Steve Hackett

Stephen Richard " Steve" Hackett ( born February 12, 1950 in London ) is a British composer and musician.

He gained as a guitarist for the progressive rock group Genesis, which he published a total of six studio albums 1971-1977 Special awareness. In 1985 he co-founded the short-lived supergroup GTR. In addition, he has recorded numerous solo albums, with whom he regularly goes on tour. Musically it moves in a very broad spectrum, ranging rock to blues, jazz to classical music from Progressive. His works influenced guitarists such as Alex Lifeson and Brian May

  • 2.1 solo albums in the charts

Life

Childhood and youth

Hackett grew up with different musical instruments such as the flute and the harmonica (the latter he brings still occasionally used ). At twelve, he developed an interest in the guitar. At Hackett's musical influences were classical ( Johann Sebastian Bach) and opera ( Mario Lanza ), which affect the compositions according to own data today. As further for his musical development and his personal style influential musicians he called Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, George Harrison, Danny Kirwan, Peter Green, and various guitarists in the Bluesbreakers.

First experience as a professional musician in the band collected Hackett Canterbury Glass, on their 1969 -rehearsed (but only to published 2007 ) album Sacred Scenes and Characters he participated in two tracks, also in the formations Heel Pier and Sarabande. In 1970, he participated as a studio musician on the album The Road of the band Quiet World, this project also played his younger brother John Hackett rhythm guitar.

Looking for a "real" band Steve Hackett published an advertisement in Melody Maker: Guitarist / Writer seeks receptive musicians, deterministic mined to strive beyond existing stagnant music forms (guitarist / songwriter looking for open-minded musicians who are willing to stand over existing, stagnant musical forms defy ). The idiosyncratic formulation caught the attention of Peter Gabriel, whose band Genesis needed a permanent replacement for her founding member Anthony Phillips. After being convinced of the mutual musical qualities, Hackett got the job of the year 1970 /71.

Careers at Genesis

Hackett, who brought very little live experience, had some initial difficulties with the Genesis performances. But soon he got used to his role, with his introverted demeanor (sitting with thick horn-rimmed glasses in a stooping posture over his guitar ) formed a strong contrast to the shrill costumed frontman Gabriel.

Hackett's first album with Genesis was published in November 1971 Nursery Cryme. The contributions of guitarist enriched the overall sound of the band instrumental, for example, in the plays The Musical Box and The Return of the Giant Hogweed, where he proved to be a pioneer of the tapping technique. His first contribution as a songwriter was created in collaboration with Collins short acoustic piece For Absent Friends. The arisen spontaneously closing solo of The Fountain of Salmacis evaluated Hackett later than his artistic breakthrough in the band.

With the follow-up album Foxtrot Genesis The 1972 was the first major commercial success. The clear keyboard lastigeren plant Hackett was primarily responsible for various atmospheric embellishments. Especially effective were his voluptuous sounds at the end of the suite Supper's Ready, in its central part, he also noticed a rapid solo. Horizons is the first and still most famous of his acoustic instrumentals. He also contributed the text to Can- Utility and the Coastliners.

At the 1973 album Selling England by the Pound, which was described by Hackett later as his favorite album with the band, the electric guitar again moved closer to the center. The instrumental piece After the Ordeal was largely a composition Hackett. The minor hit I Know What I Like Hackett was based on a riff, while the piece Firth of Fifth guitar player a showcase solo bot. He belonged to the first to use the playing techniques of tapping and sweep picking, their introduction often mistakenly Eddie Van Halen respectively Yngwie Malmsteen is attributed. Both techniques are heard in the song Dancing with the Moonlit Knight.

During the subsequent double album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Hackett went in 1974 under rather so that he was to be noted in later years always a certain distance from the concept work. Only a few pieces like Fly on a Windshield, Hairless Heart, The Chamber of 32 Doors, Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist and the final solo of The Lamia really gave him the opportunity to get involved.

Not least because of this low utilization Hackett 1975 was the first Genesis band member who with Voyage of the Acolyte, a solo album released ( UK Charts: # 26). In addition to his bandmates Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford also his brother John as well as guest singer Sally Oldfield took part in the studio recordings. The unusual artistic liberties with the sessions were a positive experience for Hackett, as he increasingly felt the subsequent band everyday in Genesis as limiting.

In A Trick of the Tail ( 1976) to Hackett has not carried out because of his just released album in restraint and controlled as the main contributions to the text and half of the music of Entangled and parts of Los Endos and Dance on a Volcano (Instrumental part ) at. During the recordings to Wind & Wuthering (1977 ), however, increased his frustration. In order to accommodate his song material, Hackett wanted to have conceded a quarter of the album, which was rejected by Collins, Rutherford and Tony Banks. His composition Please Do not Touch also found no response in the remaining band members. This has been written by him Inside and Out was banished to the EP Spot the Pigeon and Blood on the Rooftops, the Hackett texted and had composed along with Collins, never found in live performance input in the set list of the band. After completion of the Wind & Wuthering tour - Hackett announced on October 8, 1977 his departure from Genesis, a week before the release of their second live album of the band, Seconds Out.

Solo career

In 1978, Hackett's first album of the post- Genesis - time, Please Do not Touch. The album is to be assigned as well as Voyage of the Acolyte, the progressive rock and was again recorded with studio musicians. For the vocals this time he had invited a number of prominent musicians such as Richie Havens, Randy Crawford and Steve Walsh. He took over the lead vocals on the song Carry On Up The Vicarage, however, took a while alienating Laughing Gnome effect. The album reached number 38 in the album charts in the UK and place 103 in the U.S..

With Spectral Mornings (1979) and Defector (1980 ) was followed by further prog rock albums that could advance up to # 22 or 9 in the UK charts ( U.S. Charts: # 138 and 144). 1979 Hackett went for the first time as a solo artist on tour and performed in August at the famous Reading Festival. The Defector tour, he played for the first time since his Genesis exit back into the United States. For the two albums and the associated concerts to Hackett first provided her own fixed band, consisting of Nick Magnus (keyboards), Dik Cadbury (bass ), John Shearer ( drums), Pete Hicks (lead vocals) and John Hackett (flute), the he had to disband after financial reasons but again.

The first major change in his musical style was in 1981 with the album Cured. Although the album contained some of the Hackett - typical progressive and classical pieces, it became an essential approach to commercial pop music. Hackett took the album on his keyboardist Nick Magnus together and played guitar and bass, while the drum sound came from the drum machine. As a further innovation, the guitarist took over for the first time for all pieces of the lead vocals. While Cured vorwies no particular chart success in the U.S., it arrived in the UK at # 15 Highly Strung (1982) and Till We Have Faces (1984 ) were again more rock -oriented. On Highly Strung ( UK Charts: # 16) were the first electronic sound experiments at Hackett heard while mingled on Till We Have Faces of typical Hackett sound with Brazilian percussion elements.

In 1985, the musicians get together with the ex -Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe super group GTR. In the following year appeared an eponymous album, which came in at number 11 in the U.S. album charts, and was gilded (UK: No. 41 ). The single from the album When the Heart Rules the Mind reached the Top 20, as Hackett at the end of 1986, adopted by disagreement over finances and management and creative differences with Steve Howe of GTR, the band broke up soon afterwards on.

In the 1980s, Hackett did his first albums with classical guitar music: Bay of Kings (1983) and Momentum (1988 ) received very positive reviews, and the tour for Momentum was in Europe mass inflow, which is rather unusual for classical guitar concerts. Its outstanding albums also include the neoclassical inspired A Midsummer Night 's Dream (1997) and Metamorpheus ( 2005). The former was a conversion from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which he recorded together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter more turned to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and was developed in collaboration with the Underworld Orchestra.

With his later rock albums Guitar Noir (1993 ), Dark Town ( 1999) To Watch the Storms (2003) Hackett was able to return to the qualities of his are particularly appreciated by the fans first four solo releases. His play "Timeless" in 1994 ( on a melodic fragment from There Are Many Sides to the Night of Guitar Noir based ) was used by the travel company TUI as an advertising jingle ( "I want cows! "). On To Watch the Storms ( 2003), the musicians were present for the first time, which to this day live and in the studio accompany the guitarists: Roger King (keyboards), Rob Townsend (flute, saxophone) and Gary O'Toole (drums). Since this album are Hacketts works eclectic lucky bags that cover the whole spectrum of his wide musical interests. The result works could maintain the current level, but revealed little further. On the album Out of the Tunnel 's Mouth toured in 2009 with a piece of Anthony Phillips, Hackett's predecessor in Genesis, on the 12-string guitar. 2012 Hackett worked for released under the project name Squackett album A Life Within a Day again with a musician from Yes together, this time with Chris Squire.

Steve Hackett has made ​​a first short-lived marriage to a German and a son, Oliver. From 1981 to 2008 he was married to his second marriage with the Brazilian artist Kim Poor, who designed most of his album covers. Hackett's current partner is Joanna " Jo " Lehmann, Since June 2011, his third wife. His younger brother John is often involved as a flutist and a second guitarist on the studio albums, an example case that stands for guitar and flute arranged Sketches of Satie ( 2000). John Hackett also released their own albums.

2008 brought a radical break in Hackett's life: his divorce was accompanied by the separation from his former label Camino Records. In 2009 he started with the suggestively titled album Out of the Tunnel 's Mouth his label Wolf Work Records. He also collaborates with the Hungarian label Gramy Records and the group Djabe.

Later Genesis reference and Reunions

Since Hackett's exit in Genesis, there were only a few quasi- reunions of five cast. In 1982 a one-off reunion concert took place in Milton Keynes under the name Six of the Best, attended by both Peter Gabriel as well - attended Steve Hackett - with the additions I Know What I Like and The Knife. The organization took place under great time pressure; the concert proceeds should benefit the financially troubled WOMAD project Gabriels. A little later, in early 1983, then appeared the surprise guests Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford also at a Hackett concert in Guildford.

In 1998, the group met for a photo shoot followed by dinner on the occasion of the release of the boxset Archive I - 1967 to 1975, for the Hackett some parts (for example, Firth of Fifth and The Lamia ) had been added. Hackett also participated in the ( separately rehearsed ) New edition Carpet Crawlers for the compilation Turn It On Again - The Hits part. In November 2005 at a band meeting a five-man Reunion for the duration of the tour discussed in order in its whole length, perform the new concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Due to other projects Gabriels but it was 2007, a reunion of Collins, Rutherford and Banks without Gabriel and Hackett. In March 2010, on the occasion of the launch of Genesis into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band came down to the again otherwise committed Gabriel once more together, which in turn yielded no joint projects.

Hackett, who always emphasized in interviews that a Genesis reunion would at the very least fail in itself, has performed live since the 90s at his own concerts increasingly '70s classics of the band and in 1997 and 2012 respectively also own studio new additions of various pieces published Genesis ( Genesis Revisited, Vol 1 and 2). No longer believing in a reunion, he brought these pieces to his successful 2013er Genesis Revisited tour finally even on the stage. This led to some guest appearances of the last Genesis singer Ray Wilson, with whom he has recorded a new studio version of Carpet Crawlers. The published in October 2013 associated box set Genesis Revisited: Live At Hammersmith reached shortly after the publication number 17 of the German album charts.

Discography

Solo albums in the charts

Swell

749258
de