GTR

Years ago I have rated this album without writing a complete review. Now I want to spend some words about it. There's a thread on a PA forum about "how you understand that your purchase is not prog". I could answer, when there are two guitarists and both are "Steve".

I was very curious to hear what two guitar monsters as the two Steves were able to produce, but few seconds of the first track "When the heart rules the mind" were enough to understand which kind of album it was, and it's not the worst track.

It was 1986 and we all know that 80s were the poorest decade for music (not only prog). However the 80s have seen the birth of neo-prog groups like Marillion or the rebirth of Yes with 90125, so not everything from these years is good for the trash can.

But I really don't know what was ruling the minds of the two Steves when they hired Max Bacon as singer. Not that he's a bad singer, but he sounds like a pop-metal band of that age called "Europe".

"The hunter" wants to sound like Yes, but this is not Jon Anderson, and the song is very trivial from a musical point of view. A track to skip.

"Here I Wait" is another try to emulate 90125. This time they are quite close to reach the target.

"Sketches in the sun" is an instrumental on which the two guitarists give a demonstration of what they could do when they are inspired enough. Unfortunately this is just a 2 minutes track. Too few to save the album.

With "Jekyll and Hide" we are back to the 80s pop. This could have been inserted into Yes' Big Generator, but if possible, this is worse. Trivial in the lyrics, too. "Is the mirror lying, I must decide if I'm doctor Jekyll or Mister Hide"...what a poetry! a quite good guitar riff in the middle of the song is not enough.

"You can still get Through" starts with electronic drums with a typical 80s sound. The singing makes clear the fact that this album is mainly a Howe's idea. You can still throw this disc.

"Reach out, never say no". Is not different from the previous tracks. Some good guitars on a trivial yes-sounding base.

"Toe the line is probably featuring the first real Hackett's contribution to the project. Not a masterpiece, of course. The lack of ideas involves Hackett, too but this is probably the best album's song if a best exists.

"Hackett to bits" is a sort of remake of "The air conditioned nightmare" from Cured. Not too bad, quite interesting, great guitars but just two minutes long.

"Imagining" has a classical guitar and mandolin intro. Is this Paco de Lucia? Unfortunately not. After two minutes we are again on the chords of Big Generator. The strange thing is that Howe was not in the Big Generator's lineup.....

My rating doesn't change. Get it only if you want to own EVERYTHING a Yes or a Genesis member has done, otherwise save your money.