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Steve Hackett's and Steve Howe's band project GTR have released only one album in 1986. This self-titled album turns 35 today.
This is our review (the 2015 reissue was reviewed):
https://www.genesis-news.com/c…acon-2CD-review-s733.html
What do you think about the GTR aklbum? Favorite tracks?
Difficult album for me. I don't like the voice a lot and most of the tracks are average at best. Surely not one of Steve's highlights.
I do like Imagining, though.
I quite like it. Certainly, the arrangements and production could have been better, and the initial CD release sounded awful, far too strident and shrill. The re-issue improves matters a bit, but it's still a bit tiring.
Best tracks: The single, When the heart....., The Hunter, Jekyll & Hyde, and the closing trio, Toe the line/Hackett to Bits/Imagining. The vocalist, Max Bacon, comes from somewhere around Cuddington, near Northwich, Cheshire, so not far from me. I had a friend back then who knew him. I believe he ended up as a pub landlord, but not before appearing on "New Faces" (Like X-factor for the 1980's) as a NEW act, and singing When the heart..........! What a laugh.
I never heard the album but I went to see GTR perform in London. It was ok-ish, I think but pretty unmemorable.
One thing I do remember was vocalist Max Bacon at the end of the gig acknowledging the applause and excitedly saying "GTR won't be a one-album wonder, we're going to carry on going for YEARS!" at which point I swear I saw the Steves grimace through their rictus grins.
My next memory of Max B was his being an unsuccessful contestant in A Song For Europe, the UK's televised show deciding that year's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. I didn't know about his New Faces appearance or that the show was even still going in the 80s. I hope his pub did ok.
I should have given the full album a listen. It got some play on album rock stations in Washington, DC, where I was living at the time. What I heard sounded ok—neither great nor awful. I hate to admit it but JD Considine’s infamous 1 word, three letter review of the album turned me off from giving it the full listen it deserved.
JD Considine’s infamous 1 word, three letter review of the album turned me off from giving it the full listen it deserved.
What was it?
After eagerly purchasing GTR upon its release and sitting down to my first listen, I was immediately reminded of my reaction to Asia.
High expectations followed by great disappointment.
Don’t get me wrong. I think there were some decent tunes.
But to me this was like sitting down at a fancy restaurant, telling the waiter “surprise me,” eagerly awaiting a culinary delight and being served burgers and fries.
I don’t mind burgers and fries.
But not when I’m at a place renowned for its brilliant chefs.
This was stadium pop performed by brilliant musicians, not playing up to their individual talents
As I mentioned, despite going to a GTR gig I was otherwise not especially interested in them. This thread prompted me to look them up. I know Wikipedia isn't necessarily a wholly reliable source of info but assuming it's largely accurate, the GTR page is fairly interesting and points to some misgivings that Hackett in particular had.
This interview might shed more light on the whole GTR thing.
http://www.twronline.net/issues/twr62/twr62_jm_interview.htm
TGA
I never heard the album but I went to see GTR perform in London. It was ok-ish, I think but pretty unmemorable.
One thing I do remember was vocalist Max Bacon at the end of the gig acknowledging the applause and excitedly saying "GTR won't be a one-album wonder, we're going to carry on going for YEARS!" at which point I swear I saw the Steves grimace through their rictus grins.
My next memory of Max B was his being an unsuccessful contestant in A Song For Europe, the UK's televised show deciding that year's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. I didn't know about his New Faces appearance or that the show was even still going in the 80s. I hope his pub did ok.
Re the "one album wonder" quote, he says a similar thing on the live album which comes with the reissue.
I didn't know about the Song for Europe bid, but here's Max on the following weeks New Faces, so I guess he won the vote for the first appearance:
We have some resource on GTR
https://thegenesisarchive.co.u…kett-albumsong/gtr-album/
https://thegenesisarchive.co.u…ve-hackett-live/gtr-tour/
Hope this helps,
TGA
always wanted to give this album more attention, so this might be the time to do so. Have just ordered the advanced copy.
An OK album, not great and not terrible. I never liked the way "Please Don't Touch" (and the title of "Hackett to Pieces," for that matter) was recycled for "Hackett to Bits."
My favorite song on the album, by a long shot, is "Imagining."
One thing I find interesting is that Hackett seems to have originally come out of GTR with a rather low opinion of Howe, but the two would become good friends later on.
One thing I find interesting is that Hackett seems to have originally come out of GTR with a rather low opinion of Howe, but the two would become good friends later on.
As articles on the band have said, there seems to have been 1 or 2 people coming between them, so I guess it was "he said this about you" and so on.
A review of the GTR album (now no longer available online) said something like this: Not long after GTR disbanded, Hackett was asked in an online chat to describe Howe's personality. His response was simply: VEGETARIAN.
I've always wondered if this had some connection with the "vegetarian guitar" from GENESIS REVISITED...
I can't remember the last time I played this album - definitely a number of years.
Must dig it out over the next week and remind myself what it sounded like
Hackett was asked in an online chat to describe Howe's personality. His response was simply: VEGETARIAN.
Hahahaha! That is very funny. Puddy - "What about you and Vegetable Lasagne over there?!"
I remember playing it only once. So I do not really care about it. It is not that often that I listen to albums only once.
I remember playing it only once. So I do not really care about it. It is not that often that I listen to albums only once.
my advanced copy arrived so I hope I will listen to it more than once 
Will let you know what I think about it.