The album represented a sea change for both protagonists. It channelled their writing in ways that they probably hadn’t done in years but sadly with Hackett being used to being the captain of his own ship and Howe still very much a team player it was never going to be a long lived project. It did however produce several classic AOR cuts including the title track and The Hunter.
Do I like this album? Yes. Do I love it? No. The single is by far the strongest track though I do like The Hunter and Hackett to Bits a lot. This was a great one off project that shouldn’t have been any more than just that.
I bought the album on cassette when it was new. I remember really wanting to like it. I knew Howe and Hackett were significant guitarists, but I was too young to be familiar with their previous careers (I knew Genesis as a three piece band with Abacab, and I knew the new version of Yes with Trevor Rabin).
The music on this album is almost there. It just comes across as a bit too dry and proper for a rock album. At least to my young AC/DC trained ears. Great musicians, all of them. They just never achieve that gritty feel that great rock music has.
I relistened to some of it recently, and I still think it lacks that rock feel. I do still think about Howe’s solo piece, Sketches in the Sun, though, and feel it’s the highlight of the album.
GTR was one of the first solo album I heard having got into Genesis around Invisible Touch. I’ve always liked it, although it’s a shame Hackett re-cycled material for his instrumental. My favourite is the Hunter, Geoff Downes songwriting shines through. I love Max Bacon’s voice. A few years ago I went to a Q & A with Steve Hackett and the host showed a video of Max performing When the Heart Rules The Mind on UK talent show, New Faces. it’s here , with rather unfortunate edit into a different programme at the end. My Review ; GTR = FNTSTC.
I love these poll questions, and I usually try to “zag” and select a song that might not receive a ton of votes. However, I’ll “zig” this time, and pick “When the Heart Rules the Mind”. I have several songs I enjoy on this disc, especially “The Hunter” and “Toe The Line”, not to mention Hackett and Howe’s individual entries (“Hackett to Bits” and “Sketches in the Sun”) I’m choosing “When the Heart” because, when I hear it now, it still amazes me that popular radio and MTV had embraced prog rock so thoroughly that this single with the cool time changes and mid-song break that sounds like a movie soundtrack could be a hit. It was a special time to be a fan of the Genesis expanded universe – Genesis was huge, Gabriel was at his commercial apex, Collins was everywhere, Mike + the Mechanics already had a hit album, and then GTR comes along and scores big as well. It felt like the nerds had taken over!
I think this was my first exposure to Hackett. Since this was before the internet, I kept eagerly awaiting GTR 2 and told myself I’d get to see them perform live…. Eventually found an article in some magazine discussint its demise.
I enjoy every song on the album, and I seem to like them more each time I hear them. “Imagining” gets my vote, mostly because I absolutely love the transition from “Hackett to Bits” into “Imagining” and the chorus. To be honest, I’ve never understood the hate the album gets. As Ken Mass said, 1986 was the perfect year to be a brand new Genesis fan!
I am a fan of this album. They could have found a better lead singer. It would have been interesting if they made a second album. It does suffer from the 80’s production.
I’ve always been fond of this album,believe it or not. The one question I have about the production is what happened to the bass? On most of the songs it is hardly heard,at least in my opinion.
GTR really begs to be remixed. So compressed and mono-volumic.
The music sounds uninspired to me. The hit stands out so much. Should have been an EP with Imaging and Hackett to Bits
I really enjoy this album!!
I’m honestly surprised that this album didn’t get any representation on the R-Kive box set for Steve’s “solo efforts”
While I voted for When The Heart, I have to say Here I Wait is my honorable mention. The music is top notch!
The album represented a sea change for both protagonists. It channelled their writing in ways that they probably hadn’t done in years but sadly with Hackett being used to being the captain of his own ship and Howe still very much a team player it was never going to be a long lived project. It did however produce several classic AOR cuts including the title track and The Hunter.
Do I like this album? Yes. Do I love it? No. The single is by far the strongest track though I do like The Hunter and Hackett to Bits a lot. This was a great one off project that shouldn’t have been any more than just that.
I bought the album on cassette when it was new. I remember really wanting to like it. I knew Howe and Hackett were significant guitarists, but I was too young to be familiar with their previous careers (I knew Genesis as a three piece band with Abacab, and I knew the new version of Yes with Trevor Rabin).
The music on this album is almost there. It just comes across as a bit too dry and proper for a rock album. At least to my young AC/DC trained ears. Great musicians, all of them. They just never achieve that gritty feel that great rock music has.
I relistened to some of it recently, and I still think it lacks that rock feel. I do still think about Howe’s solo piece, Sketches in the Sun, though, and feel it’s the highlight of the album.
More AOR is hard to find
I bought the album on cassette, CD, and the special edition with the KBFH. Is it Howe and Havkett’s best work? No, but it’s enjoyable as an 80s mess.
The demos for the second album can be found online. It’s pretty apparent that Howe and Hackett were both needed to make the album work.
GTR was one of the first solo album I heard having got into Genesis around Invisible Touch. I’ve always liked it, although it’s a shame Hackett re-cycled material for his instrumental. My favourite is the Hunter, Geoff Downes songwriting shines through. I love Max Bacon’s voice. A few years ago I went to a Q & A with Steve Hackett and the host showed a video of Max performing When the Heart Rules The Mind on UK talent show, New Faces. it’s here , with rather unfortunate edit into a different programme at the end. My Review ; GTR = FNTSTC.
A bit more, and its Eurovision-ready! {palm} 🙂
I love these poll questions, and I usually try to “zag” and select a song that might not receive a ton of votes. However, I’ll “zig” this time, and pick “When the Heart Rules the Mind”. I have several songs I enjoy on this disc, especially “The Hunter” and “Toe The Line”, not to mention Hackett and Howe’s individual entries (“Hackett to Bits” and “Sketches in the Sun”) I’m choosing “When the Heart” because, when I hear it now, it still amazes me that popular radio and MTV had embraced prog rock so thoroughly that this single with the cool time changes and mid-song break that sounds like a movie soundtrack could be a hit. It was a special time to be a fan of the Genesis expanded universe – Genesis was huge, Gabriel was at his commercial apex, Collins was everywhere, Mike + the Mechanics already had a hit album, and then GTR comes along and scores big as well. It felt like the nerds had taken over!
I think this was my first exposure to Hackett. Since this was before the internet, I kept eagerly awaiting GTR 2 and told myself I’d get to see them perform live…. Eventually found an article in some magazine discussint its demise.
I enjoy every song on the album, and I seem to like them more each time I hear them. “Imagining” gets my vote, mostly because I absolutely love the transition from “Hackett to Bits” into “Imagining” and the chorus. To be honest, I’ve never understood the hate the album gets. As Ken Mass said, 1986 was the perfect year to be a brand new Genesis fan!
I am a fan of this album. They could have found a better lead singer. It would have been interesting if they made a second album. It does suffer from the 80’s production.
No 80s cut out bin would be complete without copies both on LP and CD
I’ve always been fond of this album,believe it or not. The one question I have about the production is what happened to the bass? On most of the songs it is hardly heard,at least in my opinion.