TO WATCH THE STORMS

A marvellously eclectric mix of tracks from a true giant of true progessive music, this is a fantastic album which I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this morning whilst having a rare hour to myself.

From the emotional beauty of Rebecca to the obvious Crimson influence of Mechanical Bride, this, alongside the best of Hackett's work, is not an easy or obvious listen for the first few times, but really has to be listened to regularly over a period of time in order to be fully appreciated.

The Crimson influences are strongest on Mechanical Bride and Serpentine Song, the former very much 21st Century Schizoid Man territory, whilst the latter is taken from the quieter moments on the same album, and the vocals on it are simply stunningly beautiful.

There are some wonderfully eccentric moments, the best for me being The Devil is an Englishman, which is simply a fun track in the middle of much of what is quite sad and melancholic.

Hackett also shows profound world music influences on The Silk Road. I love the percussive moments and Hackett's electric guitar, but am not too keen on the vocals on this. It would, of course, be very interesting to see him & Gabriel collaborate on a pure world music work.

In all phases of the album, be it the quieter or schizoid moments, Hackett's guitar playing is simply wonderful. The Moon Under Water is a great acoustic piece, which reminds me a bit of Blood on the Rooftops. The acoustic mood is also very strong on Strutton Ground, a lovely piece of music which takes us on a journey of discovery.

Hackett has also surrounded himself, again, with musicians of the highest quality.

This is not, by any means, the perfect 5 five star album, but it easily classifies itself as an excellent addition to any prog collection, certainly for those who have yet to explore the solo works of former Genesis members.