Based on 10 reviews from outlets we track. Scores run 40 to 85.
By the numbers: Scores ran from 40 (Uncut) to 85 (Entertainment Weekly). The lowest score of Peter Gabriel's 8 albums with a Breakdown.
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment Weekly via Wikipedia | B | 85 | ||
| The Guardian via Wikipediaby Alexis Petridis | 4/5 | 80 | 2010 | “Peter Gabriel's covers album suggests rumours of his declining creativity are exaggerated, says Alexis Petridis” |
| PopMatters | 7/10 | 70 | 2010 | “Those awaiting a proper follow-up to Peter Gabriel’s last studio album Up (2002) will have to hold out a bit longer. Instead, Gabriel’s new full-length” |
| Spin | 7/10 | 70 | 2010 | “7SPIN Rating: 7 of 10Release Date: March 02, 2010Label: Virgin U.K.Even in the early days of Genesis, this art-rock pioneer possessed the voice of a sage.” |
| AllMusic via Wikipedia | 3.5/5 | 70 | 2009 | |
| musicOMH | 3/5 | 60 | “The covers album is often a pursuit of those striving for a quick release from their record company contract or, worse still, a void for those without a” | |
| Rolling Stone via Wikipedia | 2.5/5 | 50 | ||
| Slant | 2.5/5 | 50 | “Peter Gabriel’s first album in eight years carries the definite stink of pandering opportunism.” | |
| Pitchfork via Wikipediaby Mark Richardson | 4.5/10 | 45 | 2010 | “The dignified prog and pop star returns from another long layoff with a covers LP featuring takes on Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Radiohead, and Magnetic Fields.” |
| Uncut | 4/10 | 40 | “No guitars. No drums. Covers of Bowie, Radiohead and Elbow. Gabriel's "song exchange" opens for business” |
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How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Approval is the share of critics who scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not how many critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Published is the date on the review itself, read from the outlet’s page, so you can see whether an album’s reputation came at release or years later. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number. Scores marked via Wikipedia are archive ratings, mostly for older albums, taken from the “Professional ratings” box on the album’s Wikipedia page (published openly through Wikidata); each links to the original review when we can find it online, and to that Wikipedia entry when we can’t. When an outlet reviewed an album twice, years apart (often for a reissue), both scores count, each labeled with its year.
A-Side marks the critics’ top tier. An album earns it automatically, from its numbers alone: a Breakdown of 90 or higher, from at least 5 reviews, with at least 75% approval. Nobody hands it out and nobody can buy it; if new reviews pull an album below the line, it loses the badge.
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