~AN ABSOLUTE GUITAR GOD~
Steve Hackett is widely regarded as one of the great "Progressive" Rock Guitarists.
His background in Classical music, his technical proficiency, standard of perfection,
his eerie style and dauntless innovation are just a few of the reasons why.
Steve's work with Genesis is nothing less than legendary in Prog-Rock circles.

One of my fondest, most potent live music experiences:
The night I attended his show at the Roxy Theater, Hollywood, CA in November of '81.

Hackett's Lineup for this tour was Extraordinary:

Steve Hackett - Guitars, Vocals, E-Bow, (seen above) and Jolly Banter Amid Difficult Music
John Hackett - Flute, Guitars, Various Instruments
Nick Magnus - Keyboards, Synths, California Highway Patrol Uniform
Chas Cronk - Bass, Bass and more Bass
Ian Mosely - Drums of Richter-Scale Proportions
(Note: at least one of these guys was working the Mighty and Thunderous Taurus Pedals; my brain still resonates)

To this day, I still have not fully recovered from this Psych-Music Barrage.
This was the HEAVIEST MUSICAL EXPERIENCE IMAGINABLE.
Just as the Oft-Mentioned Frank & I seated ourselves,
some bloke in a suit across the table offered me what turned out to be some manner of
alien spleef
This was what probably put me near the edge of overload.
Holy shit that stuff turned me inside out, and then the Music started.
At the time, I was somewhat unfamiliar with Hackett's solo material. (Boy, was that about to change!)
All I can tell you is that this band and their selections were so
Intense and Powerful
...that at one point, I came REAL close to stepping out for a breath.
My heart raced, and my lungs grew heavy, especially during Slogans.
Can any of you claim to have ever had a reaction like this to live music?
This was my only such reaction in over two decades of live shows.
It didn't help much that Steve-O kept non-chalantly picking up this little red foam Clown Nose
and donning it for certain songs - including the opener,
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
THAT was very disturbing to me.
Also quite disturbing was his occasional use of a strange Octave mangling device,
which allowed his voice to be divided into a weird duality of squeakingly high aliens
and deep, profound near-demonic tones; all at once, mind you.

All the while, my best bro Frank was like an uncaged animal, overcome with his excitement.
(HE knew all the songs and HE didn't smoke "things")

In my humble yet correct opinion, Hackett's peak period was back in those days.
This was when he worked closely and constantly with He Who Inhales & Exhales Green:

Sir Nick Magnus

(Yes, I have just now bestowed him with my own twisted little version of 'Knighthood')

There have been few keyboardists who could achieve such a cool, otherworldly sound.
His masterful use of the famed Mellotron (see bottom) added great depth
and enhanced the transcendental aura of Hackett's music of that period.
(He was also known to keep up with Steve note for note, no small accomplishment)
For more on Mr. Hackett and Mr. Magnus:
go to the Downloads, my Top 1000 (#'s 3, 5 and 50 so far) and for links, the bottom of this page)




Of all of Mr. Hackett's music, I happen to bear a great fondness for his,
shall we say Weirder material. I am, of course, speaking of Tracks such as:
Tigermoth, Please Don't Touch, Jacuzzi, Slogans,
Ace Of Wands, A Tower Struck Down, What's My Name and
Clocks - The Angel Of Mons ...to name but a few.
You can hear a live version of Tigermoth on my
DOWNLOADS PAGE

I would love to hear from any of you Hackett People.
Send me your tales of live Hackett encounters and Slogans-induced "quasi-breakdowns"...
The rest need to procure yourselves some Hackett Music; Start with the following:

1. Voyage Of The Acolyte
2. Please Don't Touch
3. Defector
(First 3 are pictured below)
4. Cured
5. Spectral Mornings
6. 'Till We Have Faces
7. Bay of Kings (Solo Acoustic/ Classical Guitar)
8. Live Archive 70's, 80's & 90's (4-CD)


Click the above covers for Reviews

More Hackett Reviews from:
LET IT ROCK and George Starostin's Reviews



UPDATE 8-1-03:
Latest (outstanding) Hackett release on sale now!


To Watch the Storms
(click for info!)



More Steve Hackett and Nick Magnus Resources:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Additions:



An insightful 'techie' article from: Sound On Sound
Newly-found set of Reviews from: Progressive Ears

An unusual fan-created
caricature likeness: (by Beto)
Takes you to Steve Hackett.com
Visit Kim Poor:
The Creator of Hackett's
Finest Album Covers
A nicely-written Hackett Biography
From:
The ProgRock Website



A Fine Hackett Tribute
Nick Magnus' Home on the Web
A Review of Inhaling Green



John Hackett


For the Rest of Tangento's Pages:
(If you are not already in my frames)
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