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ALBUM
REVIEWS
Steve Hackett
(click on the album Art to buy the CDs) |
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ALBUM
RATING SYSTEM |
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***** |
An
excellent album. Strong effort from beginning to end! A must own! |
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**** |
A
very good album. A few low points but, overall, a decent effort.
Recommended. |
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*** |
A
good album. Several weak points detract from the album, but it's still
worth owning. |
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** |
A
mediocre album. Unless you're a real fan, you might not like this album
very much. |
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* |
A
poor album. Stay away from this one unless you are a hardcore fan! |
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Steve
Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte (1975) |
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WOG RATING: ***
In what would become the first
solo project of any card carrying member of Genesis, Voyage of the
Acolyte allowed Hackett to unleash his musical muse that by the mid-70s
started to feel confined by the democratic collaborative songwriting process
within the band. Interestingly enough, despite feelings of creative
disregard from Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, Hackett’s first
solo endeavor was not a radical departure from the Genesis sound of this
period. That sense of similarity of Genesis’ period sound was probably
further reinforced by appearances from Collins and Rutherford on the
project. In fact, to date, Voyage is probably Hackett’s most progressive
rock sounding album to date with later albums like Please Don’t Touch!,
Defector and Spectral Mornings starting to draw elements from
other influences of the rock scene and beyond.
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Highlights on the album
include “Shadow of the Hierophant”, "Star of Sirius" and
"Ace of Wands." While many Steve Hackett and Genesis fans embrace
this album as being among his best work, I found the album to be a bit
mediocre. There are a few exceptional moments that really stand out, but
overall, to me, it almost comes off like a somewhat below par Genesis
project. I believe that Hackett really started to hone his talent with
Voyage, but really began establishing himself as a unique voice with
his sophomore solo release.
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Steve
Hackett - Please Don't Touch (1978) |
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WOG RATING: ***
As mentioned previously, while Hackett cut
his artistic teeth as a solo act on Voyage of the Acolyte and came up
with a few epic pieces, he really finds his inner voice beginning with his
second solo album, Please Don’t Touch! This time out, Steve enlists
Genesis touring drummer Chester Thompson, Steve Walsh from the rock band
Kansas, and Richie Havens. Although still showcasing a progressive flare,
Touch started to take Hackett is a slight different place than that of
his former colleagues in Genesis. Tracks like the title cut for example,
demonstrated a dark, almost sinister side, while other songs offered
radically different moods and influences going far beyond your traditional
progressive album.
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Other memorable tracks like “Narnia”,
"Racing In A," and "Kim" further separated Hackett
from the Genesis ‘sound’ with their unique style and tone. Interestingly,
although the album ranged from heavily progressive to more of a
straight-ahead melodic rock quality, the flow of Touch works really
well and helped balance the album as a complete body of work. Again, much
like Voyage of the Acolyte, while I don’t consider this Hackett
best work, it has several decent tunes and, in hindsight, shows a clear
direction as to where Hackett would evolve to musically in years to
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Steve
Hackett - Highly Strung (1983) |
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WOG RATING: ****
Although GTR is considered by many to be Steve Hackett's first truly
commercial rock album, in many respects, Highly Strung is really his
first foray into straight-ahead mainstream pop/rock. Largely propelled by
Hackett favorites like "Cell 151" and "Camino Royale" the nine-track album
(later reissued with three bonus tracks) successfully fuses his progressive
roots with the trendy '80s pop sounds of the day. This is perhaps best
exemplified by tunes like "Walking Through Walls," which while very dated
sounding today, was very contemporary in its time. With the exception of
a couple of songs, Highly Strung is a fairly solid offering. I think
some Hackett fans too easily dismiss this album, because it did deviate from
the direction of Steve's prior solo works a bit, and some might have seen it
as a bit of a commercial "sell out," but I thought it was a reasonably
adventurous effort and clearly an indicator of what was to come with more
commercial projects like GTR.
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Steve
Hackett - Bay of Kings (1984) |
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WOG RATING: ****
This album emancipated Hackett from the confines and the politics of major
record labels and served as his first true independent release (which was
frankly, quite avant-garde,
for its time). Whether forced to do so out of necessity or artistic
integrity, the end result was Bay of Kings, a beautifully crafted
acoustic guitar album with synthesizer accompaniment. At this point,
Kings was by far the most risky project any Genesis member (past or
present) had ever recorded. Kings is probably among my top five
favorite Hackett projects, and really showcases his prowess as a guitarist.
This innovative album would be a pre-cursor to wonderful acoustic driven
albums like Momentum and There are Many Sides To The Night. I
highly recommend this album. Collector's should also note that this record
has seen several album covers over the years and in various countries (the
most recent of which being the cover on the left).
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Steve
Hackett - Till We Have Faces (1985) |
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WOG RATING: **
Peppered with influences from the Brazilian culture, portions of Faces
showcase a sort of carnival flare. Unfortunately, for me, where the album
falls short is in its complete lack of cohesion.
The album is very much all over the place - very
similar in some respects to the inconsistent flow of 2006's Wild Orchids.
There is absolutely no flow or direction, almost like random bits and pieces
thrown into one project and called an album. That doesn't make it a bad solo
effort, but it definitely detracts from the overall listening experience -
especially from an artist that generally has a very unique, smooth and, on
occasion, sometimes very edgy atmospheric quality to his music. To be clear,
I'm not disappointed with the album for its level of diversity. My
displeasure stems more from Hackett's ability to pull this array of diverse
music together in a way that it flows in an enjoyable direction. It doesn't
feel like a solid album - more like a strewn about taste of odds and sods.
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Till We Have Faces starts out with "The Duel," a
track from one of Steven Speilberg's early flicks. Although somewhat
dated, this is actually a fairly good rock track and would have probably
fit nicely on a record like Highly Strung, but it just doesn't fit
here. After circling in scattered directions, the disc concludes with an
instrumental version of the Disney favorite "When You Wish Upon A Star"
which leaves you scratching your head and once again just doesn't seem to
gel with the rest of the music included here. There are a couple of decent
offers on Faces, but overall, I don't consider it to be among
Hackett's finest moments. |
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Steve
Hackett - Momentum (1988) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
In a bold move and in complete contrast to his previous
project with the commercial pop/rock band GTR, Hackett released Momentum in 1988. Unlike GTR, Momentum
is an instrumental acoustic guitar album, with occasional accompaniment on
flute by brother
John Hackett
. The album is completely devoid of the constraints of technology (or
should I say the over-use of technology) and outside musical or major
record label interference. An album free
of compromise or record label
manipulation and control may not sound like such an adventurous
undertaking by today's standards where being an independent artist is not
a scarlet letter but a badge of integrity, but remember that Momentum
actually pre-dated the trend of a major artist releasing projects as an
independent. Or, for that matter, the resurgence in popularity in the late
'80s and '90s of rock artists creating acoustic guitar-driven records that
followed as a result of MTV's Unplugged. All of those things aside,
the album was a return to Hackett's love of classical guitar which, at
this point in his career, could only be paralleled to his landmark 1983
album, Bay of Kings. Unlike Kings, however, Momentum
was classical guitar in its purist form - there was no synthesizer adding
to the mood of the music here. Among the highlights
on the album are "Cavalcanti", "A Bed, A Chair and A
Guitar" and "Variation on A Theme by Chopin" which
exemplify Hackett's natural elegance and skill with the guitar. To date, Momentum
remains one of Hackett's finest recordings as a classical guitarist and
one of my personal favorites of his entire solo catalog.
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Steve
Hackett - Time Lapse (1991) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
To
wait some 15 years to release your first live album seems almost unheard
of by today's standards. Especially, since Hackett has released no less
than 13 live releases in the 15 years that followed this release!
That being said, that was the case with Time Lapse. The album was
Hackett's first live release, recorded partially at the famous Savoy
Theater in New York City in November 1981 with the balance of the tracks
from Central TV Studios in Nottingham, England in October 1990. Collector's
should note that the original album cover, which was a live picture of
Steve Hackett circa his GTR days in 1986 was later removed for a live
picture of him from the Genesis Revisited Tour from Tokyo in late
1996. This occurred when the Time Lapse album was reissued on
Hackett's own Camino Records label (Granted, history has shown that it is
not the only time a Hackett album cover has changed over time!). Perhaps
more important, however, the Camino reissue used an alternate live version
of "Camino Royale" than the original release which is
significantly different in time length!
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The album itself is an fairly good representation of his early works in
the live setting. Many of the early solo classics are here including
"Camino Royale", "Please Don't Touch", "Everyday", "The Steppes",
"Clocks", "A Tower Struck Down", "Ace of Wands", "Spectral Mornings", "Tigermoth" and, of
course, the instrumental track "Depth Charge," one of the truly
rare cuts from this set. There are clearly some overdubs on this record on
both the vocals and, I believe, some of the guitar parts. At one point
during "Ace of Wands" for example, John Hackett switches from
rhythm guitar to flute at light speed, which seems virtually impossible.
There are a couple of tracks that do not quite work as well, too.
"Hope I Don't Wake", for example, is probably the weakest track
in the collection and does not translate well on this live version.
In some respects, this is probably a better anthology than The
Unauthorized Biography collection that soon followed. However, despite
its strengths in track listing, it is clearly not Hackett's best live
album to date.
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Steve
Hackett - The Unauthorized Biography (1992) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
The Unauthorized Biography is a one-disc anthology spanning the
Virgin Records years of Hackett's career from 1975's Voyage of The
Acolyte through 1983's Highly Strung. The songs were personally
selected by Steve Hackett and as a bonus, this set includes two previously
unreleased bonus tracks: "Don't Fall Away From Me" and
"Prayers and Dreams" written by Hackett and Queen guitarist
Brian May. The May/Hackett tracks were for a collaboration project in the
late '80s that never completely got off the ground, and are truly among
the high points of the album from a collector's standpoint. This set is really "a young person's
guide" to the early years of Steve Hackett's solo work and is a great
place to start if you've never owned a Hackett CD before. Many of the
early classics of Hackett's solo catalog are featured here including:
"Cell 151", "The Steppes", "Spectral
Mornings", "Hackett To Bits", "Ace of Wands",
"Star of Sirius", "Slogans", "Narnia", and
more! There are a few essential early favorites, like "Clocks"
and "Camino Royale" for example, that are missing from this 15-track collection, but it is
still a great place to begin your journey into Steve Hackett's solo work.
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Steve
Hackett - Guitar Noir (1993) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Guitar Noir is an interesting album at times sounding like a
throwback in style to projects like Spectral Mornings and, at the
same time, offering an edgier rock feel never before heard by Hackett. The
12 core tracks that make up the album (various pressings were made with
added tracks beyond the 12 album cuts) include an array of straight ahead
pop; incredibly dark, sinister rock; a few upbeat, catchy anthems; and
some beautifully reflective, melodic melodies. Collectively, this well-balanced set is one
of Hackett's finest moments as a rock solo artist and is, without
question, one of the best works of his entire career to date. New Hackett
standards like "Walking Away From Rainbows" and "Vampyre
with The Healthy Appetite" frequent Hackett's touring set lists, and
other songs like "There Are Many Sides to The Night", "Sierra
Quemada" and "Take These Pearls" are classic Hackett. This
album is a great place to start if you are unfamiliar with Hackett's solo
material. If this album does not capture your interest in Hackett as a
rock solo artist, virtually nothing will. Highly recommended!
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Steve
Hackett - Blues With A Feeling (1995) |
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WOG
RATING: *
This album holds the inimitable distinction of being the worst Steve
Hackett album of all-time. I've often respected Hackett for his
willingness to explore new genres of music whether that be rock,
classical, or anything else. In that regard, he is fearless in his passion
as a musician, and I certainly respect that. This time out, however,
Hackett decides to try his luck with the blues, and fails miserably.
Ironically, where this album fails is that it lacks feeling. The guitar
work is fine, but Steve's ethereal, breathy vocals just don't translate to
the blues at all, sounding almost emotionless at times. Track after track, Blues With A Feeling
just keeps getting more and more difficult to digest. I'll be the first to
admit, I probably like more of Hackett's solo work than most people, and I
simply can't listen to this album. It's a shame, because I think if he had
a decent blues singer with a deep gravely voice on the project, it would
have come across much better. If you are planning to explore Steve's
catalog, this is the absolute last album you should try (if at all).
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Steve
Hackett - There Are Many Sides To The Night (1995) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Some of my favorite Steve Hackett solo projects have been the acoustic
guitar albums like Bay of Kings and assorted acoustic bits from
other solo releases. In many ways, these stripped down pieces seem to
showcase Hackett's abilities as both a songwriter and guitarist in ways
that never quite come across as clearly on his rock albums. In the
acoustic setting, Hackett performed live with only the accompaniment of
keyboardist Julian Colbeck, to an adoring audience in Italy in December
1994. The end result is this live album. In addition to hearing rarely played live
gems like a version of the then unreleased GTR track "Oh, How I Love
You", "Cinema Paradiso", "Black Light", and
"Cavalcanti", pieces from various classical influences, and a
couple of reworked acoustic versions of Hackett classics, Steve even
worked in a few hidden, yet unmistakable, Genesis bits as a nod to the
fans. Without question, this is my favorite live project Steve has ever
released. A great disc from beginning to end and a truly unique show. Very
cool, Mr. Hackett, very cool...
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Steve
Hackett - Genesis Revisited (a.k.a. Watcher of The Skies:
Genesis Revisited) (1996) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Genesis Revisited is just what the title suggests, Steve Hackett's
tribute to his years in Genesis which spanned from 1971 to 1977. Perhaps
more interesting, however, is Hackett's approach to the project. Not only
does Steve involve an all-star cast of legendary musicians in the
reworking of old favorites, many of whom have musical ties to Genesis at
varying points in their own careers, but we also get a taste of a never
before heard Genesis song, called "Déja Vu," originally
developed in 1974 by Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett which laid dormant in
time until it was completed by Hackett circa 1996! The list of guest artists on Revisited
includes Chester Thompson, Alphonso Johnson, Paul Carrack, John Wetton,
Ian McDonald, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Colin Blunstone, and even The
Royal Philharmonic! Outstanding tracks on the album include Paul Carrack's
soulful rendition of "Your Own Special Way", John Wetton's great
cover of "Watcher of The Skies" and a new powerful version of
"Los Endos." The only thing that detracted from this album at
all were the deep vocal effects Hackett uses when he sings on songs like
"Fountain of Salmacis," which completely ruined the song in my
opinion. Still, there are enough good tracks on Genesis Revisited
to make early period Genesis fans find this a worth while purchase.
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Steve
Hackett - A Midsummer Night's Dream (1997) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Steve Hackett's first orchestral album,
featured the London Symphony Orchestra, and revolved around Shakespeare's
classic play about the tale of Oberon and Titania. While Hackett had done
classical projects in the past as a guitarist, this was certainly among
the more complex endeavors he had done to this period of his career. Of
course, this album would serve as the catalyst for future inspirations
like the Metamorpheus album, which is clearly influenced by
Hackett's work on this ambitious project. The 18-studio tracks that make up this
release flow beautifully, and Hackett is in top-form on this release. This
is without question among Hackett's finest moments as a classical
guitarist. Rarely do you find an album that surpasses your expectations,
but this was clearly one of them for me. I found this release to be
excellent overall, and remains his best orchestral album. Having never
heard anything like this from Hackett previously, it further strengthened
my belief that Steve Hackett has a unique ability to transcend genres of
music as a guitarist and composer.
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Steve
Hackett - The Tokyo Tapes (1998) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Recorded on Hackett's Genesis Revisited Tour of Japan in 1996, The
Tokyo Tapes features Steve along side of fellow progressive rock
legends like John Wetton, Ian McDonald, and Chester Thompson! This highly
respected band of musicians rip through an amazing set of classics and fan
favorites from their collective repertoire! From Hackett solo favorites like
"Camino Royale" and "The Steppes", to classic Genesis
songs like "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)",
"Watcher of The Skies" and "Los Endos", to a stirring
version of King Crimson's "In The Court of the Crimson King" to
an incredible acoustic version of Asia's "Heat of The Moment" -
it's all here along side of many other great tunes in a comprehensive
double disc set! Highly recommended!
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Steve
Hackett - DarkTown (1999) |
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WOG
RATING: **
DarkTown was Hackett's first completely original rock album in five
years and is, without question, the darkest and most ominous album of his
career. Described by Hackett as being "firmly autobiographical",
the nightmare-esque feel of the album would give Marilyn Manson the
creeps! From the in-your-face, guitar heavy "Omega Metallicus"
to haunting tracks like "In Memoriam", DarkTown's eerie
journey is relentless. In fact, this album is so overwhelmingly dark, it's
almost too much to endure in a straight sitting. There are a few gems on this project,
namely "In Memoriam", the title track, "Days of Long
Ago", and "Jane Austen's Door", but at times the album has
such a blatantly unwelcoming ambience, you really need to be in the right
frame of mind to listen to it. Kudos to Steve for successfully pulling off
such a mood provoking album, but DarkTown is just too disturbingly
sinister and esoteric for my tastes.
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Steve
and John Hackett - Sketches of Satie (2000) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
In a collaborative effort between the brothers Hackett, the two pull
together a thoughtful homage to French classical composer Erik Satie's
music. The project features completely reworked versions of Satie's
material with emphasis on flute and guitar. Although I was not personally
familiar with Satie's original material, I found many of the new
translations of the songs to be quite beautiful. John Hackett stands out
on this recording as a outstanding flautist, perhaps more so than on any
other of Steve's projects featuring his brother. Sketches of Satie has a few weak
points where some tracks come across a little dry and overbearing, but I
enjoyed the album as a whole. The project comes across so technically
perfect, from a musical perspective, you have to respect it regardless of
whether or not you like the Hackett's revamped versions of the musical
pieces. If you enjoy classical music, I think you'll find this album worth
exploring.
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Steve
Hackett - Feedback '86 (2000) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
In what has been described as Steve's 'lost' album, Feedback '86
represents a series of previously unreleased recordings made by Hackett
after the demise of GTR, his former band with guitarist Steve Howe. The
eight tracks that comprise the album feature an impressive line-up of
guest musicians, including: Brian May from Queen, Bonnie Tyler, Ian Mosley
and Pete Trewavas from Marillion, and Chris Thompson from Manfred Mann's
Earth Band.
Although somewhat 'dated' in its sound, Feedback
'86 has a few strong tracks, including: "Cassandra" (which
was previously released as a bonus cut on Hackett's Guitar Noir
album in the U.S.) and "Slot Machine" with Brian May,
"Don't Fall", and the GTR non-album track,
"Prizefighters" with Bonnie Tyler on vocals. Perhaps not
surprisingly, there are a few stinkers in the set like the ultra-sappy
"Oh, How I Love You" - but these are unreleased tracks, after
all! Overall, I found the album a welcomed release - especially since poor
quality copies of many of these songs have been circulating on bootlegs
for years!
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive 70, 80, 90s (a.k.a. Live Archive
70s, 80s / 90s, Feedback) (2001) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
For years, official live
recordings of Steve Hackett were few and far between. Even after the
release of 1993's Time Lapse, much of his treasure trove of live
recordings from the 1970s and 1980s were left mysteriously unreleased. As
years past, more recent live performances (like 1995's There Are Many
Sides To The Night) were issued, but those early recordings remained
buried in the vaults. Today, I am glad to say that the hopes of
many a Hackett fan have finally been appeased! The 4 CD Live Archive
set not only satisfies with several now rarely played classics, but also
offers some complete performances rather than numerous hacked bits from various gigs.
From an enthusiastic Hammersmith Odeon crowd in 1979, to screaming fans in
Rome's The Castel Sant' Angelo in 1981, to the roaring audience at
London's Grand Theatre in 1993, Live Archive represents the
ultimate Steve Hackett time capsule. Some
highlights on this collection include live versions of "Star of
Sirius", "Shadow of The Hierophant", "The Air
Conditioned Nightmare", and an excellent medley with
"Myopia", "Los Endos", "Imagining",
"Ace of Wands" and "Hackett To Pieces." On top of all
that, the sound quality is stunning!
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The
European 4 CD 70s, 80s, 90s Archive |
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The set is accompanied by a beautiful 40 page full-color booklet
with many rare and never before published photographs (among a few familiar
ones), liner notes on each era performance by Hackett himself, and a seemingly
complete tourography from the 1970s through mid-2000 ( including GTR dates)!
This is truly a fan's box set. Several rare live tracks, complete archive
concert recordings, and deluxe packaging... Who could ask for
more?! What's
that? You still hunger for more live Hackett,
you say? Ok! The Japanese version of the Live Archive set is
different, not only in terms of album artwork, but also in track listing
(see picture to the left). The Japanese version is separated into two different
2-CD sets. The first volume, 70s, 80s, features an alternate
performance from New Castle City Hall from 1978 in place of the
Hammersmith '79 gig on the European edition (the Rome '81 concert remains
the same). Like the Hammersmith show, the New Castle concert sounds superb
and includes other rare gems such as "Sentimental Institution."
Luckily for fans, you can purchase this New Castle show by itself
exclusively on the
official
Hackett site. The second volume of the Japanese Live Archive set, 90s,
Feedback, includes the same Grand Theatre show from '93 plus the
studio album Feedback '86.
This collection is not only an excellent archive piece, but a valuable set
for any Hackett fan. These archive recordings are highly
recommended!
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The
Japanese 2 CD 70s, 80s Archive |
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Steve
Hackett - Genesis Files (2002) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Genesis Files chronicles a short span of Hackett's solo career with
excerpts from selected projects from the mid-80s through the late '90s,
culling material from the albums Genesis Revisited, The Tokyo
Tapes, DarkTown, Feedback '86 and Bay of Kings.
For the collector, the set does offer one previously rare track, the
studio version of "Riding The Colossus," which was only
available on the Japanese edition of Genesis Revisited. While the double disc set makes a nice
introduction to some of Hackett's more recent projects, the collection
focuses heavily on his own versions of Genesis era material (as the title
might suggest). Eleven of the twenty
tunes featured on Genesis Files are material written with Genesis while Hackett
was in the band. Personally, I would have preferred to see a collection of
material that focused on a more diverse mix of Steve's more recent solo
projects on his own label, Camino, spanning his work with rock, classical
and blues. Such a mix would have been a much better representation of
Hackett's artistry as a songwriter and guitarist. Sadly, the pesky world
of royalties limits this compilation from being a comprehensive full
career retrospective, since Hackett's early material is on Virgin Records.
Perhaps more disappointing; however, is Snapper Music's seemingly blatant
attempts to cash in on Steve's stint with Genesis, leaving the casual
listener with the impression that Hackett hasn't written much in the way
of good material since his Genesis days.
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Steve
Hackett - Somewhere In South America (2002) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Recorded live in concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Steve's 2001 tour,
Somewhere In South America, is a double disc set that features the
line-up of Steve Hackett on vocals and guitar, Roger King on keyboards,
Terry Gregory on bass and vocals, Rob Townsend on saxophone and flute, and
Gary O'Toole on drums and vocals. Musically speaking, Steve Hackett
and his band are 'tighter' than ever here. The concert showcases Hackett in all his glory,
spanning his career with classics ranging from his own solo works and his
recent classical project with John Hackett to his work with Genesis and
beyond! In addition to some old favorites from Hackett's career, we also get
a few new, non-album gems like "Mechanical Bride" and
"Serpentine Song" (that later appeared on 2003's To Watch The
Storms). The quality of the audio is excellent. I find it hard to
criticize anything on this album. The performance, sound quality, and track
listing were all well selected. If you are looking for a decent live Hackett
collection, this one is ideal! Highly recommended!
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Steve
Hackett - To Watch The Storms (2003) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Probably
one of the most interesting aspects of a new Steve Hackett release is that
they are always a bit like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates;
you never know what you are going to get. Will it be rock? Classical? Or,
maybe, it will be little of both? In the case of his latest effort, To
Watch The Storms, I would describe it as a rock album that draws
heavily many genres of music. There
are several cuts that are reminiscent of classic Hackett circa Bay of
Kings, Voyage of the Acolyte, Spectral Mornings, Defector,
and even Guitar Noir fused with a modern influence that
demonstrates the range of Hackett’s almost seamless genre-crossing
ability. There are even occasional, subtle hints of jazz and new age on
this album, which are virtually uncharted waters for Hackett.
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For those who saw Hackett perform with his new
band on the 2001/02 tours, telling you that the chemistry between the
players on this record is extremely strong will come as no surprise. We
haven’t seen Steve with a fairly steady band since 1980, and their ability
to balance the delicate material on Storms with the one or two more
boisterous tracks attests to the group’s musicianship. Also of note, the
production quality of this album is fantastic and by far the best of his
catalog!
Among the standouts on the album are “Serpentine Song” with its rich,
hauntingly unforgettable melody – one of my all-time favorites from Steve;
the straight-up rocker “Mechanical Bride;” “Circus of Becoming,” a
quirky piece that almost has a GTR feel when the song kicks in; and “Wind,
Sand and Stars,” a dreamy acoustic number with violin and piano
accompaniment. The fact is, spare “The Devil Is An Englishman,” a b-side
sounding Thomas Dolby tune (reworked here with the now commonplace demonic
tune with deep vocal effects that somehow manages to make at least one token
appearance on every Hackett rock album since 1994), To Watch The Storms
is solid, and one of his best studio albums in years.
Fans of old will find this project to be a welcomed return to form
while new listeners will get a sense of the many textures that Steve is
capable of creating as artist.
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Steve
Hackett - Hungarian Horizons (2003) |
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WOG RATING: ***
Recorded
in Budapest, Hungary in support of the Sketches of Satie album, Hungarian
Horizons offers fans a complete live concert showcasing Hackett's
prowess on classical guitar along side of brother John Hackett on flute
and Roger King accompanying the brothers Hackett on keyboards. This 2-CD
set offers a varied assortment of material including Hackett solo
favorites like "Bay of Kings", "Kim", Black
Light", "Ace of Wands" and "Walking Away From
Rainbows" interlaced with brief excerpts of Genesis classics like
"Blood on The Rooftops", "Hairless Heart", "Firth
of Fifth" and "Horizons" nestled against Bach, Debussy,
Vivaldi and more.
Masterfully recorded and meticulously
performed, Hungarian Horizons is a true treat for the classical enthusiast.
Acoustic performances tend to be somewhat unforgiving for some artists, but
Hackett comes across beautifully here. In all, the double disc set outshines
even the Sketches of Satie studio album! Also available on video, Hungarian
Horizons is a surprisingly enjoyable effort from beginning to end.
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive NearFest 02 (2003) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Although
I am a fan of Steve's Live Archive releases, I find the need for
this set to be extremely debatable. Recorded in Trenton, New Jersey in
2002 at the progressive rock NearFest festival, this double disc set
closely mirrors the set list from Hackett's Somewhere In South America
album. In fact, the differences in the performances are so subtle and the
track listing so identical, at times it is easy to forget which one you
are actually listening to. Despite the minor differences, this collection
leaves me wondering why even bother? The performance is excellent, the set
list is good, but didn't we just get this a year ago?
For those of you who have not already purchased the Somewhere In South
America CD, this is a worth while purchase. If you did buy it already,
you will find this title somewhat unsatisfying. In fact, unless you are a
Hackett completist, you might find NearFest 02 to be highly
questionable at best. As previously stated, I am a fan of releasing live
material, but there is a difference between getting quality live recordings
in the hands of the fans and rehashing virtually the same show on a
different night and calling it something new. Somewhere In... (Insert
City Here) anyone?
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive 03 (2004) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Live Archive 03 is a 2-CD set compiled from Hackett's 2003 To
Watch The Storms European tour, featuring tracks recorded at gigs in
High Wycombe, Stockholm, Braunschweig, Croydon, Mannheim, Rotherham and
Limbourg. Live Archive 03 thankfully mixes things up a bit more in
terms of track listing and in minor arrangement changes than other Hackett
archive releases of recent years. That being said, this set still closely
mirrors the live albums Somewhere In South America and NEARFest
02, with
14 of the 22 tracks on Live Archive 03 also featured on NEARFest
02.
Despite this, there are enough changes to the set list to make
buying this title much more palatable than the NEARFest volume,
which was virtually a clone to the South America collection. Perhaps not surprisingly, with each tour (and
archive release) Hackett's band continues to get tighter and tighter in the
live setting. Some of the stand-outs on this live album include
"Kim", the acoustic medley, "Wall of Knives", and
fantastic live versions of "Brand New" and "Walking Away From
Rainbows." This archive title restores my faith in Hackett's
archive series. I look forward to Live Archive 04.
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive 04 (2004) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
Live
Archive 04 is a 2-CD set recorded in April 2004 at Petofi Csarnok
in Budapest, Hungary. Without question, this is one of the better live
archive releases in the series to date. In addition to a distinctly
different set list, the musicianship and raw energy of Hackett's band remains second to
none and the arrangements are more playful here than I've ever heard him do
live before. Several tracks, like the totally reworked version of
"Los Endos" breathe new life into old favorites along side of
some Hackett standards and a few great classics like "Air Conditioned
Nightmare" from Cured, "Hammer In The Sand" and
"Slogans" from Defector and "Ace of Wands" from
Voyage of the Acolyte! Critically speaking, there is little I can say
that could have potentially made this release better. If you enjoy Hackett's
music, you will find this Live Archive title to be well worth the
price of admission. Next to perhaps the Somewhere In South America
album, this is probably Hackett's best live rock album.
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Steve
Hackett & The Underworld Orchestra - Metamorpheus (2005) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Metamorpheus
is Steve Hackett's second orchestral album and fifth classical album
overall. According to Hackett, the album is a musical expression of the
legend of Orpheus and his passage through the Underworld. Metamorpheus'
combination of nylon guitar with the eight-piece orchestra blends
incredibly well into a deeply atmospheric collection of music that almost
sounds like a soundtrack to a film more than it does a stand-alone body of
work. The Underworld Orchestra skillfully compliment Hackett's masterful
guitar solos, providing a thoughtful balance of elegance and ambiance
behind Hackett's stirringly passionate guitar playing.
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The recording passes from somber moods earlier
in the release to the last four tracks, which are a bit more spirited and
bring the set from it's delicate tones to a new dimension of exuberance.
Classical enthusiasts will embrace this album whole-heartedly, while the
average music listener will find that the album is very pleasing to the
ears... Not just because it's a record with soothing, sweeping orchestra and
melodic guitar, but because it is completely unpretentious and beautifully
crafted. |
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive 05 (2005) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
The
2005 edition of Steve Hackett's Live Archive series was recorded at
London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 3, 2005 during the Acoustic Trio
Tour in support of the Metamorpheus album. The double disc set
includes the entire performance that night, showcasing Hackett performing
solo on acoustic guitar and also as a trio complimented by Roger King on
keyboards and John Hackett on flute. Among the highlights on this archive
release are the excerpts from Metamorpheus along with a completely
reworked version of Genesis' "After The Ordeal" and Hackett's
tribute to Andrés Segovia, the father of modern classical guitar.
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In many respects, I enjoyed the live performances better than the actual
studio recordings, which surprised me. If you were not lucky enjoy to see
this performance, or the tour from which it came, this is a great
opportunity to hear the essence of Hackett as he explores his classical
influences and a few classic gems from his extensive back catalog on
acoustic guitar. The combination of offering up several previously
unreleased live tracks and some excellent performances make Live Archive
05 a worth while addition to any Hackett fan's collection and to the Live
Archive series as a whole. |
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Steve
Hackett - Live Archive 83 (2006) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
The
2006 release of Live Archive 83 documents Hackett's first acoustic
tour supporting the Bay of Kings album. Featuring only Steve
Hackett on acoustic guitar and his brother John on flute, this 18-track
instrumental disc is actually a incomplete bootleg recording from November
4, 1983, at Queen's Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland supplemented with a three
tracks from another gig recorded on November 17, 1983 at Swansea
University (of equal dubious origin) to complete the full set list. The
recording is clearly not professional, but it is a fairly well recorded
bootleg, and despite the obvious but subtle tape hiss and occasional
distortion or faded commentary by Hackett between the songs, it sounds
surprisingly clear and balanced.
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Among the tracks are a few rare live gems like "Concert for
Munich" and "A Cradle of Swans" along with a set list that
eventually would become staples of Steve Hackett's future acoustic tours.
Perhaps more important than anything else, the release of this CD is
significant for historical purposes, since it was really one of the first
times that a rock guitarist attempted something like this (and pre-dates the
popularity of "Unplugged" type live releases by about five
years!). If you are a fidelity fanatic, you may have some issues with the
actual recording itself for the reasons mentioned above. If you're a Hackett
fan, however, you will probably find yourself forgetting that this is a less
than perfect audio recording due to the technical performance itself, which
is very good. The casual fan will probably find Live Archive 05 more
appealing overall, but this is a great offering and truly an Archive
release worthy of mention.
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Steve
Hackett - Wild Orchids (2006) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Wild Orchids was released in two editions, a standard edition with
13-tracks and a special edition with 17-tracks and deluxe packaging. The
album represents Hackett's first studio rock album since 2003's To Watch
The Storms and, like its predecessor, offers an array of diverse musical
styles throughout the disc. Unfortunately, unlike Storms, Wild
Orchids never quiet gels together, and its diversity of music ranging from
electric guitar-laiden rock to world/ethnic influenced pop to orchestral
music and even folk, actually - in this case - makes that lack of cohesion
overwhelmingly obvious - most particularly with the expanded 17-track
edition. The longer edition flows inconsistently from track to track without
any rhyme or reason and leaves the listener feeling as if the disc is a
collection of scattered ramblings instead of a solid, consistent album that
flows smoothly. The truth is, had this disc been slimed down to 11-core
tracks, it would have been an above average Hackett offering. In this case,
I suppose less would have been more.
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Don't get me wrong, as a Hackett fan, I
am grateful to have these extra songs, but I think in some cases a few cuts
seriously detract from the body of work as a whole. The shorter, standard
edition, actually flows a little better, in my opinion. Its a very diverse
record, and its refreshing to hear an album that completely lacks monotony
and offers an array of influences and styles, but it sounds to me almost
like two or three mini albums that have been mashed together to make one
longer album simply because they will fit on a single CD. Among the
stronger tracks are Hackett's surprisingly good cover of Bob Dylan's "Man In
The Long Black Coat", his reworking of brother John's "Ego & Id" (previously
featured on the Checking Out Of London album), and "Wolfwork."
Hackett fans will definitely embrace this album, but unlike the consistently
good To Watch The Storms, for example, its got a few songs that should not
have made the album (some of the bonus cuts are better than the ones that
made the standard edition, by the way).
If you are a true Hackett fan, buy the special edition. If not, the shorter
edition works much better as a body of work.
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Steve
Hackett - Tribute (2008) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
After an unusual year long absence, Steve Hackett returns triumphantly
with the release of Tribute, a new unaccompanied classical guitar
album. This time out, Steve pays tribute to some of the great classical
musicians like Bach, Granados, and Barrios and, ultimately, to the late
Andrés Segovia, who many consider to be among the greatest guitarists of all
time (if not the greatest guitarist of all time!). Among the thirteen
compositions are three original Steve Hackett songs as well, "The Fountain
Suite", "Cascada" and "Sapphires."
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I've always been a fan of Steve's
acoustic guitar albums, mainly because it showcases his guitar chops in a
way rarely as evident on rock projects. The stripped down nature of an album
like this shows the majesty of his playing and perhaps more interestingly,
how well he adapts his playing style to the different and unique pieces of
music Steve pays homage to. If you enjoyed albums like Momentum,
There Are Many Sides To The Night, Sketches of Satie, and Bay of Kings, this album
is a must own. Tribute is beautiful classical guitar in its purist
form and pays fitting reverence to the immortal talent of these legends of
classical music.
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Steve
Hackett - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth (2009) |
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WOG
RATING: ****
As mentioned here before, Steve Hackett's musical style tends to straddle
the boarders of various musical genres and themes. All of these influences
are uniquely mixed together and the end result is usually something that
combines an assortment that may include anything from progressive rock, pop,
folk, classical, blues, to even a hint of world music on occasion. At it's
core, while Out of the Tunnel's Mouth is clearly a straight-up rock
album, it draws heavily on elements of classical guitar, along with a few
doses of progressive rock, and an overall melodic feel that works incredibly
well.
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I have difficulty deciding
whether the production itself or the players should take credit for this,
but this is probably the first Hackett solo album where I felt the rhythm
section comes across as powerfully on record as Hackett's guitar parts,
making this album a really solid all-around recording. The bass on this
record has a nice thick, chunky sound quality that you can really sink your
teeth into backed by a rich, slightly louder, drum sound than I'm used to
hearing on Steve's work. When being played, the acoustics of Out of the
Tunnel's Mouth almost beg incessantly for 5.1 surround sound treatment
as the project moves from song to song on my stereo. The arrangements in
general just sound so good! Perhaps only comparable to To Watch The
Storms, this is probably the most polished sounding studio record Steve
has ever offered. Among the wide array of talent on this album are Nick
Beggs and Chris Squire on bass, Roger King on keyboards, Anthony Phillips on
12-string guitar, John Hackett on flute, and, of course, Steve Hackett on
lead vocals and guitars. Between the quality of the material and the
abilities of the musicians assembled here, Out of the Tunnel's Mouth
is, without question, one of Steve Hackett's brightest moments as a solo
artist. Anyone who enjoys Steve's work will relish in this true modern
classic. If I was to introduce someone to Steve's music for the first time,
this is very likely the album I would play for them.
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OTHER ALBUMS FEATURING STEVE HACKETT:
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GTR
- GTR (1986) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
In
the age of '80s "super groups" like
Asia
and Damn Yankees, GTR was
the progressive rock enthusiast’s dream. Two of prog-rock's preeminent
guitarists: Steve Hackett from Genesis and Steve Howe of Yes were coming
together to form a new band. Advanced speculation was that the album would
be a return to the progressive influenced sound of their roots, but
instead, the album turned out to be more of a surprisingly experimental
project for these two axemen. To the commercial public, GTR was a welcomed
breath of fresh air - an album with solid musicianship and catchy
songwriting saturated into a hybrid of '80s pop music meshed with minorly
audible progressive influences. To progressive purists, however, GTR was
an experiment in pop excess gone horribly wrong, which many described as a
complete and utter commercial "sell out."
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The
album, which had two hit singles with "When The Heart Rules The
Mind" and "The Hunter" and sold more than a half a million
records in North America alone, was radically different than anything Steve
Hackett had done before sans perhaps elements of Highly Strung. Although somewhat dated in the '80s pop sound of
it's heyday and despite a few weak tracks, the GTR album was a decent
offering and further demonstrated Hackett's
ability to cross into the
mainstream - at least when he chooses to. Despite overly critical comments
from some, I enjoyed hearing Steve explore commercial pop music - a genre
that I mistakenly thought was far beyond the realm of his repertoire.
Although it was not his best album, aside from his symphonic works, in many
ways GTR is probably one of Hackett's most ambitious projects to date.
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GTR
- King Biscuit Flower Hour Archive Series: Greatest Hits Live
(1997) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Also
released under the names Roundabout, The King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents GTR
and GTR Live On The King Biscuit Flower Hour (each with different
album covers for you collectors out there!), this album was recorded live
in concert as part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio program at the
legendary Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California, on July 19, 1986.
This album captured the "super group" fronted by guitarists
Steve Hackett and Steve Howe (of the progressive rock band Yes) on their
world tour in support of their self-titled (and only) studio album. Released posthumously some ten years after
GTR's demise, this live set highlighted the band's energy in concert.
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While history has since
reported that the band's personal chemistry had already significantly
deteriorated by this point in the summer of 1986, it certainly is not
evident on the performance featured here. Among the 15-tracks on this
release, nine of the ten songs that made up the actual GTR album are
included (only "Toe The Line" was omitted) plus the non-album
track "Prizefighters" which later appeared as a studio version
without GTR on Steve Hackett's Feedback 86 album, Hackett's
"Spectral Mornings", Genesis' "In That Quiet Earth"
(which is uncredited on the liner notes) and "I Know What I Like (In
Your Wardrobe)", plus Steve Howe's "Pennants" and Yes'
"Roundabout." While the term "super group" has become
little more than a footnote in '80s pop music history books, this album
allows you to go back and relive GTR live - just months before they
were history themselves!
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Nick
Magnus - Hexameron (2004) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Most
Hacketteers will know Nick from his keyboard work on Steve's solo albums
like Highly Strung, Bay of Kings, and Till We Have Faces.
That being said, Magnus' second solo effort, Hexameron, offers a
unique blend of progressive rock and new age music tied to an underlying
emphasis on sophisticated arrangements and multi-dimensional compositions
that sounds on several occasions as if they have been lifted from some
intense mythology-based film soundtrack. While this album clearly showcases Magnus' own
sound and influences, you will also notice some familiar players on the
project, including Steve Hackett's guitar work on "Double Helix"
(also featuring John Hackett) and "Seven Hands of Time," as well
as contributions from Pete Hicks and ReGenesis' Tony Patterson. |
The stand-out tracks on this album are "Double Helix" and the Celtic
influenced "Sophia's Song," the latter of which has some incredibly
beautiful vocals by Siobhan McCarthy. "Double Helix" almost harkens back
to Magnus' days in Steve Hackett's band and answers the question of what
the band might have sounded like today if they still worked together on
all of Steve's projects. A few tracks on the release were not quite as
strong, but overall I really enjoyed the project. Having never heard
Nick's solo debut, Inhaling Green, Hexameron makes me
very curious to explore it. While Hackett fans will find its elements to be
fairly different from anything Nick has done with Hackett in the past, Hexameron
is certainly a worthy investment.
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John
Hackett - Checking Out of London (2005) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
I
must admit, my initial curiosity with hearing this album was more to due
to Steve Hackett's sporadic appearances on guitar than for his brother
John's reputation as a rock artist and songwriter. After all, like anyone
familiar with his other projects, John is traditionally known as a flautist
not a rock guitarist or lead singer. Essentially, I expected an album that
was an attempt to clone a Steve Hackett rock project. So, when I popped
the disc into the player, it was almost like poor John had two biased
strikes against him, which is what makes the experience all the more
surprising.
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Checking Out of London, aside from a
few brief moments, sounds really nothing like a Steve Hackett album. Yes, it
has a progressive edge to it, but this album is distinctly different. In
fact, at times I almost hear a Pink Floyd style quality, which works
extremely well with Hackett's assortment of proggish-laced melodic pop
songs. The one quality that remains similar to brother Steve's album is a
very atmospheric, moody quality, which I've always found enjoyable; but make
no mistake, this album clearly has a distinctness to it. It is by no means a
clone or copy of anyone!
To my astonishment, John's vocals were very good... Dare I say, in most
cases, I even liked his vocal qualities better than his brother Steve (blaspheme
on a Genesis fan site, I know)! There were one or two tracks were I
thought his vocals did not work as well, almost coming off a bit lounge
singer-ish, but that was the exception, not the rule. ReGenesis singer Tony
Patterson's vocals also break up the album nicely, and the Patterson sung
"Ego & Id", a fiery rocker complete with a wailing Steve
Hackett guitar solo, is among the standouts on the album (and must be heard
by any Steve Hackett fan). Other favorites include the (John) Hackett sung
"Late Trains", "DNA", "Fantasy" and
Patterson's "Whispers" and "Dreamtown." All in all, an
solid first rock effort. I certainly hope it is not the last. Who knew John
had it in him, and why did it take so long for us to find out? Now, that is
the question!
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Algebra - JL (2009) |
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WOG
RATING: ***
Algebra's new release, JL, is a concept album inspired by Richard
Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
The project features guest appearances by Steve Hackett (who does a guitar
solo on "Il molo deserto"), John Hackett (who appears on three songs), Aldo
Tagliapietra (from the progressive rock band Le Orme), and Lino Vairetti (of
the band Osanna) among others. Fronted by Italian Genesis biographer and
Dusk fanzine Editor Mario Giammetti, the album does exhibit hints of
jazz and folk music but, make no mistake, its heavily progressive rock
influenced right to its core.
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Often times, because I only speak English,
I'm left wishing I spoke Italian when Mario releases a new Genesis related
book or a new update for Dusk, because his projects are so well put
together. Strangely on this particular release, I think that I
benefited by the fact that I did not speak Italian. I may not have
completely understood the lyrical content on this album (although the liner
notes of the CD are in English), but I think that disadvantage of not
speaking Italian made me listen far more intently to the music itself and
the way the vocals flowed within the compositions than I might have
otherwise. JL was a surprisingly moving album, and the musicianship
was quite impressive. Italian, being a romance language, naturally works
beautifully in song, and the melodic qualities of JL benefit greatly
from this. Whether you are a Steve Hackett fan or not, I would encourage
fans of progressive rock to explore this release further. I was impressed
with the album, and I look forward to hearing more from Algebra in the years
to come!
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