Steve Hackett's Spectral Mornings

“Not your typical solo guitar album"

Don't know who Steve Hackett is? One time Genesis guitarist, that's who. I am afraid even that introduction would not be very illuminating if you are not a prog rock fan and haven't heard about Genesis before reading this. But that's the best I can manage.So...why Spectral Mornings? Because as the title says, it's not the

typical solo guitar album. Steve Hackett is, contrary to what some might tell you, an accomplished and inventive guitarist and displays considerable proficiency on both electric and acoustic guitar. Sure, he may not give Guthrie Govan sleepless nights but where else in progressive rock from the 70s do you hear such eveloped electric guitar as on the Genesis song "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight"? And yet, this album is - like all the Hackett albums I have listened to - more songwriting oriented rather than demonstrating the limits of his abilities. Now, isn't that unusual?



Not if you know the story behind Hackett's departure from Genesis. He left because he was brimming with ideas and could not put them - not all of them at any rate - on the Genesis albums. As Tony Banks and Phil Collins took most of the credits in the wake of Peter Gabriel's departure after 1974's Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Hackett felt restricted and decided to go solo so that he could be free to express his own musical vision. And it is evident that it's a vision that's

surprisingly divergent from that of Genesis.



For instance, "Every Day" is a breezy, driving rocker that will put a smile on your face, completely unlike anything Hackett did with Genesis. "Clocks" and Tigermoth" on the other hand point to the influence of King Crimson on Hackett (and Robert Fripp does seem to have been an influence on Hackett's playing as such too), bringing forth dark and foreboding sounds.The title track harks back to "Firth of the fifth" - still justly his most famous and cherished contribution - in its drawn out, pensive, yet inspiring contemplation and "Virgin and The Gypsy" can somewhat be traced back to "Blood On The Rooftops" or "Entangled". In a nutshell, if you want a Genesis-clone album from Hackett, "Voyage Of The Acolyte" is what you're looking for; "Spectral Mornings" is Hackett all the way.



Now, what goes in the album's favor? Hackett's playing for starters.Always tasteful yet never lacking flair - he has probably the best guitar tone in the prog rock world too, by the way - varied and yet able to repeat himself for impact, switching seamlessly between acoustic and electric and never sounding contrived or forced on either. In fact, nothing in his playing ever sounds contrived,it flows as naturally as can be and cannot fail to create a pleasing impression.



But that's not the only thing that seals the issue. I still have to tell you why this is different from typical solo guitar albums. The answer is: clear, tight songwriting. It's clear than on Spectral Mornings more than any of his other solo albums - truthfully though, I am not familiar with his 80s output and am going with the general consensus that Spectral Mornings is better than those - Hackett knew exactly what he was doing. Not something that can be said, for instance, of his more recent albums like Darktown or Wild Orchids.His playing is more accomplished now than it was in the late 70s (Spectral Mornings came out in 1979) and he is able to traverse a range of styles so wide nobody could have imagined possible for him when he had left Genesis. But the songs don't make the kind of impact they do on Spectral Mornings. Spectral Mornings is not about what Hackett can do on guitar and therefore every song is purposeful and is enriched of mood and thrust from inception. They are also short – not long at any rate - and don't overstay their welcome, just sufficiently expanded however to not sound rushed. And short, by the way, does not imply generic and lacking in boldness. “Clocks” has probably one of the most effective drum solos in rock; so apt is the placement of the solo that you wouldn't even notice it's a drum solo, it makes for the perfect conclusion of the song.



Notice also the effectiveness of the placement of the songs. "The Red Flower of Tai Chi Blooms Everywhere" - redundant on its own – softens you up for the monstrous "Clocks" and "Lost Time In Cordoba" does likewise in the run up to "Tigermoth". All bookended by the two best tracks, the breezy opener "Every Day" and the majestic conclusion of the title track. This means that even though at least three tracks - Red Flower, Cordoba and Ballad of the Decomposing Man - are borderline filler, it doesn't hinder your listening experience.



I have reservations on the selection and usage of vocalists here.Hackett has generally made rather quirky choices of vocalists, so much so that fans like me would much prefer his own flat and expressionless delivery - at least it's not distracting! About the only choice I can completely approve of is Steve Walsh for "Narnia" off "Please Don't Touch" and maybe band mate Collins on "Stars of Sirius". Here too, the vocals on “Tigermoth” rather spoil the effect created thus far by the track and I only get by with the vocals on “Every Day” and “Virgin” and “The Gypsy” because they are just about adequate and harmless. Thankfully, at least half the album is instrumental so the vocals don't pull down the album by much.



To conclude, this won't ever be among the most spectacular demonstrations of proficiency on guitar you will hear but it is an emphatic statement of masterful songwriting from a very talented guitarist. Definitely worth checking out.

Author – Madan