Search - Steve Hackett :: Live Archive 70's 80's 90's

A supreme document !!!

Deb Schotman | Raalte, Netherlands | 12/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best Guitarplayer on the planet (and I mean that in every sense of the word, since to me he is the only one of Genesis that still is proceding to carry on the real spirit of this Amazing band) I dont think I know a player that has mastered so much skills and styles as he had and can. Already from the days of Genesis he proves his mastership on more than one album. I have been waiting for a good live overview for ages, and when this box came I really really wanted to have it. I only knew that thete was a 5 disc version availlable as we'll, but could not find out how to get it. My friend brought the 5th one on a gig here recently, and so now I looked over the net to get a cheap version of the box, and now I have founded that. I cant wait till I have it in my hands finally. The 5th disc is amazing for sure, Im sure the rest will not dissapoint either. I see and read alot of complaints about the soundquality of certain cd's. Ofcourse recordings from the 70's are not perfect, but what is more important here is that Hackett is keeping the nostalgy alive. I have no doubt he did his best to deliver the best possible sound. Cos thats the way he is. Let us be praised to be abble in some way to be abble to listen to this stuff now in some way. Im 29 years now, so I am from another Generation than most people listen to Hackett, but since I heard him playing the legendary solo on Firth Or Fifth back in 1992, or on the other live stuff or album stuff he was in, (what goes beyond mentioning here) I was sold and up to today I never founded a beter player. An album that really blew me away was the Archive 1 of Genesis where you can find a integral part of the Lamb played Live. Listen to a song as Lamia, how they mixed the solowork of Hackett combined with a thrilling Tony Banks Mellotron sound, to give you tears in your eyes.Highly recomanded !!!! And Please do yourself a favour and listen to more stuff he made. GTR or Genesis mostly."

Hacks all other guitarists to pieces

anorexic skincauldron | Bucks County PA. USA | 09/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back before I was born, prog-rock kings, Genesis had a well beating musical heart. In 1977, this heart developed an arterial obstruction, weakening it to a point beyond repair. At that time, Genesis seemed to have replaced their brains with leather wallets, causing them to go in a more pop oriented state of existence. As their guitarist, Steve Hackett put it, "This band is heading in a different direction; it's no longer embracing the spirit of fusion... real fusion, not jazz... and I don't think I want to go there." Thus, one of rocks most innovative, inspiring, and talented guitarists hit the old dusty trail to strike it out on his own. This was a bitter, well publicized rift. Subsequently, Genesis entitled their next album "And Then There Were Three...", a leather glove slap to the face of their former, underappreciated guitarist. Hackett returned fire by naming his next album "Please Don't Touch", a solid song which he submitted to be on the Genesis "Wind and Wuthering" album, but was ultimately rejected by the rest of the band. It would be almost 20 years before a victor would be crowed in this duel of old friends.



Sorry for the silly babbling, I'll get to the actual Archive review now. This 4 disc Live Box Set is quite an accurate EEG for the solo career of this guitar God, the chart spanning 15 years from 1978-1993. The Hackett formula, which made Genesis such a memorable prog band, is now taken to higher levels than previously witnessed, as a liberated Steve Hackett was now able to delve deeply into his own unique guitar style: Offbeat melodic tones fornicating with a healthy serving of dissonance (sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it? It's a calamity recipe for any other guitarist, but Steve Hackett somehow pulls it off with fluid ease). To my ears, all of these discs are winners, all capable of 4-5 star ratings if they had been issued separately. The fact that they are all together for an absurdly thrifty amount is a scrumptious opportunity which shouldn't be passed up by any fan of prog-rock.



Admittedly, Disc 3 of the collection (early 80's) is the one most fondled by my CD player (if I play something from this collection, there's about a 75% chance I go for this disc rather than the others), yet all of them are gems. If you are a fan of anything that Genesis did from "Nursery Crime" (1971) - "Seconds Out" (1977), don't hesitate in ordering this collection. It's well worth the money.



Oh, and about the battle's turnout. It's 24 September 2005. Genesis have been broken up for a few years now. In four days, Steve Hackett will begin his North American tour. We have a winner."