Steve Hackett - (1996) Genesis Revisited

An unashamed homage to prog days of yore, as Steve Hackett does 'Genesis Revisited'=, and takes the tribute acts head on. After all, nobody can do a better tribute to a person's music than that person themselves. Steve Hackett has one of the greatest pedigrees in prog rock, being a member of a band who are always destined to be one of the greatest bands ever, and as such could attract pretty much anyone to play in his band- the names here are enough to make any prog fan drool- John Wetton, Chester Thompson, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford et al. However, for some songs, he's hired world class singers like Paul Carrack and Colin Blunstone to sing slightly neglected Genesis tunes, and also has written new tracks in the spirit of Genesis. But how is this album, which has an undeniably brilliant pedigree? Well, it's hard for anyone who calls themselves a Hackett or Genesis fan not to enjoy this album, as it's mostly top notch stuff here. 'Watcher Of The Skies' gets a very good reworking, with the superb mellotron introduction played marvellously by Julian Colbeck, and a great vocal from the legendary John Wetton. Chester Thompson's drumming is typically powerful and commanding, and this is a top notch version, yet doesn't stray too far from the original, but that's a good thing, in truth. 'Dance On A Volcano' is quite different though, and I don't particularly like Hackett's voice here, which is that awful 'growling' effect he uses rather too much on his stuff. Other than that, it's done well enough. 'Firth Of Fifth' starts out wonderfully, with the majestic introduction initially played by Tony Banks on piano handled by a full orchestra, and the excellence is upheld by the great John Wetton's vocal track. However, I'm not sure about the experimental bit in the middle, which although is a new addition to the song, seems to be tacked on just to have something new in the mix, and rather than add anything to the music, actually detracts. Although, Steve Hackett's splendid guitar solo will make up for anything. 'For Absent Friends' is the one song here that actually improves on the original- it's simply gorgeous, as Colin Blunstone of The Zombies takes a rather slight song, and with the help of the orchestra, turns it into pure class. Wonderful. However, 'Your Own Special Way' confirms something I always suspected, that it's a rather dull AOR tune, and Paul Carrack, while his delivery is first class, is used to playing this sort of bland, unchallenging MOR material. 'The Fountain Of Salmacis', one of my favourite Genesis songs ever (as you may have guessed) sees the unwelcome return of the 'growling' Hackett, which marrs an otherwise brilliant rendition of a classic, with Hackett's again flawless guitar solo. 'I Know What I Like' is given an odd, yet entertaining smooth jazz reworking, which seems to deliberately go against the grain. 'Los Endos' is given a great latin prog feel, with Hackett and Chester Thompson on great form. But what of the new songs? 'Valley Of The Kings's is by far the best, and could have fit on any of Hackett's solo albums, with its moody atmosphere. 'Deja Vu', apparently written at the time of 'Wind And Wuthering', is OK, but breaks no new ground. 'Waiting Room Only is however, horrid, and is just experimental blather of the worst kind. It's mystifying that this track got chose over 'Riding The Colossus', which was on the Japanese version, that's one of the greatest Hackett guitar showcases ever, and a fan favourite. However, he'd actually called this piece 'Depth Charge' previously, and can be found on the 'Horizons' DVD. All in all, I'd say it was worth about 3.5 stars- it's not essential, but is hugely entertaining, and is a very nice addition to a Genesis collection.

Track List :
01. Watcher of the Skies (8:40)
02. Dance On A Volcano (7:28)
03. Valley Of The Kings (6:29)
04. Déja Vu (5:53)
05. Firth of Fifth (9:39)
06. For Absent Friends (3:02)
07. Your Own Special Way (4:18)
08. Fountain of Salmacis (9:53)
09. Waiting Room Only (6:53)
10. I Know What I Like (5:37)
11. Los Endos (8:51)

Line-up :
- Steve Hackett / vocals, guitars, percussion, harmonica, orchestration
with
- John Wetton / vocals, bass
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Tony Levin / bass
- Chester Thompson / drums
- Ian McDonald / saxophone, flute
- Paul Carrack / vocals
- Colin Blunstone / vocals
- Alphonso Johnson / bass
- John Hackett / flute
- Pino Palladino / bass
- Julian Colbeck / keyboards
- Aron Friedman / keyboards, orchestration, programming
- Hugo Degenhardt / drums
- Nick Magnus / keyboards, programming
- Will Bates / saxophone
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Sanchez / Montoya Chorale
- Roger King / keyboards, vibraphone, orchestration, programming
- Jerry Peal / keyboards, programming
- Ben Fenner / keyboards, orchestration, programming