Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hackett, Steve
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2018
Rating: 4.5/5
Legendary guitar grandmaster Steve Hackett stopped off in the famous English industrial metropolis of Birmingham during the »The Night Siren« (2017) tour, where he recorded a live album titled »Wuthering Nights«. It’s one more in a string of outstanding live albums he’s put out in a relatively short span of time. It features thoroughly thrilling performances of some of Hackett’s long-standing solo staples and Genesis evergreens, recorded with his longtime crew of seriously gifted musicians.
During the Birmingham show he played almost the entire Genesis masterpiece »Wind & Wuthering« (1976), especially the tracks where he left his songwriting mark, with the exception of »One for the Vine«, which was written by Tony Banks. Even though it was his last outing with the legendary English symphonic prog crew, and a lot of Hackett’s songwriting ideas got turned down along the way, »Wind & Wuthering« has always remained one of Steve’s favorite Genesis albums, especially the ethereal masterpiece »Blood on the Rooftops«, with drummer Gary O’Toole on lead vocals, and the melancholy-yet-triumphant »Afterglow«.
The rest of the Genesis classics on »Wuthering Nights«, which Steve’s band played with a number of slightly reworked arrangements, mostly thanks to the woodwinds handled by Rob Townsend and with the excellent singer Nad Sylvan up at the mic, were the cataclysmic »Dance on a Volcano«, the big surprise »Inside and Out«, the Victorian epic »Firth of Fifth, the melancholy drama »The Musical Box« and the usual closer, »Los Endos«. All these Genesis treats were played in the closing stretch of the show, which is the high point of this splendid live document.
Among the long-standing solo staples, »Wuthering Nights« delivers evergreens like the opening energy catalyst »Every Day«, the mystical-oriental »The Steppes«, the Mellotron-soaked, ethereal epic »Shadow of the Hierophant«, »Rise Again« and »Serpentine Song«, while the current album »The Night Siren« is represented by performances of »El Nino«, »In the Skeleton Galley« and »Behind the Smoke«.
»Wuthering Nights-Live in Birmingham« is yet another superb live record from the guitar legend and his outstanding backing band, and it’s sure to delight Steve’s longtime fans most of all. The excellent solo and Genesis performances come with first-rate production, just what you’d expect from such a giant of music, and the setlist is nothing short of a dream.
Lineup
Steve Hackett – guitar, vocals
Roger King – keyboards
Gary O’Toole – drums, percussion
Rob Townsend – saxophone, flute
Nick Beggs – bass guitar, stick
Nad Sylvan – vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
John Hackett – flute
Amanda Lehmann – guitar, vocals
Production
Steve Hackett
Tracklist
CD 1
1. Every Day
2. El Nino
3. The Steppes
4. In the Skeleton Gallery
5. Behind the Smoke
6. Serpentine Song
7. Rise Again
8. Shadow of the Hierophant
CD 2
1. Eleventh Earl of Mar
2. One For the Vine
3. Acoustic Improvisation
4. Blood on the Rooftops
5. In That Quiet Earth
6. Afterglow
7. Dance on a Volcano
8. Inside and Out
9. Firth of Fifth
10. The Musical Box
11. Los Endos
