GTR

GTR was one of the first records I bought. I was 15, and I knew only by name who the Genesis were (and I did not know who the Yes were). I was drawn to the "When the Heart Rules the Mind" video. That song excites me for the epic melody, the powerful singing, the guitar solo. And yet it is a song that I consider memorable (vote 8,5). I discovered reading a music magazine that GTR meant guitar and that the two founders of the band (and authors of the songs) were two great guitarists. Throughout the 1986 I devoured that record. Actually the other songs I liked a lot less, but I could still find some very interesting pieces for the variety of sounds and musical genres. Over the years, on my advice, some musicians of my small town (a drummer, a guitarist) listened to the record and they said to me to pay attention to the bad sound of the bass (P. Spalding) and of the electronic drums (J. Mover) , perhaps present in all the songs (I think except my favorite). They also made me notice how Max Bacon had a beautiful and powerful voice, but tended to overdo it, to shout too loudly. So, my evaluation of GTR lowered.

Anyway, the two Steves, on synthesizer or guitar, in the prog-pop hit of the Lp, are wonderful. The melody of "When The Heart Rules the Mind" is clear and very inspired, and the progression is engaging. Even the second track, (The Hunter, vote 8), more acoustic, written by the producer Jeff Downes, is very good. It flows like a river, spountanously, without a problem, and reach some epic moments when the voice of Bacon sings "Survives".

With "Here i Wait" comes the problems (vote 7). The sound of the electric drums is horrible, but the refrain and the rhythm are good. "Sketches in the Sun" (vote 7,5) is a classic piece, by Steve Howe, where there are the guitar and the synthesizer. It is a pleasure to listen to the crystalline and symphonic sound of Howe's guitar. Side A closes with "Jekyll and Hyde" whose text was written by Bacon. The song is too much light and repetitive (vote 6,5).

Side B opens with "You Can Still Get Through" (vote 7): characterized by the sound of the synth, tries to touch an epic peak, but it doesn't reach it. It remains an atmospheric song, which has the advantage of changing the sound and the arrangements. "Reach Out (Never Say No) has a good rhythm (it was co-written by Spalding), but, again, it would need a good drum and bass sound, instead... The instrumental code could be very good with brave drummer and bassist, instead... Finally arrived the guitar oriented "Toe The Line", an acoustic ballad with an epic climax (vote 8+). "Hackett to Bits" is an instrumental tour de force. So much Howe wrote a classic song, as Hackett wrote an hardrock song. Very sustained rhythm, inspired and engaging song (vote 7,5/8). After this instrumental rock song, starts a new instrumental song, an acoustic ballad, led by the guitar that then, suddenly, become the last song, "Imagining" (cowritten by Mover). The acostic beginning, conducted by the acoustic guitar acts like an intro for the last song, a very pumped, forced, repetitive poprock song (vote 6+), the lowest point of the album.

GTR is a record that contains good compositional cues and good melodies. It is ruined by the bad production of Geoff Downes, and by the sound of the rhythm section, which presents two musicians (Spalding and Mover) who are not at all the height of Steve Hackett and Steve Howe. The potential of these two progrock genes remains therefore only partially expressed, because the sound of their Gibsons is not at the center of the album, and the melodies are entrusted to a gifted but unrefined singer, Max Bacon. GTR is therefore loved, despite the sound, for the melodies and the presence of "the two Steve of prog".

Medium quality of the songs: 7,35. Vote album: 7,5. Three stars.