2. Hands of the Priestess Part I (3:28) 4. Hands of the Priestess Part II (1:31) 6.
Star of Sirius (7:08) 8. Shadow of the Hierophant (11:44) This wonderful record (Hackett's first solo outing) is absolutely essential listening for fans of classic Genesis. In fact, then Genesis band mates Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford assist on the album, with Phil providing vocals for the standout "Star of Sirius" (the best Genesis song that Genesis never recorded).
The album is loosely organized around the theme of the Tarot (the awesome and frenetic opening track, "Ace of Wands," is named for a Tarot card, as are other tracks), one of Hackett's interests at the time. The beautiful cover art -- which won an "album cover of the year" award -- also reflects the subjects of the songs, and was provided by Hackett's spouse, the immensely talented artist Kim Poor, who did many of Hackett's subsequent album covers. (It's a pity that the diminutive size of CD covers don't carry the impact of the old LP jackets!
) The songs vary in structure and overall sound much as those on early Genesis albums did, and are all excellent. As Genesis became increasingly commercial-sounding, many of us were heartened by the knowledge that we could always turn to Steve Hackett for complex, uncompromising, beautiful and powerful progressive rock. "Voyage of the Acolyte" is perhaps my favourite Hackett disc, although "Spectral Mornings" could give it a run for its money.
Not to be missed! Posted Tuesday, January 06, 2004, 20:14 EST |
His best album but I think too much is made of it, as this is a good show that he was a good composer himself . The dithyrambic reviews of the best Genesis album never recorded are overdone.
This is a fine album but I find many fauts on it . Oh Well ! Can't stop enthusiasm without sounding like a party pooper so I will stop here.
Oh , Mr. Bonzo ! The stuff Collins did with Brand X makes you sad?
Also , if you listen to his first solo , album there is some fine drumming but the numbers on it are uninspiring to ...
us , anyway. Posted Wednesday, March 31, 2004, 10:59 EST |
With GENESIS on hiatus following the departure of PETER GABRIEL, guitarist STEVE HACKETT wasted little time in channeling his energy into an album of his own, "Voyage of the Acolyte". Even with a rhythm section of PHIL COLLINS and MIKE RUTHERFORD, few could have expected a progressive rock gem of this magnitude.
Picking up his cue from KING CRIMSON's mellotron-led struggle between good and evil, HACKETT floors the listener within the first fifteen seconds and never releases his grip, flitting between the pastoral and the powerful with equal comfort and confidence. The opening "Ace of Wands" is one of the most abrupt entrances I've ever heard, but it's fair warning that "Voyage of the Acolyte" has opened the floodgates of a very fertile imagination. This enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of good judgment: "Ace of Wands" is chocked full of good ideas, but it tries to pack ten minutes' worth of music into half that time.
Like ROBERT FRIPP or PETER BANKS, HACKETT is no vocalist (despite various attempts to disguise his voice over the years), which gives him a certain freedom to set the mood with different singers. Sally OLDFIELD is an excellent choice for "Shadow of the Hierophant", an eleven-minute masterpiece that features the best arrangements on the album. PHIL COLLINS does passably well on "Star of Sirius", but he would get better with time; Steve's treated voice on "The Hermit" recalls the first King Crimson album, complete with strings and a lovely flute passage from John Hackett.
Although there are moments when Genesis is recalled -- the distinctive lead guitar on "Hands of the Priestess", a followup to "Foxtrot"'s "Horizons" on "The Lovers" -- Voyage of the Acolyte represents a new and different journey for the Genesis guitarist. Still, fans of "classic" Genesis will definitely want to check this out, as it's more likely to please prog rock fans than anything that band recorded after Hackett's departure. Posted Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 10:02 EST |
This album came about because of material HACKETT wanted to record for GENESIS but the band didn't record them (in fact it was that very reason that caused him to leave the band two year later, in 1977).
Despite that, Mike RUTHEFORD and Phil COLLINS appear here, as well as Sally Oldfield (Mike's sister) and John Hackett (I presume Steve's brother, who also appeared on Steve's following solo albums). The music varies from nice guitar-oriented numbers to the more sinister "A Tower Struck Down" (complete with what sounds like a crowd chanting "Sieg Heil" over and over, but if you listen more carefully, the crowd is actually chanting "Steve Hackett" over and over). There are also some more gentle acoustic numbers complete with Mellotron.
One of my favorites, without a doubt is "Star of Sirius" in which Phil COLLINS handles the vocals. Unsurprisingly this is by far the most GENESIS-like, and it gave listeners a clue on how GENESIS would sound like after GABRIEL (since "Voyage of the Acolyte" was released in October, 1975, in which GABRIEL was no longer with GENESIS, and "A Trick of the Tail" was still four months away). But I have always had a problem with the cut Sally Oldfield sings on.
I might be a minority, but I find it really difficult dealing with her high-pitched singing. Many people call it the album's high point, but I just find it difficult listening. But, still, it's definately one of the best solo albums from a GENESIS member (which is ever more so when you hear the string of mediocre and downright horrible albums Tony BANKS gave us, not to mention Phil COLLINS solo career, which was basically corporate pop sold to the masses - and sold they did).
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