PLEASE DON'T TOUCH!

Steve Hackett's second album is different from his first, but still excellent. There are a lot of different styles explored here, from prog to blues to soul. This album, though containing superb instrumental passages, is not nearly as instrumental heavy as the first, and relies more on standard songs, most of which were written to be on Genesis albums, but were vetoed by the other band members. I think there had been a shift in power in Genesis after Peter Gabriel left, and Hackett's ideas were often not getting across. Add to this the fact that he had experienced full creative control with his first album, and was itching for it again only hastened his eagerness to leave. So in a sense, this is also a first album for him, since it's the first one he did after leaving Genesis, and not merely a side project like the first album was. Steve is a great songwriter, and it's a shame his ideas were often stifled in Genesis, as is evident on this album. How the other members saw this material as weak just doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, some may not like some of the styles he experimented with on this album, but I love it all, and thing the musicianship on all the songs is top notch.