Steve Hackett's solo works

    • Official Post

    Hey Guys. So I started really working my way through Steve’s albums. I have never delved into his discography. Man! What a wild experience! It’s awesome! Started with Voyage of the Acolyte, and have made it part way through Defector so far. His music is mystical, melodic, joyful, creepy, and weird in a wonderful way. I’m still not sure what I’m listening to with some of the songs. The Voice of Necam, I feel like clowns are waiting for me in a closet ready to stab me or something. So creepy. But his music is so atmospheric. What’s going on in Carry on Up the Vicarage? Weird voices singing Deck the Halls? And the voice on Narnia, I was like, is that the lead singer of Foreigner? No, it’s the lead singer of Kansas, such a distinctive voice. How Can I is my favorite song so far, love Richie Havens. His music so far is a wild ride. It’s going to take a second listen to absorb it all.

  • Hey Guys. So I started really working my way through Steve’s albums. I have never delved into his discography. Man! What a wild experience! It’s awesome! Started with Voyage of the Acolyte, and have made it part way through Defector so far. His music is mystical, melodic, joyful, creepy, and weird in a wonderful way. I’m still not sure what I’m listening to with some of the songs. The Voice of Necam, I feel like clowns are waiting for me in a closet ready to stab me or something. So creepy. But his music is so atmospheric. What’s going on in Carry on Up the Vicarage? Weird voices singing Deck the Halls? And the voice on Narnia, I was like, is that the lead singer of Foreigner? No, it’s the lead singer of Kansas, such a distinctive voice. How Can I is my favorite song so far, love Richie Havens. His music so far is a wild ride. It’s going to take a second listen to absorb it all.

    Welcome to the show! I'm a Steve fan first, Genesis after, so no surprise to me. Some info re your comments:

    The Voice of Necam: Necam was the Neve of Croydon Computer Assisted Mixer, Found in lots of top studios back in the day (I got to see the one at BBC Studios in Cardiff) it recorded the fader sequence when you mixed a recording, if you weren't completely happy with the result, you could recreate it but change the bits you wanted. Steve came up with the idea of using it like an automatic Mellotron, as used on the vocal effects on Afterglow. Assign a vocal effect in a different note to each track, and fade them in and outl like playing a keyboard. The album notes credit Vocals: Hackett and Faydor (Fader!)


    The weird vocals between Narnia and Vicarage are Automata recorded at a fairground. The main vocals on vicarage are Steve through a harmoniser, one up high, one down low. Please Don't Touch, for me, is probably his best album overall.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

  • I suggest you try Guitar Noir, which probably is the start into Steve’s later career. It’s a lighter album than most of what follows, but it’s full of great tracks.

  • Cell 151-love it. I love a good 80’s power ballad. I found myself fist pumping and singing to it in the car. Lol. Is that Steve singing on Cell 151? Love the guitars on this particular album.

    While I like 151, for some reason it amuses me. And yes it's SH singing, as it is on that whole album. But is it what you'd call a power ballad?! That term always makes me think of stuff like The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush, The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Glory of Love (for a change) by Peter Cetera, Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler... ie, stuff I detest.


    One of the daftest lyrics by anyone in the Genesis universe is on that album - "India rubber man, how far can you bend..." :D


    Once you go past Til We Have Faces you'll be beyond where I ever got to in his solo career, I lost touch with his albums after that. For me he peaked significantly with Spectral and Defector but I just don't know if any of the post-Faces albums equal or better those.

    Abandon all reason

    • Official Post

    While I like 151, for some reason it amuses me. And yes it's SH singing, as it is on that whole album. But is it what you'd call a power ballad?! That term always makes me think of stuff like The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush, The Power of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Glory of Love (for a change) by Peter Cetera, Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler... ie, stuff I detest.


    One of the daftest lyrics by anyone in the Genesis universe is on that album - "India rubber man, how far can you bend..." :D


    Once you go past Til We Have Faces you'll be beyond where I ever got to in his solo career, I lost touch with his albums after that. For me he peaked significantly with Spectral and Defector but I just don't know if any of the post-Faces albums equal or better those.

    Maybe power ballad is a little extreme, but Steve has that “power ballad voice” on this album, which is a guilty pleasure of mine. I am enjoying his solo work.

  • Every Day

    Ace of Wands

    Spectral Mornings

    Clocks

    I agree with those.

    I would also add


    The Steppes


    (This is one of only two Hackett songs I ever heard played on commercial FM radio during my teens. Needless to say, I was wowed both times. The other one I heard played was "Star of Sirius").

    Edited 2 times, last by Witchwood ().

  • The weird vocals between Narnia and Vicarage are Automata recorded at a fairground.

    It's actually the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. Steve talks about it in this video ...


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  • Hey Guys, just curious having never seen Steve in concert, what songs are considered fan favorites from his solo work that he plays at his concerts?

    In addition to the songs already mentioned I'd add Serpentine Song from To Watch The Storms (2004) and Shadow of the Hierophant (1975), both of which were played as recently as the 2018 tour. Hierophant usually consists of only the instrumental second half unless Amanda Lehman is on stage. Then it's played in its entirety with Amanda's beautiful vocals.

    • Official Post

    Walking through Walls is an interesting song. All the sounds effects toward the end of the song are amusing. I especially like the sound of what sounds like someone stepping on potato chips. I just picture Steve and his crew sitting around being like, what sound effects can we put through this song that would give the image of someone walking through a wall. Haha.

  • It's actually the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. Steve talks about it in this video ...


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    Thanks for that. I assumed it was LA, as he was at the Record Plant, but didn't know the details.


    Little known fact. The fire which destroyed the pipe Organ, as mentioned on the sleeve notes, also destroyed the multi-track tapes for the work started on the Moody Blues Octave album. They relocated to Mike Pinder's studio in Malibu.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!