Steve Howe and Steve Hackett's GTR was one of the shortest-lived supergroups, releasing only one album in 1986 and breaking up a year later. During that year, they gave a handful of concerts, and this King Biscuit Flowe... more »r Hour CD captures their virtues quite well, arguably even better than the studio record. Not only are highlights from GTR are featured, but so are Yes' 'Roundabout' and Genesis' 'I Know What I Like,' as well as the previously unreleased song 'Prize Fighter.'« less
Steve Howe and Steve Hackett's GTR was one of the shortest-lived supergroups, releasing only one album in 1986 and breaking up a year later. During that year, they gave a handful of concerts, and this King Biscuit Flower Hour CD captures their virtues quite well, arguably even better than the studio record. Not only are highlights from GTR are featured, but so are Yes' 'Roundabout' and Genesis' 'I Know What I Like,' as well as the previously unreleased song 'Prize Fighter.'
"What a great Album! I've listened to the tape repeatedly for well over a decade and was thrilled to be able to get the CD. Filled with excellent music and guitarwork - not all top40 songs, but a masterpiece compilation."
An enjoyable album
sauerkraut | 03/23/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This self-titled debut album from GTR was released in 1986. It is comprised of ten tracks. The material is in a pop rock--with progressive leanings--musical direction. Throughout, I find the songwriting to be solid, the musicianship to be tight, and the sound quality to be satisfying. Steve Howe and Steve Hackett do well with the guitar duties. Max Bacon's smooth, pleasing tenor singing is impressive and industrious. Minimal keyboard work is also provided. Two tracks are instrumentals--Howe's "Sketches in the Sun" and Hackett's "Hackett to Bits." The album's harmony vocals are remarkable and attractive, too. Even though all the pieces are worthy, my favorites are "When the Heart Rules the Mind," "The Hunter," and "You Can Still Get Through." The nicely written "When the Heart Rules the Mind" displays a winning chorus that is spirited and unforgettable, one of my favorite choruses in general. "The Hunter," an easygoing composition, exhibits nice vocals from Bacon and a creative, memorable intro that includes an infectious bass guitar line from Phil Spalding and atmospheric keyboard work. The catchy "You Can Still Get Through" features a gratifying refrain. The CD insert includes the song lyrics. A black-and-white photo of each member of the group is displayed on the back of the CD jewel case. The disc is just over 44 minutes. This is a recommendable album."
I love live albums, but not this one
Brad | Albany NY | 06/11/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Live albums are where talented bands shine - unfortunately maybe I was going into this disc with the wrong mind-set. Jonathan Mover seems as though he's trying to turn the songs into prog-rock/metal showcases and he overdrums and overfills and over double-bass drum kicks throughout. Max Bacon whose vocals and melodies are what help make the studio album brilliant has changed most of the melodies and thus left me flat - not just because I wanted to hear him pull off those great parts live, but because the new way doesn't seem to fit the songs. Hackett & Howe are brilliant as usual. I was excited to hear this disc after enjoying the studio lp, cassette then cd for the better part of 17 years but this left me wanting to put this back on the shelf and only pull out when the studio disc was unavailable...."
Quit whining, it IS an 80's album!
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 08/09/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"To those of you who are here bemoaning the fact that this album sounds like a "total 80's album" I have just one thing to say: It IS an 80'S album! I realize that the band included a pair of very highly regarded progressive rock guitarists (Yes/Asia's Steve Howe and Genesis's Steve Hackett), but were you really expecting high concept art rock in 1986, especially with Geoff Downes's involvement as producer? This is exactly like hearing ELP fans dump on the 3 album for not sounding exactly like ELP.
I think it helps to look at GTR's 1986 debut album like you would an Asia album. You know the players involved will have the technical chops to pull off progressive rock, but that making a good pop/rock album is the main focus. To that end, I think GTR passed with flying colors. This is a very solid effort, and is the kind of 80's pop-oriented rock album on par with what Asia and 3 were releasing at the time. Yes, it is very heavy on the synthesizers, but that was par for the course in the mid 80's. Howe and Hackett deliver very solid performances, but both kept their (justified) egos firmly in check, which no doubt infuriates those who expected an all-out solo-fest. Vocalist Max Bacon (Bronz, Nightwing) also shines on this album. It's a shame we haven't heard more from him in recent years. Leadoff singles "When the Heart Rules the Mind" and "the Hunter" are obvious highlights (the former being very reminiscent of Orion the Hunter's "So You Ran"), but the whole album is quite good.
This is a fantastic 80's pop/rock album, and one that should definitely appeal to fans of 80's pop/rock/AOR in general and Asia in particular. The key is judging the album on its own merits rather than expecting something unrealistic."