I hear earworms in other kinds of music so it's not as if the world has run out of them.
I hear earworms in other kinds of music so it's not as if the world has run out of them.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
If I’m to be honest about Hackett, as much as I admire him, the only albums since his first 4 that I have found worthwhile are acoustic ones, ie Bay of Kings and Momentum. I can’t stand all the hyper-processed voices and guitars and empty grandeur of his recent stuff. I’m thinking that he really only had a few good solo albums in him, and he ran out of them a long time ago.
I adore Hackett but I have to largely agree with this statement. I would add To Watch The Storm. Momentum is gorgeous.Originally Posted by Jacob Holm-Lupo
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
I also mostly agree with mr. Holm-Lupo but I have soft spot for Guitar Noir. Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth also has some fine stuff.
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I enjoy To Watch The Storms and Wild Orchids very much. Lots to like on these for me. Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth, a little less so. The first few tracks are excellent. On some of the others, it's where the 'world' influences start to become a formula and there's also a ropey blues ('Still Waters').
Beyond The Shrouded Horizon...I really like 'Prairie Angel/A Place Called Freedom' and 'Looking For Fantasy' on that. A shame about that long epic at the end, and another dud blues track ('Catwalk Eyes', wasn't it?). So I wobbled with that one a bit. In between there's the Squackett album, which I played recently and I actually still like a few of Hackett's songs a lot. Especially 'Divided Self' which is great.
Wolflight was the first one not to connect with me, 'Love Song To A Vampire' aside. It's where some got on board, in the wake of the Genesis Revisited touring. For me it was more of the same.
I always check out the sample tracks from subsequent albums though. I still have a lot of time for him and still watch/read his new interviews etc. Incidentally he's in the Top 10 midweek charts in the UK- again, evidence of his raised profile over the last decade. It won't be that high in the final chart but I'm glad for him.
https://www.officialcharts.com/chart...-chart-update/ (site is a nightmare but you can scroll over that pop-up thing).
Last edited by JJ88; 02-19-2024 at 01:08 PM.
I must be in the minority. I have really enjoyed just about everything Steve has put out from “Darktown” on. All solid albums to my ears. I pre-ordered the new one, but it has not arrived yet unfortunately.
I do also like Darktown and Guitar Noir but not everything.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
For me the two that stand up higher than the others post Defector are Darktown and To Watch the Storms. Guitar Noir and Wild Orchids are one tier down.
Guitar Noir and Darktown are also very good albums, but they are older so I didn't really mention them. The latter has one of my favourite of his instrumentals- 'Twice Around The Sun'.
The formula seen on Hackett's latter day albums probably started around ...Tunnel's Mouth, to me. To Watch The Storms doesn't have that reverb-y, would-be 'epic' quality, or the boilerplate 'world music' influences.
Are there any worthwhile instrumentals on this new release?
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Maybe my ear is out of tune but for the past I don't know how many Hackett albums, the melodies all sound the same to me.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
It's had a couple of listens, so a while yet before I get to write anything in depth about it, but at the moment, Wherever You Are counts as one of the finest things he has ever done to these ears.
The first couple of tracks struck me as the type of "business as usual" referred to elsewhere in this thread, but it does definitely improve.
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As I said before, this album needs to be heard from start to finish. It works best that way. Of course, some won't like it for reasons already stated, and that's fine. I thought I'd be one of those, too, but this record somehow really works for me.
I don't think there's anything wrong with your ears. To those who prefer the instrumental and acoustic stuff, check out the Mediterranean themed album from a few years back - I like that one. Sometimes the world music can be a bit much, but that album worked for me - I can never remember the title though.
Mine shipped from UK but not here yet.
I'm looking forward to it. I thought the last album was a step up.
JG
"MARKLAR!"
Under a Mediterranean Sky
I'm liking this one a bit better than the last few. I agree that is has a good flow from song to song and the shorter instrumental linking tracks are a nice addition. The last third of the album is probably the strongest, the beginning did sound like more of the same. Still frustrating to see Nad underutilized. One song only and drenched with effects on his voice so it doesn't really sound like him. And the drum sound on the album is pretty harsh sounding. And the artwork...yeah I gotta agree with moecurlythanu that it ranks as one of the 'historically bad' covers, so that's something right! I guess it was a friend of Steve and Jo, I think that was also the case with the run of bad album covers that BBT had starting with Grand Tour, a friend or associate of the band, so maybe hard to reject it.
This LP is great and a nice change from the rock LP's he made just before and after it's release. Steve's acoustic playing is superb on this. Am I alone in this thought, A few of the tunes have a sound of what I think an LP with Steve and Tony... the recent classical Tony, might sound like. It's a shame these two guys never worked together post 1977...
Put me in the camp that thinks Guitar Noir, Darktown, To Watch The Storms, and Wild Orchids are excellent and some of his best work. Out Of Tunnel's Mouth gets close. After that it is a bit of diminishing returns, but every album I find things I like and occasionally an album will raise to very good plus as a low mark. The new one I would say isn't his strongest, but fits very nicely in his oeuvre.
Also, I do kind of like the cover, and its certainly better than the completely cringey Wolflight cover.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
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I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
Steve has started his new tour ""Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo"" - what do people think of the setlist? We will likely get a video/cd concert release next year of this tour.
Spoiler warning:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/steve...-43abbf33.html
first solo tour focusing on The Lamb - it's good but some notable omissions for sure. I think it is time to drop "Firth" and "Los Endos" and play some more from Lamb that he hasn't done in a long time.
It may be sacrilege to some but I'm pleased there's no Suppers Ready! The Lamia is my fave track from The Lamb so that gets a thumbs up from me, I might see this show in Portsmouth in the autumn.
Maybe he is planning to tour this for a year and then the tour after will be billed as "More Lamb Highlights" - otherwise why leave out songs like In the Cage, Slipperman and Back in NYC. Split the album up into 2 tours with no songs repeated. Might be a good plan.
Perhaps with In the Cage & Slipperman it's because they are particularly wordy and/or keyboard oriented with little space for guitar. I'd like it if In the Rapids was included.
I have not looked at the set list but I will for sure. Dropping Supper would be welcome to me... and frankly most everything thing else he has been playing year after year. I love Steve and will not miss his shows but a tune like Blood on the Rooftops has never been played on the West coast legs of his tours at least not that I can remember. It's one on my favorire Genesis tunes and would have loved to seen that live. And a tune like Nomads, to me it is his version of Can Utility by Genesis. It encapsulates everything about him... and to the best of my knowledge Nomads has never been played live. Looking forward to his take on the Lamb tunes... just hope the rest or most of the rest of the show is new as well.
Well it did not take long to find the set list. Love the Lamb selections, wish there was a bit more and looking forward to the new tunes. Really could do without the Selling Englnad tunes... again, and the Voyage of the Acolyte tunes. That is probably the best solo LP to me by any Genesis member but something else please! He has been touring through most of our areas every 12-18 months for many years and the set list changes very little for a guy with so much to chose from... am I alone in thinking this way?
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