The recent Genesis kick raised a question that's been in the back of my mind for years - how much of the band's descent was caused by the departure of Peter Gabriel, and how much of it was caused by the departure of guitar player Steve Hackett 2 albums later? The obvious answer was to take a look at Hackett's solo album; what did this guy bring to the table when it was his party? I'm sort of amazed I hadn't done this sooner, but I have a well-earned aversion to solo albums by band members.
There is some strong evidence here. When he decides to, Hackett can bang out a propulsive, compelling, complex, accessible song better than just about anyone out there. Via this album, you can see this guy's fingerprints on just about every great moment Genesis put together. Now I'm sure his bandmates contributed to those moments, and to some extent maybe Hackett's just putting what he learned on display, but if we make the test post-real-Genesis output, what do we see?
Post-Hackett-Genesis's longer songs have their strong moments (despite my backhanded remark in #106, I actually like songs like Behind the Lines and Abacab for what they are) but they certainly don't make the case that Phil, Tony and Mike were the ones who brought the magic to the early stuff. Peter Gabriel's solo output sidestepped the question altogether, so he gets an incomplete. I'll grant him credit for the vocal lines that helped elevate Genesis past bands like Yes and King Crimson in terms of accessibility and heart. But this album gives Hackett a strong claim to their best structural, melodic and rhythmic swerves.
The actual review! Right! Well, its hidden in there, there's some great moments here. Ace of Wands and Star of Sirius have some of the greatest, driving, slightly-out-of-control prog runs I've ever heard, and the experimentation of A Tower Struck Down is unexpectedly refreshing. Perhaps most importantly, on a track level, this guy's a master of pacing in a genre that's not known for its discipline win such matters. He knows exactly how long things should go on, and doesn't let a good 5-minute prog song ooze out to 8 just for the sake of it. On an album level, it doesn't fare quite as well, Hands of the Priestess Pt 1 and The Hermit are meanderers that break up the flow of the album a bit, but maybe they provided necessary breathing room. The guy does seem to know what he's doing 4.5/5
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