Label: Inside Out Music (Europe), SPV 79170 CD
Style: Progressive Rock, New Age, Space Rock
Country: London, England (12 February 1950)
Time: 72:04
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 391 Mb
With
the rumor mill in high gear about a 2007 Genesis reunion, the release
of band alumnus Steve Hackett's Wild Orchid couldn't come at a better
time. This release reminds us just how significantly Genesis changed
after his departure in 1977. Virtually all affiliation with the
progressive rock camp that the group inhabited during the first part of
its career ended when Hackett left after the tour that resulted in
Seconds Out (Atlantic, 1977). Given the mega commercial success that
followed, it's a fair assumption that the remaining members couldn't
have cared less. But Hackett's unlikely to get involved in the reunion,
which makes it pretty much a non-event for progressive rock fans.
That
said, Wild Orchids may be the most pop-driven album of Hackett's
career. But it's still a progressive album-although, with the inclusion
of the Underworld Orchestra, one that fits into the symphonic arena. And
while Hackett's recognizable electric guitar style is still there, the
album is just as much about Hackett the writer.
Thirty years on there
are still hints of Hackett's stylistic contributions to Genesis. The
acoustic guitar-driven "Set Your Compass" directly references songs like
"Entangled" from A Trick of the Tail (Atco, 1976). "Ego and Id" may
rock more directly, but it's still a powerful vehicle for the rapid
vibrato of Hackett's visceral electric guitar, using an array of effects
including whammy bar, wah wah and controlled feedback. It also features
Hackett's tapping style-an innovation that, dating back to Genesis'
Selling England by the Pound (Atco, 1973), predated guitarist Eddie Van
Halen's greater popularizing of the technique by at least five years.
"Waters
of the Wild," with its electric sitar and sampled tabla, alludes to an
interest in East Indian music, while the equally propulsive "Down
Street," featuring Hackett's credible harmonica work, is a dark rocker
with a demonic narrative. The pastoral feel of "To a Close" seems at
odds with its more serious subject matter, delicate strings and Cor
Anglais foreshadowing the instrumental and orchestral reading of the
same theme on "She Moves in Memories."
The biggest surprise is
Hackett's take on Bob Dylan's "Man In The Long Black Coat." Progressive
fans may balk, but there's no sense of incongruity here, and the bluesy
grit of Hackett's guitar playing isn't all that far removed from his
signature style. But it's an aspect that Hackett has rarely spotlighted
so vividly.
Captivating from start to finish, Wild Orchids combines
Hackett's interest in orchestration with folkloric and
pedal-to-the-metal progressive rock, resulting in the most seamless
blend of Hackett the instrumentalist and Hackett the tunesmith since
1982's Highly Strung.
(allaboutjazz.com/wild-orchids-steve-hackett-insideout-music-america-review-by-john-kelman)
01. Transylvanian Express (03:44)
02. Waters Of The Wild (05:34)
03. Set Your Compass (03:37)
04. Down Street (07:33)
05. A Girl Called Linda (04:44)
06. Blue Child (04:24)
07. To A Close (04:48)
08. Ego And Id (04:08)
09. Man In The Long Black Coat (05:07)
10. Cedars Of Lebanon (04:01)
11. Wolfwork (04:49)
12. Why (00:47)
13. She Moves In Memories (05:00)
14. The Fundamentals Of Brainwashing (03:00)
15. Howl (04:30)
16. A Dark Night In Toytown (03:42)
17. Until The Last Butterfly (02:28)
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