It is always an immense pleasure to listen to a live recording of prog ubermeister Steve Hackett. This is especially the case on the double album Live Rails as Hackett has opened up the road to his past in Genesis more and more these past few years. So there is a large selection of Genesis classics like Firth Of Fifth (undoubtedly the greatest prog song of all ages), Blood On The Rooftops, Fly On A Windshield, and Los Endos. But his own past isn't forgotten with killers like Every Day, Ace Of Wands (undoubtedly one of Hackett's best songs), The Steppes, Slogans, Spectral Mornings and Clocks. All performed by a killer band with, next to Hackett, old-timers Roger King on keyboards, Nick Beggs on bass and chapman stick and Rob Townsend on sax and woodwind and newbies Amanda Lehmann on guitar and vocals and Gary O'Toole on drums and vocals. Recorded live in Paris, London and New York in 2009 and 2010 Hackett's last album, Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth, also gets a fair amount of justified exposure, making Live Rails a mandatory purchase for every prog lover. Long may he travel! ****+ André de Waal (edited by Robert James Pashman) Where to buy? |
