SPECTRAL MORNINGS

I used to assume the reason Steve Hackett felt constrained while with Genesis and was not allowed to cut loose with more guitar solos but I think the real reason is his actual songs were being rejected with "Please Don't Touch" being the classic example. Having said that I was expecting him to show of his considerable chops on his solo albums. His first two albums confounded those expectations in some ways. Yes there was plenty of superb musicianship to be found and some quite sophisticated compositions as well but not a lot in the way of blistering solos. All that changes with his third album -Spectral Mornings. The opening track "Everyday" starts as another catchy song but after barely two minutes and twenty seconds through he just lets rip with some of his best electric guitar playing ever and it is not a brief interlude either- he just blazes away for another four minutes with some exquisitely melodic lines until the song finally fades away. What a great way to start an album. "The Virgin and the Gypsy" is another showcase for his compositional skills with some beautiful flute soloing by John Hackett.