VOYAGE OF THE ACOLYTE

Steve Hackett's Voyage Of The Acolyte produced while he was still in Genesis is a fairly assured debut. All of the tracks are based on Tarot Cards and anyone familiar with the guitarist would be very aware of his belief in the spirit world. "Ace Of Wands" in particular is a great opening track with plenty of intricate interplay. The epic closing track "Shadow of the Hierophant" is his first "Epic" and features Sally Oldfield's gorgeous vocals. Apparently the song was written with Mike Rutherford but was rejected by Genesis for inclusion on one of their albums. It could have potentially fitted on Nursery Cryme or even Foxtrot with its intricate quiet/loud dynamics but to be brutally honest I never felt it was fully developed especially with its slightly anticlimactic ending. "A Tower Struck Down" is the heaviest track on the album with its insistent staccato riff. It reminds me slightly of early King Crimson with its somewhat experimental and abstract edge. The rest of the album is quite pleasant- lots of acoustic guitar, flute, cor anglais, cellos added to the mix.Personally I almost feel guilty that I do not love this album more than I actually do.I realize that for a lot of Hackett fans the debut is the "One" and I can see why -it is certainly got that old-school proggyness not disimilar to Gabrial era Genesis but personally I prefer the next three albums more.

4 stars