Steve Hackett To Watch The Storms

Steve Hackett's solo rock albums have grown few and far between from the '90s onward. So the release of To Watch the Storms was surrounded by a lot of expectations from fans and they shouldn't be disappointed. This is a wonderful record, full of touching, intelligent songs, stellar guitar playing, and great production. It continues in the same direction Hackett has been pursuing since Guitar Noir, a blend of mature songwriting, thoughtful arrangements, and odd rock numbers with progressive rock elements. Nothing needs to be taken out of this album. "Circus of Becoming" adds another example of Hackett's infatuation with quirky circus-sounding tunes, but this one is much better than "The Ballad of the Decomposing Man" (from Spectral Mornings)…

Though you will see Till We Have Faces often mentioned as the first rock album to draw from world music influences, that's not quite true. Santana, John McLaughlin, Os Mutantes, the Police, Jade Warrior, and others were doing it long before. That said, the album was done before Paul Simon ushered it in as a trend with Graceland. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro and mixed in London, it's a step away from the progressive rock he'd become recognized for and is a mostly successful venture. A couterie of Latin percussionists flesh out the almost all Brazilian band that graces the album, adding layers of complex rhythms. These rhythms are the core of the album and make such songs as "A Doll That's Made in Japan" and "What's My Name" more exotic and interesting; they creatively juxtapose Oriental and South American styles…

Deluxe eight disc (six CD + two NTSC/Region 0 DVDs) in artbook pressing. Broken Skies - Outspread Wings is the extensive, detailed sequel to Premonitions (2015) and covers the years 1984 to 2006 in the production history of legendary former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The albums were all remastered in 2018 and often offer various bonus pieces. In addition to the albums Till We Have Faces, Guitar Noir, Darktown, Feedback 86, To Watch the Storms and Wild Orchids, this includes a superb Roger Dean (Yes, Uriah Heep) painting ennobled artbook…

For the live recordings of his acclaimed album To Watch The Storms, Steve Hackett put together a new band. Already before its release in 2003 he had performed a few pieces on a tour of South America, including the breathtaking "Mechanical Bride" and the enchanting and wonderful "Serpentine Song".

Steve Hackett is best known as the guitarist with Genesis during their best years as both a progressive and commercial band, across ten albums of their history.