gabriel's tour for the album lasted from August to December 1978. On this tour, Gabriel and his band shaved their heads.
Gabriel recorded the third Peter Gabriel album (a.k.a. Peter Gabriel 3: Melt) in England in 1979. He had developed an interest in African music and drum machines and later hailed the record as his breakthrough. The album has been credited as the first to use gated reverb on the drums, creating a distinct sound. While recording drums on "Intruder", one of the tracks featuring Phil Collins, Gabriel had Collins play various rhythms without using cymbals for several minutes which he used to develop the song further. Collins used the gated effect on his debut solo single "In the Air Tonight" which became a signature sound in the 1980s and beyond.
Atlantic Records – Gabriel's US distributor, which had released his first two albums – refused to put it out. "An American A&R person came over in the middle of recording and – other than attempting to make one track sound like the Doobie Brothers, which he failed considerably to do – he was convinced that the thing was much too [adopts American accent] 'esoteric, Peter'… He wasn't convinced then that they would want to do anything with it. And, sure enough, when it was sent over there, it was given the big elbow."
Gabriel signed with Mercury Records. Released in May 1980, the album went to No. 1 in the UK for three weeks. In the US, it peaked at No. 22. The singles "Games Without Frontiers" went to No. 4 and "Biko" went to No. 36 in the UK. After a handful of shows in 1979, Gabriel toured the album from February to October 1980. The tour marked Gabriel's first instance of crowd surfing when he fell back into the audience in a crucifix position. The stunt became a staple of his live shows.
On Peter Gabriel four (a.k.a. Peter Gabriel 4: Security), Gabriel took on greater responsibility over the production than before. He recorded it in 1981 and 1982, solely on digital tape, with a mobile studio parked at his home, Ashcombe House, in Somerset. Gabriel performs a Fairlight CMI computer and incorporated electronic instrumentation with sampling world beat percussion. "Over the course of the last two albums," he observed, "I've got back into a rhythm consciousness. And the writing – particularly with the invention of these drum machines – is fantastic. You can store in their memories rhythms that interes
Peter Gabriel