Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hackett, Steve
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 1979
Rating: 5/5
By the time of this album, the great Hackett had already built his image and reputation as a standalone solo artist who keeps surprising us with the depth, inventiveness and intensity of his work. Thanks to the success of his previous album “Please Don’t Touch” (1978), he’d also put together a touring band. The musicians from that lineup are all over this record too. After using American singers on the last album, Steve this time went for the classically, unmistakably British voice of Peter Hicks, which blends far better with the style of his music. “Spectral Mornings” is without a doubt an album Steve could never have made if he were still a member of Genesis, because on it he enriches his traditional, classical-based guitar sound with influences from all sorts of musical directions, among which (not surprisingly) the use of some elements of traditional oriental music stands out for the first time.
The music on ”Spectral Mornings” is also more mature than on both of its predecessors and marks a positive step forward for Steve on every front. His artful, classicist guitar solos on the album are, no question, among the best ever, not just in prog rock but in rock music in general, especially when it comes to the perfect harmony of that loud guitar sound and the ever-present intensity of the individual solos. You’ll rarely hear an album with so many guitar solos that are at once this clean, loud, resonant and intense. It’s honestly incredible how Steve manages to coax out such a clean yet loud guitar tone and combine it with a constant interplay of punch and subtlety. The loud, flowing keyboard parts from the master Nick Magnus add even more intensity to the individual pieces. And although the drummer’s cymbals often get drowned out by the volume of Steve’s guitar parts, they’re still there, played in the best way possible.
“Every Day” is first-class symphonic progressive rock, the kind that grabs you infectiously on first listen and makes you realize pretty quickly that you’re hearing a masterpiece. Of everything on the album, this is the track that most reminds you of Steve’s work with Genesis. The first part is classic symphonic prog built on a bouncing rhythm, a gorgeous vocal and the traditional interweaving of guitars and keyboards, to the point where it’s often hard to tell the two apart. If the first, vocal section is a bit predictable, the instrumental part is where it really blows you away, with Steve’s supersonic melodic solos following one another in a row, with that melancholic guitar tone you just can’t get enough of, and which easily rank among his best ever. “Every Day” is without a doubt one of the peaks of Steve’s rich musical career, offering the very best of symphonic prog rock. The acoustic “The Virgin and the Gypsy” is a gorgeous, acoustic-driven composition with an oriental touch, where Steve shows off his mastery of the acoustic guitar. The classic, legendary “The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere” is a wonderful creation heavily influenced by traditional Oriental-Japanese music, where Steve uses the traditional Japanese string instrument, the koto, in an extremely subtle way. Few Western musicians can boast such artful command of this beautiful instrument. Even though the piece is short and mainly serves to calm the mood of the whole album, its intensity easily carries the listener back to the legendary age of the samurai, to the middle of a jasmine garden and bonsai trees, with autumn leaves falling around you. And Hackett wouldn’t be a former Genesis guitarist if he hadn’t put at least one dramatic and slightly darker composition on the album, which is “Clocks-the Angel of Mons”, where the ticking of clocks leads us into a tense, even slightly schizoid instrumental stretch, where punchy drum rhythms race the guitar riffs for speed. The closing drum eruption just kills, and puts John Shearer in the league of the greats, like Phil Collins or Chester Thompson. A perfect fusion of drama and symphonic grandeur. “The Ballad Of the Decomposing Man” is the right music for some black British comedy, with touches of British ragtime, and lyrics that take a swipe at the monotony of factory work. The goofy dance rhythms and Steve’s wildly eccentric vocal are the real antithesis of most of the album, but that’s exactly why it’s a hugely entertaining piece if you’re in the right mood. The closing instrumental part is a downright parody of tropical “Hawaii” dance music. “Lost Time in Cordoba”, which carries a big classical music influence and where acoustic guitar (played on nylon strings this time) and flute blend together beautifully, is classic Hackett with a surprising closing solo that instantly wins over every connoisseur and fan of his work. He’d return to similar motifs many more times in his long and rich career. The bizarre yet brilliant “Tigermoth”, sarcastically dedicated to all the pilots who died for their kaiser or minister in both world wars, is a track full of “surprises”, with numerous exchanges between loud and clean guitar parts, while the rolling keyboards (among which Steve’s use of the then-revolutionary guitar synthesizer stands out) carry a pretty dark tone throughout. In the first part, the song is (by Hackett standards) distinctly punchy and scattered, then it veers into acoustic waters and gradually settles down. In that first part, not just the guitar solos but above all the rhythm is a little reminiscent of some of the early King Crimson, though of course based on a completely different guitar technique. When the section kicks in where the acoustic guitar melts into esoteric keyboards and sound effects, the composition takes on a whole new look. And right at the end, Hicks’ eccentric vocal catches us off guard once more. When the closing title track “Spectral Mornings” arrives, I recommend that on every listen from then on, you turn off the lights and let yourself drift on the waves of the piece, because it adds even more to the extraordinary atmosphere of this wonderful composition, one of the album’s peaks. With Steve’s subtle, fully polished solos fitting perfectly with the melancholic keyboards, this is a flawless demonstration of music that can only come from the depths of the purest human emotions. A true masterpiece that deserves lots of loud, repeated listens from fans of Steve’s music.
The 2005 reissue offers mostly alternate versions of some of the tracks, the single version of “Clocks”, a “Live Acoustic Set” where Steve shows off a few of his acoustic moments live, and a live version of “Tigermoth”. So, plenty of new extras that will definitely satisfy all collectors and fans of Hackett’s work.
“Spectral Mornings” is a masterpiece that marks one of Steve’s best moments in his entire career, once again proving he’s one of the greatest masters of combining musical variety and emotion at the same time. It’s not hard to guess why his solo career quickly won the enthusiastic approval of fans of classic Genesis, since his music offers more of the band’s traditional sound and soul than they ever managed after Steve left. All of Hackett’s early albums are among his best work, but “Spectral Mornings” presents Steve as a solo artist, and his characteristic musical approach, in the best and most complete way. Every fan of progressive rock and good music in general should have at least one Hackett solo album in their collection. And if you don’t know his first two masterpieces, or you slept on them when they came out, there’s still no excuse for ignoring “Spectral Mornings”.
Lineup
Steve Hackett – vocals, guitar, guitar synthesizer, koto, harmonica
Dik Cadbury – bass guitar, vocals, bass pedals, violin
John Hackett – flute, bass pedals
Pete Hicks – vocals
Nick Magnus – keyboards, Vox string thing, Novotron, harpsichord, clavinet, RMI, Fender Rhodes, mini moog, Roland string synth, SH 2000
John Shearer – drums, percussion
Production
John Acock, Steve Hackett
Tracklist
1. Every Day (6:14)
2. The Virgin and the Gypsy (4:28)
3. The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere (2:05)
4. Clocks (The Angel Of Mons) (4:16)
5. The Ballad Of The Decomposing Man (Featuring – The Office Party) (3:48)
6. Lost Time In Cordoba (4:03)
7. Tigermoth (7:35)
8. Spectral Mornings (6:32)
Album length: 39:01
