STEVE HOWE - (1998) Quantum Guitar

STEVE HOWE - (1998) Quantum Guitar

"I wonder why so few people review Steve Howe's solo efforts - most of them are excellent prog albums. And this is the case with Quantum guitar. This album is all instrumental and electric - that's about style. It's not that I dislike Steve singing - I accept it, so to say, but instrumental music is his strongest point. The album is very even and it's hard to name the best and worst tracks. All of songs are at least memorable and have a catchy melody. In my opinion, the first 2/3 of the album are slightly better than the end. The first track is a cover version of a Ventures well-known song. And, finally, the mood of the record seems to me rather optimistic.
review by Yurkspb2 - www.progarchives.com"

Track Listings:
01. Walk, Don't Run (3:03)
02. The Collector (3:02)
03. Light Walls (3:45)
04. Mosaic (2:03)
05. Suddenly (10:11)
06. Country Viper (1:40)
07. Mainland (3:30)
08. Knights of Carmelite (3:02)
09. Paradox (4:55)
10. Momenta (2:57)
11. Sleep Walk (3:13)
12. Sovereigns (2:13)
13. Totality (2:24)
14. Solid Ground (5:27)
15. The Great Seige (2:17)
16. Cacti Garden (2:25)
17. Southern Accent (4:12)
Total Time: 60:19

Line-up/Musicians:
- Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), bass, guitar, mandolin, percussion, pedal Steel, guitar (electric), keyboards
- Dylan Howe / drums

Official Website: http://stevehowe.com/

Yes - (1979) Quebec City - PQ-Canada

Cd1:
01. Intro (Close Encounters)
02. Siberian Khatru
03. Heart Of The Sunrise
04. Future Times/Rejoice
05. Circus Of Heaven
06. Medley: Time And A Word/Long Distance Runaround/The Fish/Survival/Ritual/Perpetual Change/Soon
07. Don’t Kill The Whale
08. The Clap


Cd2:
01. Starship Trooper
02. On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
03. Rick Wakeman Solo
04. Awaken
05. Tour Song
06. I’ve Seen All Good People
07. Roundabout

YES - (1994) An Evening of Yes Music Plus

DVD/Video, released in 1994

It seems that there are several versions of this album in C.D., but the day I went to buy it, I found two: one European version released in late 1993, which doesn`t include "Starship Trooper", which has in the front cover the "Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe" names with the title of the album (as shown in the scan of the cover included in this page) and it seems that it doesn`t include the credits for the musicians, as I read in previous reviews; and another version, released by Herald Records in the U.S., in 1994, which includes "Starship Trooper", having the same front cover, except that this cover doesn`t have the "Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe" names and the name of the album. It has a purple sticker which says "an evening of YES MUSIC PLUS FEATURING Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, 2 Gold CDs," etc. It only says in the the back cover "an evening of YES MUSIC PLUS", with the titles of the songs included in each C.D. I bought the Herald version, which also includes a booklet with credits and some notes (which have some mistakes, because the writer of these notes wrote that "the last time these four played together was in 1979 while touring in support the Tormato album", which is not true, because Bruford didn`t play in the "Tormato"album, because he left Yes in 1972, so he wasn`t on tour with in Yes in 1979; and also the notes say that this album was recorded "in the final date of the U.S. tour", and this is not true, because they played another concert the next day in Sacramento, California, and they did another tour in the U.S. in March 1990). This live album was recorded at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, in Mountain View, California, in September 9, 1989. It seems that it was recorded for a Radio Broadcast ("courtesy of DIR Broadcasting inc.", as credited in the booklet), and also filmed and broadcasted in T.V. in "pay-per-view", and also released in VHS video (which I have never seen) in 1994 or later with two additional songs: "The Meeting" and "I`ve Seen All Good People". Jeff Berlin appears in this album because days before this concert Tony Levin became ill with Hepatitis. After playing one concert feeling ill,Tony was taken to the hospital after the concert was finished (to read reviews of this concert and other concerts of the same tour and other Yes tours, visit the "Forgotten Yesterdays" website, www.forgottenyesterdays.com). After this happened, some dates were canceled, and Bruford suggested to the rest of the band to call Berlin, who had 3-4 days to learn the songs, writing the bass parts in scores after hearing the original versions in the albums, and later rehearsing with the whole band. So, after this short time of rehearsals, Berlin, in my opinion, did a very good job. Berlin played 6 or 7 concert dates with ABWH, finishing that part of the tour, and Levin re-joined the band for the next leg of the tour several weeks later.The first time I listened to these live recordings was in late 1990, when I recorded in a cassette a one hour broadcast of this concert in a FM Radio Station (in Stereo). So, years after this album appeared and I bought it, and it became one of my favourite live albums. The only thing that I don`t like from this album is the start of the concert with 3 solo medleys, each one by Anderson, Howe and Wakeman, respectively. Anderson included in his solo medley an acousitc version of "Owner of a lonely heart" which was played with Milton McDonald and Julian Colbeck (who also played on tour with GTR). Howe played his usual "Clap/Mood for a Day" medley, plus a musical piece not listed in the cover or in the booklet and played between "Clap" and "Mood...". My favourite solomedley from these 3 played in the start of the concert is Wakeman`s, one of the best solo medleys I`ve have listened from him, which also includes an instrumental version of "Madrigal" from the "Tormato" album, but also not listed in the booklet or in the cover. Bruford`s solo after "Long distance runaround" (not listed in the cover or in the label) is a very good combination of acoustic and electronic drums and percussion.The songs of the ABWH album are played with more energy, and are better in my opinion than the studio versions (with the exception of "Teakbois", which a part of it was played in Anderson`s acoustic solo medley).This live album also has the best live versions of "And You and I" and "Close to the Edge", despite not being played with Chris Squire in the bass guitar. It is also good to hear live versions of "Heart of the sunrise" and "Roundabout" with Bruford on drums, hearing his very good technique despite being played in a drum kit which was a combination of acoustic and electronic drums. "Starship Trooper" was played a bit differently to previous versions, including a keyboards introduction, and a part played with keyboards between the "Disillusion" and "Würm" parts of this song, which includes the first verse of "Nous Sommes du soleil" (from the "Topographic Oceans"`s album song "Ritual") and a "thank you" speech by Anderson to the audience."Starship Trooper", despite being played at the end of the concert, was added as a bonus track in C.D. no. 1. The rest of the musicians played very good, really assisting the ABWH members in playing the live versions more similar to the studio versions. For me, this album was a very good buy, despite the bass was mixed lower than the rest of the instruments, and despite being originally a recording made for Radio broadcasts. I hope someday to watch the VHS video or the DVD of this concert.

Track Listings
1. Benjamin Britten`s Young Person`s Guide to the Orchestra
2. Time and a Word / Owner of a Lonely Heart / Teakbois
3. The Clap / Mood for a Day
4. Gone but not Forgotten / Catherine Parr/ Merlin the Magician
5. Long Distance Runaround
6. Birthright
7. And You and I
8. I`ve Seen All Good People
9. Close to the Edge
10. Themes
11. Brother of Mine
12. The Meeting
13. Heart of the Sunrise
14. Order of the Universe
15. Roundabout
16. Starship Trooper

Total Time: 2 hours 32 minutes

Line-up/Musicians
- Jon Anderson / lead vocals
- Bill Bruford / acoustic and electronic drums
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Steve Howe / guitars

Additional musicians:
- Jeff Berlin / bass
- Julian Colbeck / keyboards
- Milton McDonald/ guitar

Yes - (1991) Yesyears (4CD Boxset) Compilation

Yes - (1991) YesYears: 4CD Boxset/Compilation

Tracklist:

CD 1 (72:50)

01. Something's Coming (7:06)
02. Survival (6:18)
03. Every Little Thing (5:41)
04. Then (4:18)
05. Everydays (4:08)
06. Sweet Dreams (3:49)
07. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (4:48)
08. Time and a Word (4:31)
09. Starship Trooper (9:26)
10. Yours is no Disgrace (9:40)
11. I've Seen All Good People (6:53)
12. Long Distance Runaround (3:33)
13. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (2:35)

CD 2 (72:40)

01. Roundabout (8:31)
02. Heart of the Sunrise (10:31)
03. America (edit) (4:03)
04. Close to the Edge (18:34)
05. Ritual (21:33)
06. Sound Chaser (9:23)

CD 3 (73:18)

01. Soon (4:06)
02. Amazing Grace (2:31)
03. Vevey, part 1 (1:07)
04. Wonderous Stories (3:45)
05. Awaken (15:34)
06. Montreaux's Theme (2:26)
07. Vevey, part 2 (0:57)
08. Going for the One (5:32)
09. Money (3:12)
10. Abilene (3:55)
11. Don't Kill the Whale (3:55)
12. On the Silent Wings of Freedom (7:45)
13. Does It Really Happen? (6:34)
14. Tempus Fugit (5:14)
15. Run With the Fox (4:09)
16. I'm Down (2:31)

CD 4 (72:43)

01. Make it Easy (6:08)
02. It Can Happen (6:01)
03.Owner of a Lonely Heart (4:27)
04. Hold On (5:15)
05. Shoot High Aim Low (7:00)
06. Rhythm of Love (4:46)
07. Love Will Find a Way (4:49)
08. Changes (7:34)
08. And You And I (10:49)
09. Heart of the Sunrise (10:50)
10. Love Conquers All (4:57)

Line-up/Musicians

- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Trevor Horn / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards
- Geoff Downes / keyboards
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Peter Banks / guitars
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals
- Billy Sherwood / guitars and vocals

Steve Howe & Martin Taylor - (2004) Masterpiece Guitars

Steve Howe & Martin Taylor - (2004) Masterpiece Guitars

01 Two Teardrops
02 No Pedestrians
03 Smile
04 La Questa
05 All The Things You Are
06 Thought Waves
07 Thank Heaven For Little Girls
08 Ginger
09 Blue Bossa Featuring The Blue Guitars
10 Tailpiece
11 Cherokee Ridge
12 The Sunshine Of Your Smile
13 Goofus
14 Moon River.mp3
15 Ae Fond Kiss - Farewell To Erin
16 Somewhere
17 Harpnosis

Rick Wakeman - (1993) The Classical Connection

Rick's Perspective:
Notes: After going out yet again on tour with a second Classical Connection line up, it was deemed necessary to have another release to coincide with such an event and so Classical Connection II was born which was half live and half studio, which always made it an unsatisfactory compromise as far as I was concerned.
Wakey's Verdict: If you've already got Classical Connection in your collection, then I suppose it makes sense to have Classical Connection II as well.

Track List:
01 Eleanor Rigby 8' 8"
02 Birdman of Alcatraz 4' 28"
03 The Day After The Fair 4' 38"
04 Opus 1 3' 10"
05 The Painter 3' 7"
06 Summertime 6' 5"
07 Dancing In Heaven 6' 36"
08 A Garden of Music 3' 18"
09 Mackintosh 3' 49"
10 Farandol 2' 45"
11 Pont Street 4' 30"
12 Art And Soul 5' 1"


Line-up:
Rick Wakeman - Piano/Keyboards
Bill Bruford - Drums
Chris Squire - Bass
David Paton - Guitar/Bass
Frank Riccotti - Tuned Percussion
Steve Howe - Acoustic Guitars

Rick Wakeman - (1973) The Six Wife of Henry VIII

Rick's Perspective:
Notes: Much has been documented about this album so it's difficult to say anything new except that the stinking reviews it got when it came out really hurt me. Also the fact that A&M records hated it didn't help. I felt very much alone with this album until help came in the form of Tony Burdfield and Terry O'Neill at A&M who actually liked it because it was different and worked their socks off to give it a fair hearing.

Track List:

1 Catherine of Aragon 3' 47"
2 Anne of Cleves 7' 55"
3 Catherine Howard 6' 37"
4 Jane Seymour 4' 50"
5 Anne Boleyn 6' 36"
6 Catherine Parr 7' 4"

Artist List:
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Barry St. John/Judy Powell/Laura Lee/Liza Strike/Sylvia McNeill - Vocals
Steve Howe/Dave Lambert/Mike Egan - Guitar
Dave Cousins - Electric Banjo
Chris Squire/Chas Cronk/Dave Winter/Les Hurdle - Bass
Alan White/Barry de Souza/Bill Bruford - Drums
Frank Riccotti/Ray Cooper - Percussion

Steve Howe and Fragile - 2007

Live at Tilburg (2007-10-30)

Howe has been collaborating again with Yes tribute band Fragile. He was with them for Oct 2007 dates in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium on their 10th anniversary tour. Jon's voice is hard to match, but musically this is a great act. My favourite here is the medley "A Venture-South Side of the Sky", as A Venture was never played live by Yes.

Fragile opened with a set (including "The Revealing Science of God"), followed by a solo acoustic set from Howe, and then a joint set. The joint set included "A Venture", "South Side of the Sky" and "Gates of Delirium" (end section and into "Soon").


Setlist:
Fragile
01 - Intro and opening firebird
02 - Perpetual change
03 - Revealing science of god
04 - Owner of a lonely heart
05 - Close to the edge
06 - Introduction to Steve howe

Steve Howe
07 - Howe solo - Second Initial
08 - Howe solo - In The Course Of The Day
09 - Howe solo - Intersection Blues
10 - Howe solo - Masquerade
11 - Howe solo - Ram
12 - Howe solo - Clap
(change the names of the songs, they are all named simply "Howe solo")

Steve Howe and Fragile
13 - Siberian Khatru
14 - A Venture - South side of the sky
15 - Soon solo
16 - Starship Trooper
17 - Roundabout

Steve Howe and Dream Theater

Steve Howe and Dream Theater

RE UPLOADED Stve Howe and Dream Theater

This is a bootleg from a Dream Theater concert that had as a very special guest Mr. Steve Howe. I think the year of this concert is 1995, but I'm not sure...
Set list is a medley of Yes classics, all of them instrumental:
Machine Messiah
Heart of the Sunrise
Close to the Edge
Siberian Kathru
Starship Trooper

The guys from Dream Theater do a very good job, and Steve really shines, especially on Machine Messiah, a song he hasn't played with Yes since 1980. Audio quality is excellent.

Steve Howe - Mothballs

Steve Howe - Mothballs
Before joining Yes, Steve Howe had actuated in several bands, creating a great reputation in the underground scene from the late 60s. This is a compilation that shows us his work in these bands, and also as a session player.
This is an important album for those who are interested in how Steve developed his style, and for lovers of the psychedelic music that was so common in the 60s. I must warn you that this compilation has many trivial pop songs that will not change your life. Don't expect a masterpiece!

1. Maybellene - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

2. True to Me - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

3. Howlin' for My Baby - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

4. What to Do - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

5. Leave My Kitten Alone - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

6. Don't Know What to Do - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

7. On the Horizon - Steve Howe, The Syndicats

8. Stop Wait a Minute - Steve Howe, In Crowd

9. You're on Your Own - Steve Howe, In Crowd

10. Why Must They Criticise - Steve Howe, In Crowd

11. I Don't Mind - Steve Howe, In Crowd

12. Finger Poppin' - Steve Howe, In Crowd

13. So Bad - Steve Howe

14. You Never Can Stay in One Place - Steve Howe

15. Real Life Permanent Dream - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

16. Am I Glad to See You - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

17. Blow Up - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

18. Three Jolly Little Dwarfs - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

19. Revolution - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

20. My White Bicycle - Steve Howe, Tomorrow

21. Kid Was a Killer - Steve Howe, Keith West


22. Come Over Stranger - Steve Howe

23. Beyond Winter - Bodast, Steve Howe

24. Nothing to Cry For - Bodast, Steve Howe

25. Nether Street - Bodast, Steve Howe

Steve Howe - (2007) TRIO

15 May, 2007 Morecambe, The Platform, UK
In 2007, momentarily free from Yes, Steve Howe decided to tour with a jazz-blues-rock-country (summing up, all the music he likes) trio, formed of:
Steve Howe - Guitars
Dylan Howe - Drums
Ross Stanley - Hammond Organ

They reworked some Yes classics, and songs from Steve's solo career, with little respect to the original arrangements. The result is a very original concert, with a jazzy feel recreating completely some well-known songs, some less commented pieces, and a couple of jazz/blues standards from a guitarrist he admires, Kenny Burrell.
Mood For A Day has to be heard to be believed, it was transformed in an exciting 8 minutes long jazz number, with a steady 9/8 meter.
As usual, there's an acoustic session, with less original but perfectly played versions of Cactus Boogie(from Steve Howe Album), Sketches in the Sun (from GTR) and Intersection Blues (from Natural Timbre.)
I must admit some songs get too long and rather loose, like Momenta, originally a 3 minutes long in Quantum Guitar, here it almost achieves 11 minutes, without having so much to say. But except this one, most extended jams are very well delivered.
If you want to hear Steve improvisating, here's a holy grail for you.

Some videos of the trio can be seen at Dylan Howe's Youtube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/DylanHowe

Here is the group's myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/stevehowetrio
where they say they're going to record a studio album in October (sady they seem to have postponed it...) and say their influences are:

Kenny Burrell
Wes Montgomery
Tal Farlow
Elvin Jones
Philly-Jo Jones
Roy Haynes
Jimmy Smith
Larry Young
Larry Goldings

Setlist:
DISC ONE
Travelin'
Dream River,
Chitlins Con Carne
Mood for a Day
Blue Bash!
Close to the Edge

DISC TWO
Bareback
Medley – Freight Trane/Whispering/Trambone
Cactus Boogie
Sketches in the Sun
Intersection Blues
Kenny's Sound
Momenta
The Haunted Melody
Sweet Thunder
Clap
Siberian Khatru

Steve Howe - (2006) NEW YORK

BB King's Blues Club
NYC
14 de Abril, 2006

In 2006, with Yes inactive, Steve Howe did some small shows, only he and his guitars.
This one here shows well the intimity feeling between him and the public. He talks a lot, about his blues influences, his limited ability to write lyrics, etc.
Besides, he plays some rare tunes, like songs from Natural Timbre and also Nine Voices (from The Ladder)

Kohno Spanish classical guitar:
01 Pre-show music 10:26
02 Applause 00:48
03 Surface Tension 04:37
04 The Ancient excerpt 04:39
05 The Little Galliard (Dowland) 01:48
06 Corkscrew 03:58
07 Classical Gas 03:37
08 Talking points 01:51
09 J's Theme 04:08
10 Concerto In D 2nd Mvt (Vivaldi) 02:28
11 Mood For A Day 03:52

Scharpach custom 12-string:
12 Winter from 4 Seasons (Vivaldi) 03:15
13 Masquerade 02:25
14 And You And I intro > Turn Of The Century outro 03:21
15 more stories 02:05
16 Sketches In The Sun 04:25

Portuguese 12-string:
17 Nine Voices 04:02

(intermission)

Martin 6-string steel cutaway:
01 Intro 02:09
02 In The Course Of The Day 04:30
03 To Be Over 07:18
04 Ram 04:01
05 Goin' Down This Road (Broonzy) 03:22
06 Intersection Blues 02:35
07 Merl Travis quotes 02:06
08 Second Initial 03:41

Line 6 Variax electric:
09 A Drop In The Ocean 02:42
10 variax demos 02:16
11 Whispering (Coburn, Rose & Schoenberger; arrangement: Atkins) 02:48
12 Dorothy 02:55
13 Meadow Rag 03:32

Fender lap steel:
14 Soon 08:25

Portuguese 12-string:
15 Your Move 03:35

encore:
Martin 6-string steel cutaway:
16 Clap 05:10

Steve Howe - (2005) Spectrum

Steve Howe is the master of diversity on the six-string. With his new CD he covers the entire musical "Spectrum" and beyond. The entire album is instrumental and he certainly makes an immense statement without any vocals added to each track. There is no need for his YES band mates Anderson and Squire to add any vocals to this mix; it is a complete masterpiece without that element present. Rick Wakeman’s son Oliver and his own two talented offspring, Dylan and Virgil, join Howe, which is a stunning combination of the old guard and the new blood emerging from the YES family. Howe is one smart cookie, he has bass player supreme Tony Levin is in the studio for the sessions to round out his resonating guitar oriented compositions. God knows how Levin finds the time to play on all of the projects he does. He is simply incredible.
(...) Songs like “Tigers Den” and “Realm Thirteen” have irresistible hooks and rhythms that are as unique as they are inviting. (...)
Howe is equally adept with the acoustic or electric guitar, hence his ability to rock and play softer more jazz Latin inflected numbers to enhance your listening experience and make it an all around instrumental voyage through several different styles. I have a fondness for prog-rock and jazz fusion, whether it is acoustic or electric it does not really matter to me, I simply love it all. You hear will jazz, rock, country, blues, or combinations of them all in electric and acoustic settings during the course of Howe’s brilliant compositions. This is guitar 101. If you are an avid listener of the Howe repertoire or wish to study one of the more diverse and incredible guitar players on the face of the earth today, check out "Spectrum" now.
(from progarchives)

Studio Album, released in 2005

Track Listings

1. Tigers Den (3:46)
2. Labyrinth (3:57)
3. Band Of Light (3:34)
4. Ultra Definition (3:39)
5. Raga Of Our Time (4:12)
6. Ebb and Flow (4:03)
7. Realm Thirteen (4:27)
8. Without Doubt (3:45)
9. Highly Strung (4:30)
10. Hour Of Need (5:13)
11. Fools Gold (4:05)
12. Where Words Fail (4:16)
13. In The Skyway (3:13)
14. Livelihood (3:34)
15. Free Rein (3:52)

Total Time: 60:06

Line-up/Musicians - Steve Howe / guitars
- Tony Levin / bass
- Dylan Howe / drums
- Oliver Wakeman / keyboards
- Virgil Howe / keyboards

Steve Howe - (2002) Skyline

Steve HOWE is a world-renowned guitar virtuoso with the great progressive rock group Yes. Probably only the most devoted fans realize that there is much more to him than just being a guitar player for that band. He is a venerated solo artist as well. On his latest effort "Skyline", HOWE proves to be an adept six-string maestro by combining jazz, rock, and strong Latin influences into intricate and dazzling instrumental compositions.

His music is as beautiful as the skyline that adorns the cover of this CD. The rainbow is significant in that his music parallels the different colors that the prism of light so pleasing offers to the eye of the beholder.

This is the kind of music that demands several listens and introspection on a level not normally found with a casual listening experience. Then again, HOWE has never been an artist considered average or normal by any means. His outstanding contributions to music over the last 30 years have helped to shape progressive rock and the continuing evolution of the guitar and its vast capabilities.

Yes fans and guitar aficionados alike will find a lot of pleasure listening to this CD. From a production, technical, and pure listening aspect, there are many variations found in HOWE's guitar ruminations. Whether you enjoy jazz, rock, or instrumental guitar music, you will appreciate the detail and effort that went into recording this masterpiece.

Studio Album, released in 2002

Track Listings:
1. Small Acts of Human Kindness (4:21)
2. Meridian Strings (5:26)
3. Secret Arrow (4:24)
4. Moon Song (4:29)
5. Shifting Sands (5:51)
6. Avenue de Bel Air (6:38)
7. Resonance (5:27)
8. The Anchor (2:50)
9. Moment in Time (6:49)
10. Simplification (3:18)
11. Camera Obscura (6:30)
12. Small Acts (3:49)

Total Time: 59:52
Line-up/Musicians

- Steve Howe / guitars, bass, keyboards
- Paul Sutin / keyboards, percussion

Steve Howe - (2001) Natural Timbre

"The YES guitarist Steve HOWE's new album "Natural Timbre" is quite far from the music he have recorded with YES and ASIA through the years. The album contains eighteen all- acoustic instrumental songs witch moves within many different genres. And they're performed in an emotional, relaxed, and for being Steve HOWE, different way. I saw Steve performing together with MARILLION on MTV a couple of years ago, and I remember that I was thinking that the man had grown old and his guitar playing wasn't as good as before, but this album shows the opposite. The music is complex, vital and more refreshing then Steve have been in many years. But there are actually some YES connections on this album after all, as Steve has included three new versions of some old YES-songs, selected by his fans: "Your Move", "Disillusion" and "To Be Over". With this album Steve proves that he's still one of the world's finest guitarists.
Review by Greger (Greger Rönnqvist), July 03, 2004"

I'm shocked to see that this excellent album has only four reviews. I can understand that many people may have felt burned by some of the releases from earlier in Steve's career, but this one is very nice indeed. It will be quite a departure for people who are only familiar with Steve's most well-known stuff, as most of this album is made up of laid-back, jazzy instrumentals (with a strong country influence on some songs as well.) Steve is still mesmerized by the sounds of his various guitars, and brings them to us in a some delightful works that showcase their sounds and characteristics as much as they showcase his talent.

That's right, I said instrumentals. We can all breathe a sigh of relief. Steve doesn't sing.

Anyhow, this is the best of Howe's albums that I have heard and it is well worth having. If you gave up on Steve's solo career in the last millenium, try this one out. It's different and better than those old albums you bought in the '70's.

Four stars. Steve may have released things that required more impressive chops in the past, but this is the right mix of skill and taste.
Here's probably the best Howe album... All the songs are acoustic, but he can make them very different one from another, using Mandolin, Banjo, several acoustic guitars, violin(played by Anna Palm). The whole album is very calm, perfect for reading, and he makes blues (Intersection Blues, to me the best track), Jazz (Dream River), and ambient music ( Distant Seas)... The disc has songs for all my moods. The Yes songs, in my opinion are all excelent: Your Move's extremely beautiful melody is made better, and the recorders are so calm and soft; Disillusin (from Starship Trooper) is outstanding, very emotive; To Be Over is a masterpiece, with amazing Glockenspiel, and a totally different atmosphere from the original. They are all as good as the originals.

Studio Album, released in 2001

Track Listings

1. Distant Seas (6:14)
2. Provence (4:00)
3. Intersection Blues (2:28)
4. Family Tree (4:29)
5. J's Theme (3:52)
6. In the Course of the Day (3:32)
7. Dream River (3:58)
8. Golden Years (4:35)
9. The Little Galliard (1:22)
10. Up Above Somewhere (3:56)
11. Curls and Swirls (2:33)
12. Pyramidology (3:06)
13. Lost for Words (3:34)
14. Winter (Vivladi) (2:16)
15. Solar Winds (3:53)
16. Your Move (3:27)
17. Disillusion (1:41)
18. To Be Over (6:13)

Total Time: 65:09

Line-up/Musicians:
- Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), banjo, bass, dobro, guitar, mandolin, percussion, autoharp, guitar (bass), guitar (12 String), koto, mandola, mandocello, Hawaiian Lap Steel guitar
- Andrew Jackman / piano, Glockenspiel
- Anna Palm / violin
- Dylan Howe / drums

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

Steve Howe - (1999) Potraits of Bob Dylan

"1999 album by the former Yes & Asia guitarist, a collection o f Bob Dylan covers. Features guest appearances by Jon Anderson (Yes), Geoff Downes (Asia), P.P. Arnold, Max Bacon (Mike Oldfield), Pheobe Snow, Allan Clarke (Hollies) and Annie Haslam (Renaissance)."

Track Listings:
01. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (12:03)/
02. Mama, You Been on My Mind (2:36)/
03. It's All over Now, Baby Blue (4:35)/
04. Going, Going, Gone (3:55)/
05. Just Like a Woman (4:38)/
06. Well, Well, Well (4:08)/
07. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (6:11)/
08. Lay Lady Lay (3:46)/
09. One Too Many Mornings (3:33)/
10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We... (4:18)/
11. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (4:04)/
12. Buckets of Rain (3:54)
Total Time: 57:41

Line-up/Musicians:
Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), guitar, pedal Steel, bass (electric), keyboards, vocals-
Jon Anderson / vocals-
Annie Haslam / vocals-
Phoebe Snow / vocals-
Allan Clarke / vocals-
P.P. Arnold / vocals-
Max Bacon / vocals-
Keith West / vocals-
Dean Dyson / vocals-
Anna Palm / violin

Steve Howe - (1996) Homebrew

"This CD presents us 17 previously unreleased picks from STEVE HOWE’s personal recording archives from the 70’s to 90’s. This makes the album quite unbalanced listening experience, but is probably an interesting album from serious fans of his work, which I am not though I respect his musical skills. “Sketches in the Sun” is a delightful and mantra-like opener, having YES sounding chorus. This was performed on stage with ASIA, and later recorded for a GTR album. ”Sharp on Attack” is from mid 80’s and the electronic drum synth sounds are terrible. Melodies are interesting though, an the song resembles “Machine Messiah” song from the “Drama” album of YES. This track features also an annoying fade out. “The Valley of Rock” is an American country tune, not very much pleasing my taste, though technically brilliant (who could except else?). The first part of “Georgia's Theme” has also some country-like qualities, but in more tasteful manner, maybe resembling songs of PAT METHENY. Second theme is more ethereal solo guitar run, being very beautiful and emotional. This track was dedicated to the guitarists first daughter. As the previous track was dedicated to a young relative, the following “Dorothy” is written for the elder relatives of the player. This is quite sweet easy listening jazz, being still pleasant to listen to. “Meadow Rag” is a short classical rag bringing us the moods of early 20th century. A good performance and a demonstration of a sense of musical styles. Then “At the Full Moon” starts a batch of songs done during the time of recordings of ABW&H album. The guitarist does also singing here, and he surely is not as good singer as he is a guitar player, but this is still a decent performance, still not pleasing my tastes. “Never Stop Learning” is done with GEOFF DOWNES during same times, and this is quite painful track to be listened due it’s 80’s AOR sounds. This evolved as “Brother of Mine” song on ABW&H album. “Red and White” continues the straits guided by the last few tracks, and at least here the overall quality of the release starts to suffer in my opinion. “More About You” is a simple acoustic ballad. It’s often a surprise to found that Steve was much into this kind of simple folk stuff, after his complex guitar work on YES. ”Rare Birds” returns back to the ABW&H era, being a peaceful ethereal tune, most pleasing one of these in my opinion. “Big Love” is another painful track with horrid singing from the maestro, and “Running in the Human Race” is a quite nasty rant from 80’s. Terrible “Barren Land” is from ASIA times, and whilst listening the following “Against the Tide” and “Break Away from It All” my mental state collapsed as I couldn’t take it anymore. There was only one track left, which I though being interesting: “For This Moment” was recorded at 1972 and it came as a part of “The Tales from Topographic Ocean” album by YES. Sadly it’s interesting to be heard only once, as it sounds terrible.As this compilation emphasizes the 80’s-90’s era, this should be a pleasing record only if you are fond of this timeline in the guitarists work. (The detailed information about the recordings are from the informative CD inlay card)
Review by Eetu Pellonpää, Posted Sunday, April 03, 2005 - www.progarchives.com"

Track Listings:
01. Sketches in the Sun (3:08)/
02. Sharp on Attack (3:55)/
03. The Valley of Rock (2:37)/
04. Georgia's Theme (3:33)/
05. Dorothy (4:31)/
06. Meadow Rag (1:26)/
07. At the Full Moon (4:06)/
08. Never Stop Learning (2:49)/
09. Red and White (3:33)/
10. More About You (2:50)/
11. Rare Birds (3:07)/
12. Big Love (4:43)/
13. Running in the Human Race (3:53)/
14. Barren Land (2:34)/
15. Against the Tide (2:58)/
16. Break Away from It All (4:28)/
17. For This Moment (5:21)
Total Time: 59:32

Line-Up/Musicians
- Steve Howe / Guitar

Steve Howe - (1994) NOT NECESSARILY ACOUSTIC Live

STEVE HOWE
NOT NECESSARILY ACOUSTIC (1994) Live

(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)

Steve Howe's first solo live album was recorded during two performances in mid-December 1994 in Philadelphia and Montreal. His stunning, unique and seminal guitarplay incorporates rock, classical, symphonic, jazz, ragtime, blues and perhaps a few more musical styles.

During the show Howe plays a sizable chunk of his past work. There were also a few songs that had never been released. Most were played on a variety of acoustic guitars, but a few songs were done on a very clean sounding electric.

All his classic guitar pieces are covered: "Clap", "Mood for a Day", "Sketches in the Sun", "Ram", "Cactus Boogie", "Meadow Rag" and "Masquerade" to name but a few. Also included are a clipped "Roundabout" and a tastefully compiled suite excerpting all four sides of Tales from Topographic Oceans, the highlight of which is "The Ancient" sequence. Howe displays brief snapshots of his influences, in the covers "Country Mix" (a medley of five country tunes clocking in at under three minutes), "Arada" and the short but sweet "The Glory of Love".

This is an hour-long mostly acoustic live showdown from Steve Howe, providing a near-perfect overview of his best guitar work.



Track Listings
1. The Valley of Rocks (3:03)
2. Heritage (2:32)
3. Arada (1:08)
4. Country Mix: White Silver Sands/Green Bay... (2:57)
5. Excerpts from Tales from Topographic... (9:18)
6. Bareback (2:42)
7. Sketches in the Sun (2:58)
8. Cactus Boogie (2:09)
9. Second Initial (2:47)
10. Corkscrew (3:45)
11. The Glory of Love (1:14)
12. Dorothy (2:10)
13. Meadow Rag (2:26)
14. Concerto in D, 2nd Movement (2:34)
15. Surface Tension (3:22)
16. Masquerade (2:03)
17. Mood for a Day (2:59)
18. Swedish Rhapsody (0:53)
19. Whispering (1:00)
20. Roundabout (2:33)
21. Ram (1:51)
22. Clap (3:43)
Total Time: 60:07


Musician :
Steve Howe / guitars

Steve Howe - (1991) TURBULENCE

TURBULENCE (1991)

Studio Album, released in 1991

Track Listings
1. Turbulence (4:57)
2. Hint Hint (3:28)
3. Running the Human Race (4:23)
4. The Inner Battle (3:32)
5. Novalis (2:25)
6. Fine Line (3:25)
7. Sensitive Chaos (4:25)
8. Corkscrew (3:56)
9. While Rome's Burning (4:25)
10. From a Place Where Time Runs Slow (3:43)

Total Time: 38:39

Line-up/Musicians
- Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), bass, dobro, guitar, mandolin, percussion, guitar (electric), guitar (Steel), koto
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Billy Currie / keyboards, viola
- Nigel Glockler / drums
- Andrew Lucas / organ