Artist: Howe, Steve
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2005
Rating: 3/5
Steve Howe has once again thought of all the true devotees of his unique musical style! He’s treated us to a third helping of home-“brewed” ditties. That’s 21 songs that aren’t really songs yet. They’re basically ideas born in a moment of inspiration, which Steve “just about” and quickly got down onto a recording medium, capturing them in raw form so he wouldn’t accidentally forget them. You know how it is. Inspiration comes fast, and it also leaves fast.
The musical moment of Steve Howe, as ”Homebrew Vol. 3″ presents it to us, covers the later period of Steve’s musical career and wraps up with the year 2001. The sketches you’ll find on “Homebrew Vol.3” were recorded to later grow into classics by GTR and Asia, a few of these ideas come from the era of the “pseudo Yes reunion” of the late eighties, ABWH, while those of you who follow Yes will also recognize embryonic seeds of Yes songs from the era of the albums “Open Your Eyes” (1998) and ”Magnification” (2001). Of course Steve certainly didn’t forget his solo studio albums either! The rest of the material on “Homebrew Vol.3” is the foundation for the songs that appeared on the solo albums “Grand Scheme of Things” (1993), “Turbulence” (1991), “Quantum Guitar” (1998) and “Natural Timbre” (2001).
Of course there’s no point writing music-theory doctorates about “Homebrew Vol.3”, since it’s not a new studio album or live album. It’s a lovely document that gives us a direct peek into Steve Howe’s recording studio, into his hours of endless fun twiddling “knobs and faders” and jotting down spontaneous musical ideas in the basic form from which, say, Yes classics would later grow! This is an album meant exclusively for those of you who admire this versatile guitar virtuoso, who is a jazzman at heart but stands out for an exceptional knack for fusing different musical horizons, which has always been so appealing about him! The new “howebrew” has its own hidden little treats!
Lineup
Steve Howe – guitar, vocals
Production
Steve Howe
Track list
1. Turbulence (3:59)
2. Hint Hint (3:09)
3. The Main Title (2:30)
4. Just Passing Phase (3:01)
5. Suddenly (2:35)
6. Kind Of Friends (3:37)
7. Pyramidology (1:40)
8. In Course Of The Day (2:24)
9. Family Tree (4:02)
10. Solar Winds (2:01)
11. In Your World (1:18)
12. No Deceiving (2:49)
13. From Door To Door (4:23)
14. Cruise Control (1:17)
15. It’s Too Late (3:01)
16. Seven Castles (3:22)
17. Between Your Smiles (2:03)
18. Reaching Out (3:01)
19. The Last Word (4:27)
20. Getting Through (0:54)
21. Outlawed (3:51)
Album length: 59:40
