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Music News - Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett’s Latest Masterstroke
Article and photographs by Rob Adams
Now that the long-anticipated concert tour reunion of Genesis has been announced – not as a resurrection of the Peter Gabriel-fronted 1970s progressive rock darling, but as the Phil Collins-dominated pop powerhouse – fans of Steve Hackett are undoubtedly thankful that he can set aside the related distractions to devote full attention to promoting his prolific solo career.
Hackett’s 1971-1977 affiliation with Genesis served as the prelude to his true calling as a solo artist. The result is an eclectic, category-defying body of work and sometimes rocky musical journey that culminates with his 18th studio release, Wild Orchids.
Hackett has always drawn inspiration in equal measures from cinema, literature, art, and mysticism, and Wild Orchids is no exception as many of the tracks find Hackett either stepping into the character’s role – Hackett has said he takes the actor’s approach to his work – or letting the music itself establish a variety of moods ranging from the tranquil to the tense.
To fully appreciate Wild Orchids, however, is to appreciate the zig-zag course Hackett has undertaken in the three decades since his departure from Genesis.
Since his 1975 debut Voyage of the Acolyte (recorded between Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Trick of the Tail releases), Hackett has doggedly crafted a unique musical identity, cemented with 1979’s Spectral Mornings and 1980’s Defector.
Beginning with 1981’s techno-pop-tinged Cured, though, he veered slightly off-course in an uneven attempt to balance his unique creative sensibilities with appeasing chart-obsessed record label flacks. His 1986 one-off shot at megastardom in GTR notwithstanding (his partnership with Yes and Asia axeman Steve Howe charted for 16 weeks) it’s ironic when you consider his reason for leaving Genesis was due in part to fulfilling his desire for artistic freedom.
It wasn’t until the release of 1993’s Guitar Noir that Hackett truly found himself in an unfettered artistic environment. Taking the bold step of co-founding Camino Records, his personal recording label, he would spend the better part of the ensuing decade not only coming to terms with and embracing his musical past (including the Genesis Revisited release) but boldly asserting his artistic muse. This was realized in a dazzling variety of projects, from classical-based orchestral works to studio and live releases showcasing his longtime love for the no-frills acoustic performance.
Together, 1999’s Darktown, 2003’s To Watch the Storms and now Wild Orchids form a triptych laying bare an exorcism of demons, both musical and personal, and a journey towards self-realization. The offerings on Wild Orchids are as much reflections on the human condition as they are theater in the guise of music. With the inscrutability of Hackett’s lyrics taken at face value, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine these words recited just as effectively in a poetry slam as they appear on disc in his half-crooned, half-growled manner.
Hackett sets the mood for Wild Orchids as decidedly theatrical with the rock-meets-orchestra bombast of its opening track, “Transylvanian Express”. Serving as an overture, it weaves in themes from among Wild Orchids’ 16 subsequent tracks, a harbinger of things to come.
From Transylvania the listener is transported to the Far East with the stunning “Waters of the Wild”. Here, Hackett’s inspired performance on electric sitar is conjoined with trancelike, multi-layered vocals and a firmly anchored, propulsive percussion culminating in a rousing finale.
Throughout his career, Hackett has conveyed both a droll wit and slight eccentricity that is decidedly British in the Monty Python vein. This is not intended as a slam, but rather as an acknowledgment that such an identity goes far in establishing a performer’s unique presence, whether it is on the performing stage or in the studio. This quirkiness is a key facet of Hackett’s charm for some listeners, while for others it can be a source of exasperation. Bearing this caveat in mind, what follows on Wild Orchids varies widely from the sublime to the downright silly.
In the former camp, the magic that is “Waters of the Wild” is bolstered by but is by no means limited to:
Hackett playfully keeps the listener off-balance, juxtaposing more relaxed tunes like the playful “A Girl Called Linda” – with its cocktail lounge jazz interlude – and the manic “A Dark Night in Toytown” or the brittle harshness of “Ego and Id.” Interspersed throughout are gentler, more romantic interludes like “She Moves In Memories.”
But where does Hackett tend to falter in his attack? For this reviewer, two examples in which Wild Orchids descends into the theater of the absurd.
First, let’s look at the brief 1930s radio pastische, “Why.” Here, a campy, Rudy Vallee vocal is accompanied by one of Hackett’s favorite novelty props, the Optigan.
First manufactured by Mattel in the early 1970s and sold in department stores, this keyboard used photo-optics to sample sound waveforms from a pre-recorded plastic disc. A product that bridged the technology gap between the magnetic tape-based Mellotron (beloved by die-hard prog listeners worldwide) and the modern-day digital samplers, production of the Optigan ended in the mid-70s and is now a highly collectible relic. Hackett’s historical fondness for trotting out this gadget both on stage and in the studio is all well and good, but … there comes a time where maybe it’s better to look forward than to reach back into the same old bag of tricks.
What also should be considered for retirement is Hackett’s use of processed vocals to convey a sinister, London After Midnight-meets-Hammer Horror mood, as he does with “Down Street.” As with his Optigan-fueled numbers past and present, Hackett has employed this gimmick on numerous prior occasions, to wit: “Carry Up On The Vicarage,” “Vampire With A Healthy Appetite,” “Darktown,” and “The Devil Is An Englishman”… and now, “Down Street.”
Hackett has referred to these characterizations as a parody of certain legends-in-their-own-minds alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. For those in on the joke, role-playing of this nature may prove highly entertaining; for others, it might unintentionally bring to mind Jon Lovitz’ Master Thespian. You decide whether this is good or bad.
Another downside to “Down Street” is, contrary to the stereotypical proggist’s thinking, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing, and “Down Street” illustrates Hackett’s tendency to give a composition wings when perhaps just a good set of legs would suffice. Some trimming without diminishing the impact of the clever musical ideas contained within can be feasible – after all, a rubber band can only stretch so far before it snaps.
There is an upside to “Down Street,” though. Among the entertaining musical segments that come and go over its seven-plus minutes’ running time, Hackett demonstrates a mighty harmonica prowess, showing that his admiration for and emulation of such legendary Chicago harpists as Little Walter and Paul Butterfield has served him well.
[On a side note, listeners may wish to pick up Blues With a Feeling, Hackett’s homage to the 1960s Chicago blues scene. It’s more of an effort that is “inspired by” rather than “based on” the musical genre to which it pays tribute, and the result is a unique, lavishly-produced CD that is filtered through distinctly British sensibilities.]
These are minor quibbles, however, for what amounts to a largely cohesive presentation that stands up to repeated listening. With Wild Orchids, Genesis fans who mourned the ‘classic’ Gabriel-era lineup’s passage into history can continue to take solace in the ongoing and ever-evolving careers of Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel. Given Gabriel’s predisposition to release new material with the frequency of a visit by Halley’s Comet, however, Hackett has proven himself to be the more reliable carrier of the creative torch.
And … with the “will they or won’t they” Genesis question finally answered, the issue du jour should now be whether Hackett can muster the resources to mount a trek to the U.S. for the Wild Orchids tour in 2007.
Let the dance begin.
Steve Hackett – Wild Orchids (Special Edition)
Transylvanian Express / Waters Of The Wild / Set Your Compass / Down Street / A Girl Called Linda / Blue Child / To A Close / Ego And Id / Man In The Long Black Coat / Cedars Of Lebanon / Wolfwork / Why / She Moves In Memories / The Fundamentals Of Brainwashing / Howl / A Dark Night In Toytown / Until The Last Butterfly
Where to buy online:
www.amazon.com
InsideOut Music America
Camino Records
Steve Hackett online:
www.stevehackett.com