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Steve Hackett – Recording Compendium, Part 4: 1983 – 1984
The fourth part of the Steve Hackett Recording Compendium sheds light on the time of Bay Of Kings and Till We Have Faces.
Part 4: Bay Of Kings / Till We Have Faces | Summer 1983 – 1984
Last Update: 11/05/2025 | Overview | back to part 3 | on to part 5
After the tour, Steve has to reorientate himself. His desire to release an acoustic album requires a label. As Steve’s current manager is unable to provide much help in this regard, he asks long-time Charisma businessman Brian Gibbon for support. As he has also left Charisma, he takes over Steve’s management with immediate effect and canvasses his contacts for possible labels.
In the meantime, the British hard rock band Nightwing got in touch with Hackett because they wanted to record a cover version of Steve’s last single Cell 151 for their next album. He likes the band and co-produces their first single for the album My Kingdom Come (the last with singer Max Bacon) in the summer and also contributes some guitar…
Night Of Mystery
(Kenny Newton) (3:38)
Recording date: July & August 1983
Recording location: Strawberry Studios/Stockport
Produced by: Gordon Rowley & Steve Hackett
Performed by: Nightwing (feat. Max Bacon) feat. Steve Hackett (additional Guitar)
First official release: 6th? February 1984 – Nightwing Night Of Mystery (UK 7“//Gull GULS 77)
Best available source: Nightwing My Kingdom Come (UK CD//Zoom Club Records ZCRCD30)
While Steve is already in full ‘acoustic mode’ for his planned album, he will be a guest at the Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Finland, on 13 August, which will be his last solo performance with his own band for many years.
Manager Brian Gibbon comes across the new independent label Lamborghini Records, an ‘experiment’ by the current, wealthy owner of the legendary Lamborghini car brand and amateur musician, Patrick Mimran, who appoints the successful producer Mike Hurst as managing director and provides him with enough capital to get the label up and running.
While other (major) labels give acoustic albums by stars of the 70s a wide berth, this label is open to them. Steve records his acoustic pieces with brother John and keyboardist Nick mainly in London’s Berry Street Studio, but he is also a guest at the legendary Town House, where he injures himself in a collision with a glass door, but nevertheless records the final take of the title track of the new album: Bay Of Kings! Unfortunately, it is not known which specific tracks were recorded before the album sessions in the summer…
Bay Of Kings
(Steve Hackett) (4:55)
The Journey
(Steve Hackett) (4:17)
Kim (Re-Arranged Version)
(Steve Hackett) (2:28)
Marigold
(Steve Hackett) (3:37)
St Elmo’s Fire
(Steve Hackett) (3:09)
Petropolis
(Steve Hackett) (2:45)
(Theme From) Second Chance [1983 version]
(Steve Hackett) (1:58)
Cast Adrift
(Steve Hackett) (2:14)
Horizons [1983 version]
(Steve Hackett) (1:50)
Black Light
(Steve Hackett) (2:32)
The Barren Land
(Steve Hackett) (3:48)
Calmaria
(Steve Hackett) (3:22)
Recording date: Summer 1983?
Recording location: Berry Street Studio/London, The Town House/London
Produced by: Steve Hackett & John Acock
Performed by: Steve Hackett (Acoustic Guitars, Synth Strings), John Hackett (Flutes) & Nick Magnus (Synth Strings, Effects)
First official release: 28th October 1983 – Steve Hackett Bay Of Kings (UK LP//Lamborghini Records LMGLP 3000)
Best available source: Steve Hackett Bay Of Kings [1994 remaster] (EU CD//Inside Out Music IOM723)
To coincide with the album release, Steve is finally going on tour again, but for the first time with just a classical guitar and his brother John and his flutes in tow. From the end of October, the two will be on the road in England for four weeks. In addition to familiar material, there will also be new material to hear with Chinese Improvisation, The Water Wheel (Butterfly?), Concert For Munich and Jazz On A Summer’s Night.
Clips of the concerts at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall and Swansea’s Taliesin Theatre will be made available to fans 23 years later…
Calmaria [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:40)
Hands Of The Priestess [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:58)
Jacuzzi [acoustic] [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:30)
The Barren Land [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (2:33)
Andante In C (Tales Of The Riverbank) [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Mauro Giuliani, arranged by Steve Hackett) (2:12)
(Theme From) Second Chance [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (2:45)
Oriental Improvisation [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (4:21)
Petropolis [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (2:45)
Kim [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (2:15)
The Water Wheel [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (1:56)
Concert For Munich [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:12)
The Journey [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:00)
Ace Of Wands [acoustic] [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:13)
A Cradle Of Swans [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (2:46)
Jazz On A Summer’s Night [live in Edinburgh 1983]
(John Hackett, Steve Hackett) (3:06)
Performance date: 4th November 1983
Performance location: Queen’s Hall/Edinburgh
Produced by:
Performed by: Steve Hackett (Acoustic Guitars, Synth Strings) & John Hackett (Flutes)
First official release/Best available source: 2006 – Steve Hackett Live Archive 83 (UK CD//Camino Records CAMCD37)
Horizons [live in Swansea 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (1:29)
Time Lapse At Milton Keynes [live in Swansea 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (3:22)
Bay Of Kings [live in Swansea 1983]
(Steve Hackett) (4:35)
Performance date: 17th November 1983
Performance location: Taliesin Theatre/Swansea
Produced by:
Performed by: Steve Hackett (Acoustic Guitars, Synth Strings) & John Hackett (Flutes)
First official release/Best available source: February? 2006 – Steve Hackett Live Archive 83 (UK CD//Camino Records CAMCD37)
Steve is embarking on another experiment in the new year. As he already spends a lot of time in the Brazilian home of his wife Kim Poor, he wants to record his next album there. His musician friend there, Ritchie, provides instruments for the writing sessions with Nick Magnus in the greenhouse in the garden of Kim’s parents’ house in Petropolis. In return, Steve writes a song with Ritchie, which he records for his next album …E A Vida Continua… and gives him another hit.
A Mulher Invisivel *
(Richard Court, Steve Hackett, Bernardo Vilhena) (4:17)
A Mulher Invisível (Versão Longa) **
(Richard Court, Steve Hackett, Bernardo Vilhena) (5:47)
Recording date: 1984?
Recording location: Estúdio Transamérica/Rio De Janeiro
Produced by: Liminha & Ritchie
Performed by: Ritchie (Richard Court) (without SH)
* First official release: 1984 – Ritchie …E A Vida Continua… (BR LP//Epic 144.476)
* Best available source: Ritchie E A Vida Continua [2019 remaster?] (44.1kHz/16bit PCM download//Sony Music Entertainment)
** First official release: 1984 – Ritchie A Mulher Invisível (Re-Mix – Versão Longa) (BR promo 12“//CBS 51.067)
** Best available source: Ritchie O Melhor de Ritchie [2019 remaster?] (44.1kHz/16bit PCM download//Epic)
Steve’s wife Kim also wants to try her luck as a singer in her old home country. Steve produces her first and only single, which is released under the stage name Kimmy…
Paint It Black
(Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) (2:54)
Just For You And I
(Kim Poor) (3:16)
Recording date: 1984?
Recording location: ?
Produced by: Steve Hackett
Performed by: Kimmy (Kim Poor) feat. Steve Hackett
First official release/best available source: 1984 – Kimmy Paint It Black (BR 7“//RCA Records 1010968)
The Steve Hackett songs, written within one(!) week, are to be recorded at Da Som Livre Studios in Rio De Janeiro. Through Waldemar Falcão, Steve gets the session musicians needed for the recordings to accompany him and Nick. The basic guitar, keyboard and drums/percussion recordings were recorded in three weeks… exclusively – as is probably customary in the country – at night. Both the spartan equipment of the studio and the unusually free way of working for Brits already indicate that they won’t finish in the time available.
Back in London, the two returnees took care of the necessary overdubs at Marcus Recording Studios and also recorded the two tracks Duel and Myopia. The album Till We Have Faces is the first rock album to be mixed using the ‘Ambisonic UHJ’ process (a precursor to the Dolby ATMOS principle)…
Duel
(Steve Hackett) (4:48)
Matilda Smith-Williams Home For The Aged *
(Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus) (8:04)
Let Me Count The Ways
(Steve Hackett) (6:05)
A Doll That’s Made In Japan **
(Steve Hackett) (3:56)
Myopia
(Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus) (2:55)
What’s My Name
(Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus) (7:05)
The Rio Connection
(Steve Hackett) (3:20)
Taking The Easy Way Out
(Steve Hackett) (3:49)
When You Wish Upon A Star
(Harline, Washington) (0:48)
Recording date: Spring? 1984
Recording location: Estúdios Da Som Livre/Rio De Janeiro, Marcus Recording Studios/London, Silo Studios/London
Produced by: Steve Hackett with John Acock, Nick Magnus & Waldemar Falcão
Performed by: Steve Hackett (Guitars, Guitar Synth, Koto, Rainstick, Marimba, Percussion, Harmonica, Vocals) feat. Nick Magnus (Keyboards, Percussion, Programming, Vocoder), Ronaldo Diamante (Bass), Serginho (Drums), Rui Motta (Drums, eDrums), Fernando Moura (Rhodes Piano), Waldemar Falcão (Flute, Percussion), Bacá, Jaburu, Junior, Peninha, Sidinho Moreira, Zizinho (Percussion), Ian Mosley (Drums, Percussion), Clive Stevens (Electronic Wind Instrument) & Kim Poor (Voice)
** First official release: 1st? August 1984 – Steve Hackett A Doll That’s Made In Japan (UK 7“//Lamborghini Records LMG 16)
First official release: 7th September 1984 – Steve Hackett Till We Have Faces (UK CD//Lamborghini Records CDLMG 4000)
Best available source: Steve Hackett Broken Skies Outspread Wings (CD1) [2018 remaster] (EU 6CD+2DVD// Wolfwork/Inside Out Music IOMLTDCD 513)
* Best available source: 7th September 1984 – Steve Hackett Till We Have Faces (UK CD//Lamborghini Records CDLMG 4000)
One instrumental track from the sessions doesn’t make it onto the album and is used as a bonus track on the 12’ single of A Doll That’s Made In Japan…
Just The Bones
(Steve Hackett) (5:55)
Produced by: Steve Hackett & John Acock
First official release/Best available source: 1st? August 1984 – Steve Hackett A Doll That’s Made In Japan (UK 12“//Lamborghini Records 12LMG 16)
The A-side of the 12‘ single contains a long version, whose additional instrumental part is also on the B-side of the 7’ single…
A Doll That’s Made In Japan (Instrumental) *
(Steve Hackett) (2:12)
A Doll That’s Made In Japan (Extended Version) **
(Steve Hackett) (5:47)
* First official release/Best available source: 1st? August 1984 – Steve Hackett A Doll That’s Made In Japan (UK 7“//Lamborghini Records LMG 16)
** First official release/Best available source: 1st? August 1984 – Steve Hackett A Doll That’s Made In Japan (UK 12“//Lamborghini Records 12LMG 16)
The longest track on the album will receive a few overdubs 20 years later…
Matilda Smith-Williams Home For The Aged [1994 overdubbed version]
(Steve Hackett, Nick Magnus) (8:06)
Overdubs by: Steve Hackett (Guitar, Backing Vocals) & Julian Colebeck? (Keyboards)
First official release: 30th May 1994 – Steve Hackett Till We Have Faces [1994 remaster] (EU CD//Kudos PERM CDL19)
Best available source: Steve Hackett Till We Have Faces [1994 remaster] (EU CD//Wolfwork 0500428/Inside Out Music IOMCD 367)
Unfortunately, a tour originally planned for the album does not materialise. Steve is only booked for a ‘replacement festival’ of the legendary Reading Festival in Lilford Park in Northamptonshire on 25 August, but this has to be cancelled completely at short notice due to a lack of permits. This makes 1984 Steve’s first concert-free year since joining Genesis.
Steve has also been approached for a guest feature on the title track of the Eddie Hardin & Zak Starkey production The Wind In The Willows – a musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s children’s book, which has been in the works for some time…
The Wind In The Willows
(Eddie Hardin) (2:51)
Recording date: 1982 – 1984
Recording location: Herne Place Studios/Ascot
Produced by: Eddie Hardin & Zak Starkey
Performed by: Eddie Hardin & Zak Starkey feat. Steve Hackett (Lead Guitar)
First official release: 24th June 1985 – Eddie Hardin & Zak Starkey Wind In The Willows (UK LP//President Records PTLS 1078)
Best available source: Eddie Hardin Wind In The Willows – The Original Studio Production [2002 remaster] (UK CD//Purple Records PUR 327)
At this time, Steve and manager Brian realise that the people at Lamborghini Records may have money, but they don’t know enough about the subject matter and the ‘experiment’ is probably doomed to failure. Steve Hackett is once again at a point of reorientation. The idea of perhaps improving his current situation as a member of a new band comes into focus…
Compiled and written by Steffen Gerlach
Header image: Helmut Janisch
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