Steve Hackett – “Till We Have Faces” (1984)

Another one of all those albums I bought because of a cover that attracted me (and a price that attracted me, SEK 19 (3 USD) if I remember correctly). As the reader can see the cover obviously promises music that can’t be anything but fantastic. In any case, I believed that when I, as a 15.year-old, bought this LP at the shop BK-records in Uppsala (Sweden). My expectation was simply great druggy music. A feeling of disappointment came over me immediately when I listened to the record the first time, the opening song was OK, but otherwise it was not at all what I had hoped for. The production and the songs felt cheap and I understood that the man named Steve Hackett must have been a nobody in the music industry that had never reached any fame. Till We Have Faces was probably the only album he had been allowed to do. At the same time this was a small source of joy and pride, it's always fun to own an obscure album with an equally obscure artist. This gives you an air of a connoisseur and inspires a certain respect.

Today I know the truth is entirely different. Hackett started his international career as a guitarist in the legendary band Genesis, where he was a member until 1977. Then he began his long and relatively successful solo career. Till We Have Faces was his eighth solo album and recently his 34th was released - Live Rails. He has also had time to play in the "super group" GTR. In other words, he was far from being a nobody that no one except me knew about.

The record is mainly recorded in Brazil with mostly Brazilian musicians. This has given it a certain (small) vibe of so-called world music, some even claim that Hackett with this record was the first to use such influences on a rock album. However, there were some other bands that had already done so (eg Police), nevertheless, he was one of the pioneers and thus must be said to have been relatively progressive in his musical adventures.

Perhaps the fact that I now know what an authority Hackett is affects me, but when I today listen to the album, I think it’s much better than I did as a teenager. Oh, you think it's because of my maturity as a human being and a greater depth in musical knowledge? Well, thank you, that’s a compliment. Still, some songs have a sound that I don’t like and which also seems a bit outdated. Myopia feels too much like bad heavy metal (although it happens some interesting things in the middle of the song), a drum machine ruins the song What's My Name and the blues ballad Let Me Count The Ways is just boring. In these songs the sound and production have too much an 80s feel over it, in my opinion. But other tracks have mysteriously changed character from boring to beautiful, from boring to jazzy, from boring to groovy or from boring to complex. It is not impossible that this album will make a comeback on my turntable, and maybe finally get the respect it problably deserves.

Finally, the album’s cover, which I today don’t particularly like, is painted by Hackett’s then-wife, Kim Poor. The painting is named Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats from a song by Genesis. Kim has painted most of Hackett’s album covers.

The opening song Duel used to be my favorite as a teenager, mostly thanks to the howling guitar / synth (I still don’t know if it’s only synth or both) but this has changed. Today's favorite song is the ballad Taking the Easy Way Out. I may have become romantic as a 38-year-old (even though I know my wife would just laugh at me if I said so).

 

Tracklist

Side A

1. Duel 4:50

2. Matilda Smith-Williams Home For The Aged 8:04

3. Let Me Count The Ways 6:05

4. A Doll That's Made In Japan 3:57

 

Side B

1. Myopia 2:56

2. What's My Name 7:05

3. The Rio Connection 3:24

4a. Taking The Easy Way Out 3:49

4b. When You Wish Upon A Star 0:51