Steve Howe - (1999) Pulling String

(Review from amazon)

Recorded in Chicago and Minneapolis during Steve Howe's tour of the same name, "Pulling Strings" is similar to "Not Necessarily Acoustic".

The material that flies under his own flag covers a lot of musical territory, showing off the maestro's diversified tastes. One moment he may be doing rockabilly, the next flamenco, and then classical guitar solos. Add to that material that hearkens to the progressive stylings of Yes, new age work, and fusion, and it is apparent to see that this is a man who is hard to pigeonhole.

Here, Howe thrills with acoustic interpretations of "Gates of Delirium" and "Close to the Edge" on his trusty Martin guitar. He teases the crowd by quoting every song from "Going For The One" before launching into the poignant nylon-stringed sentimentality of Turn of the Century. He also revisits some of his best bits from his early solo albums, including "Diary of a Man Who Vanished" and "Pleasure Stole the Night". His spin on Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" is simply fantastic. The finale, "My White Bicycle", is a rare cut from his early days with the band Tomorrow.

Yes fans already know that Howe's voice isn't that great--but one doesn't listen to Yes or Howe for his singing abilities. His fretboard virtuosity is stunning and clean, and the few tunes which feature vocals aren't any worse off for it.

Track List :
01. Sweet Thunder (3:20)
02. Diary of a Man Who Vanished (2:27)
03. Excerpts from "Close to the Edge" (4:23)
04. Excerpts from "Beginnings" (3:19)
05. Pleasure Stole the Night (2:45)
06. Sketches in the Sun (3:10)
07. Rare Birds (3:11)
08. Windy and Warm (1:39)
09. Classical Gas (4:28)
10. Excerpts from "Turn of the Century" (4:47)
11. Misty (1:23)
12. Excerpts from "All's a Chord" (1:37)
13. Running the Human Race (4:02)
14. Everytime You Look over Your Shoulder (3:33)
15. Theme from "The Gates of Delirium"/Soon (6:47)
16. Blinded by Science (3:46)
17. My White Bicycle (3:17)

Line-up :
- Steve Howe / acoustic guitars, electric guitars, string pad, hi hat, lute, keyboards, bass, tambourine, drum machine
- Phil Spalding / bass on track 1
- Stuart Elliott / drums on track 1