Search - Steve Hillage :: Open

At his peak

Marty | Sydney | 03/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Hillage's music really has moved with the times. We've seen him progress from the seventies sound to the eighties 'pop' to the nineties 'techno' (System 7). So if you dig that late seventies funky sound then this could be the album for you. I would place it on a par with Green, but whereas Green takes you to another world, this recording stays in this one but turns your world into a paradise. Talking to the Sun climaxes in what I call 'aural orgasm'. How can anybody write a tune that sounds that good? This really is music to put you in a good mood. If you're feeling low, these songs just say to you, "everything's going to be alright." 1988 Aktivator is a bit out of place, being very manic, but Open is just Love. Definite Activity and Don't Dither Do It are good for getting that motivation back into your life. Then there are some more mellow instrumental tracks but very pleasant listening nonetheless. Those spacey keyboard sounds are just great. This is feel good music."

Open plus Studio Herald and a bonus track

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 05/31/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When Steve Hillage's album collection was released on CD, it was done right. Albums were combined to make the full use of CD space. This CD is a combination of the original Open album, plus the studio side of Herald and one extra track. It is 65 minutes long.The first four tracks on this ablum come from the album called Herald. Herald was originally a double LP. The first three sides were live, and the fourth side was studio material. The live material was released on a single CD called Live Herald. And the studio tracks are included here. The remaining tracks are the original Open album, except with the bonus track "Getting Better" placed in the middle.The first four tracks (Studio Herald) are by far the best things on the album. These tracks are close to his best material, but not quite. They are lively and spacy.The rest of the ablum is some of his weakest material. It is a combination of his spacy style, with pop and disco/new wave. It is as if he molded his music for the times and was trying to create a hit. It comes out boring and repetitive."Getting Better" is the Beatles song. Hillage's version is nothing special, and you wonder why he bothered. There must have been a law in England that you had to include a Beatles song on your albums. Nearly every major English group has covered a Beatles song, including Deep Purple and Yes.Hillage's best studio albums are L and Green. And both of his live albums, Live Herald and BBC1 Concerts are fantastic. Search those out instead of this one."

Don't Dither, Do it.

J-Dog | Denver. CO USA | 11/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this in vinyl form back a long time ago. The innovative sleeve attracted me. The inner sleeeve allowed a variety of graphic configurations. At first the Moog intros annoyed me, but I stuck with it. Now it's one of my favorite albums.

It's really an atmospheric mood record, though the individual songs are rewarding. Worth the cost, if you are Open."