Since setting out on his Genesis Revisited venture, about a decade ago now more or less, there’s no doubt that Steve Hackett’s profile has risen more than a little. Promoters and venues warm to the Genesis heavy setlists, although the guitarist has always ensured that highlights from his solo career are performed too. If you’re not a fan of tribute acts, your only chance of hearing classic Genesis tracks from the 1970’s played would now be at one of Steve’s gigs given that Genesis themselves are pretty much on ice following their last tour, if not defunct, and Peter Gabriel has long since refrained from throwing the odd Genesis song into his live performances. In a way, that leaves Steve as the last man standing when it comes to seeing and hearing classic live material from the band. Which is both a joyous blessing and a drawback. The drawback is that Steve’s solo material has to take something of a lower profile live than it could. The days of a totally solo Steve Hackett gig are very rare to non-existent now. A string of his own classic tracks will get played, just about always including something from his latest release, but many of the attendees at his gigs are drawn to witness the Genesis material. Which is a huge bonus of course. Hearing such wonderful classic tracks is an unmitigated highlight for any gig goer, but when it is achieved with such beautiful elan that Steve and his successive bands have produced then live performances become just that bit more special.

Steve has always managed to imbue these performances with something different from the mother band that is Genesis. It might be the subtle interweaving of varied instruments, such as the combination of reed instruments with keyboard soloing, the highlighting of the jazzier aspects of certain songs, the segueing of songs, the inclusion of the sections of songs that never used to be played for various reasons, such as the music that became lost in the fading out of a track. It is safe to say that Steve and his band(s) have given the Genesis material their own style.

This particular release celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the Foxtrot album, a highlight of the band’s 1970s output. It features Supper’s Ready, the epic, multipart suite that so many fans found transcendent. The inclusion of that track, and some others, on this collection underscores an enviable issue – just how many versions of Supper’s Ready, Los Endos and Firth Of Fifth and others do you need in your collection? On the strength of this display, the answer would be as many as possible! No two versions of a track are the same, there are far too many variables for that to be so.

Steve releases his brand-new live audio/visual spectacular, Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton on the 15th September, 2023.  It was filmed and recorded live on his 2022 UK tour, in the English south coastal city of Brighton, and documents Steve and his magnificent band celebrating the much-loved album. Played in full, this album features fan favourites including Watcher Of The Skies and Supper’s Ready. It is good to hear rarely played songs too, such as Get ‘Em Out By Friday and Can Utility And The Coastliners. The show also features a set of Hackett solo material, including The Devil’s Cathedral from his latest studio album Surrender of Silence, the powerful Ace of Wands and Shadow of the Hierophant along with the perennial Every Day.

The production on the release is really quite exceptional. The sound has been mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, the album is available on Limited 2CD+Blu-ray & Limited 2CD+2DVD, both including bonus behind the scenes interviews, as well as 5.1 surround sound. A Limited Deluxe 180g 4LP edition will also be available. The concert has been shot by long-time collaborator Paul Green. The audio has great definition, and is pristine without becoming cold and clinical. The visuals are equally excellent. It is a very high-quality release indeed.

Besides the quality of the songs themselves which are considered progressive rock masterpieces, the phenomenal soloing from all the members of the band including Steve himself, an excellent takeaway is the brilliance of the ensemble playing. The interplay of the players is quite wonderful, not least between Roger King on keyboards and saxophonist/flautist Rob Townsend. There are, potentially, some quite tricky moments to navigate by the pair but they do so with artful skill. Jonas Rheingold on bass and Craig Blundell on drums provide an enormously solid rhythmical foundation around which the music proceeds. Amanda Lehmann is almost a ubiquitous part of a Steve Hackett gig these days, being essential to the playing of Shadow of the Hierophant and giving the song some of its added energy when playing her guitar. All the players sound easy with one another, and there is great power rather than heaviness in the music. These are high quality interpretations of the tunes – Camino Royale is joyful, Shadow Of The Hierophant powerful, Supper’s Ready triumphal, Firth of Fifth emotional and descriptive. Throughout it all, Steve is assured and incredibly skilled, keen to allow his band to shine rather than claiming the limelight all for himself. His playing is precise but flowing, deft but robust as befits the track.

There is quite a library of Steve Hackett live releases under the Genesis Revisited banner now, with this the eighth such release in the last ten years. It is an exceptional release as it deals with one of the progressive rock genre’s most respected albums from the classic period with great respect, but not in any way being stilted or restricting. Indeed, one of the features of the music is how warm and joyful the performances are. There are no weak links, all the band are exceptional musicians and they gel well as a unit. The musicians quite obviously know, appreciate and enjoy the pieces and feed off the enthusiasm of the crowd. Everything about this release oozes quality – the standard of musicianship, the clarity of the visuals, and the definition of the sound. Steve reflects; “Foxtrot is a must for fans of the early Genesis work. Fifty years ago? It doesn’t feel like those ideas are fifty years old because it was-genre defining, rather than following trends. It still sounds current, now.”

You can now watch the band perform ‘Watcher of the Skies’ here: https://youtu.be/bFgdvFnAVX0     

Check out video for ‘A Tower Struck Down’ originally from ‘Voyage of the Acolyte’ here

Steve and his band continue their busy touring schedule with further ‘Foxtrot At Fifty & Hackett Highlights’ dates in North America beginning in October.

1.         Intro / Ace of Wands

2.         The Devil’s Cathedral

3.         Spectral Mornings

4.         Every Day

5.         A Tower Struck Down

6.         Basic Instincts

7.         Camino Royale

8.         Shadow of the Hierophant

9.         Watcher of the Skies

10.       Time Table

11.       Get ‘Em Out by Friday

12.       Can Utility and the Coastliners

13.       Horizons

14.       Supper’s Ready

15.       Firth of Fifth

16.       Los Endos

Steve Hackett / guitars

Roger King / keyboards

Jonas Reingold / bass

Rob Townsend / saxophones, flutes

Craig Blundell / drums & percussion

Nad Sylvan / vocals

With:

Amanda Lehmann / guitar, vocals

Label: InsideOut Music

Release date: 15th September, 2023

Formats:  Vinyl, Ltd. 2CD + Blu-ray, Ltd. 2CD + 2DVD, Digital

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