GTR
page 2

written by: Nigel Camilleri
update: 12 August 2001

Album Reviews
Albums reviewed here are:

• GTR (1986)
• Live On The King Bisuit Flower Hour (1997)
• GTR II/Nerotrend (1987)
• The Making Of GTR (video) (1986)

GTR

Country of Origin: Various Format: LP CD Record Label: Arista Catalogue #: ALP 8400 ARCD 8400 Year of Release: 1986 Time: 44:11 Info: None Available Samples: None Available

Tracklist: Side 1: When The Heart Rules The Mind (5:29), The Hunter (4:58), Here I Wait (4:57), Sketches In The Sun (2:33), Jekyll and Hyde (4:44) Side 2: You Can Still Get Through (4:58, Reach Out (Never Say No) (4:06, Toe The Line (4:30), Hackett To Bits (2:10), Imagining (5:53)

All Tracks written by Hackett / Howe except for: The Hunter (Downes), Sketches In The Sun (Howe), Jekyll & Hyde (Hackett / Howe / Bacon), Imagining (Hackett / Howe / Mover) and Hackett To Bits (Hackett)

Lineup: Max Bacon (vocals),Steve Hackett (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), Steve Howe (guitar, synthesizer, vocals), Jonathan Mover (drums, percussion), Phil Spalding (bass, vocals)

Produced by Geoffrey Downes
Engineered by Alan Douglas

The first (and only) studio album from GTR is far from a perfect album. In fact it is one of those albums that has its very good points that are immediately nullified by the negative situations. Despite the intentions of Hackett and Howe to move in a more guitar orientated direction (hence the name GTR), this album seems to be a more progressive hybrid of bands such as Asia and Foreigner. One of the plausible reasons for this is the use of Geoff Downes as producer, whose work with both Yes and Asia did little to promote the guitar theme! Furthermore the era in which this album was released was one which was set in the middle of a musical scenario which was heavy on the image and use of synthesizer-laden ear-friendly tracks with little or no attention paid to virtuosity. Thus the album sounds too slick and, like the majority of music from the eighties, does not stand the test of time, sounding very outdated.

The album opens with When The Heart Rules The Mind which is possibly one of the better tracks on the whole album. Released as the first single, it managed to reach the top fifteen in the US charts. Ironically for all Hackett's dismission of GTR, this single is still his only Top 40 hit in the United States to date! It seems that the band knew that this was to be the first single off the album and when hearing the track one gets the feeling that this is the track on which they try hardest. Max Bacon is at his best sounding similar to Dennis DeYoung (Styx) with both Hackett and Howe contributing their customary guitar licks and duets, especially during the bridge section. On the other hand, as an opening track, it is an eye-opener because anyone who was expecting a seventies sound is instead regaled with an eighties AOR-sound.

The Hunter was the second single released by the band, and the only track penned by Downes that appears on this release. AS can be expected, nothing too progressive about it all, though there are those fleeting moments that barely save the day for this track, especially Hackett's Faces-like guitar ending and Phil Spalding's bass playing. Apart from that the track is a bit bland with that slick Downes trademark sound, which I must admit is too polished for my liking. Here I Wait comes as a complete contrast to The Hunter with its heavy sounding guitars,though the duetting between Hackett and Howe comes as a relief, and a reminder that these guys can play when they want to!

Sketches In The Sun is the first instrumental on the album and is Howe's showcase. Actually this is one of the few valid reasons why one should buy this album as this rates as one of the best solo performances given by Howe. Featuring an uncharacteristic time signature, this short instrumental highlights the fact that both Howe and Hackett could have offered something so much more with regards to GTR.

Jekyll & Hyde has the band returning to the same musical style that characterised the first tracks of the album. One must admit that there is a slight improvement in musical creativity when compared to the first tracks but once again it is just a whole load of synthesisers and guitars with a sound very much like the sound Yes created when Howe left the band!

Side 2 opens with You Can Still Get Through and changing over the vinyl does not result in a change of style. Possibly one of the worse tracks on the album, once again we have that eighties keyboard sound and it seems that the band have run out of ideas. Very little stands to differ between this track and Jekyll & Hyde and it is a sad notion to think that guitarists of the caliber of Hackett and Howe, were not capable of creating something a bit more diverse.

With Reach Out (Never Say No) it seems that the guitars are given a chance to speak, and it is the guitar work that manages to save the day for this track from becoming another run of the mill AOR track. Toe The Line is a different story altogether and was primarily written by Howe. In fact there is a song on his album called Against the Tide, which is a demo version of Toe The Line. Lyrically it is a disaster (as is all the album!) yet there is a decent amount of acoustic guitar work with some delightful guitar licks, making it one of the better numbers of the album.

Whilst Side 1 had a Steve Howe solo number, Side 2 has a Steve Hackett number, Hackett To Bits. For those who have indulged in Hackett's back catalogue, they would immediately realise that this is no new piece of music but a revised and re-recorded version of Please Don't Touch. The fact that Hackett seemingly could not be bothered to come up with something new for this recording is possibly an indication of Hackett's non-belief in the whole GTR project. It seems that Hackett knew that the album was to flounder and thus was reluctant to put in any new material of his own.

The album comes to a close with what could be deemed as the track that could possibly save the day for this album! Where Toe The Line was more of a Howe composition, Imagining has more Hackett input and has been included in his live shows as part of his medleys. It is one of those rare moments on the album where one can make a certain amount of progressive rock connotations, though the track features a style that is more indicative of post-Hackett Genesis and Asia with touches of Marillion, especially in the introduction. The acoustic guitar work is a delight while the percussion and vocals blend in well making this track the only one on the album that can be listened to without sounding outdated.

Basically, this album can be best described as a fairly decent AOR album. The only problem is that it was (and still is a disappointment to all progressive rock fans who felt that the collaboration of Steve Hackett and Steve Howe could possibly lead to a revival in classical seventies progressive rock. The fact that these two guitar legends succumbed to the whims of the music industry shows the sad state of affairs music is in!

Nigel Camilleri

Live On The King Biscuit Flower Hour

Country of Origin: Various Format: CD Record Label: Arista Catalogue #: 70710-88021-2 Year of Release: 1997 Time: 78:25 Info: None Available Samples: None Available

Country of Origin: Various Format: CD Record Label: Pinnacle Catalogue #: KBFHCD010 Year of Release: 1998 Time: 78:25 Info: None Available Samples: None Available

Tracklist: Jekyll And Hyde (5:47), Here I Wait (5:55), Prizefighters (5:16), Imaginings (7:12), Hackett To Bits (2:21), Spectral Mornings (3:56), I Know What I Like (6:23), Sketches In The Sun (2:44), Pennants (4:30), Roundabout (8:38), The Hinter (6:44), You Can Still Get Through (6:54), Reach Out (Never Say No) (5:53), When The Heart Rules The Mind (6:03)

Band Members: Max Bacon (vocals), Matt Clifford (keyboards), Steve Hackett (guitar, vocals), Steve Howe (guitar, vocals), Jonathan Mover (drums, percussion), Phil Spalding (bass, vocals)

Recorded Live on 7/19/86 in Los Angeles, California, at the Wiltern Theatre
Executive Producers: Len Handler, Steve Ship

Recorded at the Wiltern Theater during the band's sole tour in 1986, this album was released thanks to the re mastering and release of the King Biscuit Flower Hour archives. The album is a strong indication of the power and virtuosity this band possessed and which was not truly reflected on the debut album. With the exception of Toe The Line, the whole of the debut is presented in a live format with, of course, additional material. Both Hackett and Howe have their individual spotlights in Spectral Mornings and Pennants respectively while their past is also resurrected with I Know What I Like (Genesis) and Roundabout (Yes).

The lineup on this album (and on the tour) is the same as that which recorded the debut album with the addition of Matt Clifford on keyboards. The fact that Hackett and Howe could dedicate themselves 100% to playing their guitars and not be distracted by adding extra synthesiser effects and what not seems to have given the band, and subsequently this album, that extra kick.

When one listens to the live album one has to admit that the live GTR is very different to the studio GTR. First of all the hand of Geoff Downes is thankfully not present, thus allowing the guitar sound to really come to the forefront and not be drowned in wave after wave of synthesiser sounds and effects. Even Max Bacon's voice manages to sound better than in the studio!

With some great soloing from the guitar legends, the whole band manages to play through a great concert with even the two seventies classics, Roundabout and I Know What I Like, played in a great rocking manner. The album also features a previously unreleased track, Prizefighters. In fact it was a track Hackett wrote for GTR prior to him leaving the group and which was then recorded by the solo Steve Hackett with Chris Thompson and Bonnie Tyler on vocals.

Tracks that on the studio album came across as drab AOR tracks with little life, seem to have been injected with a breath of fresh air. Without any shadow of doubt, I would recommend the first time listener to hear this live album before going on to listen to the studio album. The sound of the band on this album further reaffirms my belief that the main flaw with the GTR debut album was in its production which came across as being too polished for the guitar work of Hackett and Howe.

Nigel Camilleri

GTR II/Nerotrend

Country of Origin: Various Format: CD Record Label: Elements Of Crime Catalogue #: ELEMENTS-038 Year of Release: 1987 Time: 56:11 Info: None Available Samples: None Available

Tracklist: Young Hearts (5:46), These Eyes (4:07), Loneliness (3:53), Young Blood (4:26), You Can't Do That (4:07), Endless Nights (4:17), Young Hearts (4:36), Hungry Warrior (4:12), Away (also called No One Else to Blame) (4:59),Sharp on Attack (instrumental) (3:26), Listen to the People (3:52), Running the Human Race (4:43), This World's Big Enough (3:47)

Lineup: Steve Howe (guitar), Robert Berry (guitar, vocals), Max Bacon (vocals), Phil Spalding (bass), Nigel Glockler (drums)
Robert Berry sings lead vocals on the first six tracks while Max Bacon sings on lead vocals on the last six tracks, excluding Sharp On Attack which is an instrumental.

Though never officially released, the second album from GTR, or Nerotrend as they were now called, has long been in circulation amongst collectors. Japanese label Elements Of Crime also released the Nerotrend album as a CD on the market and can still be obtained via the net.

If GTR was a disappointment, then do not expect anything better from this album. overall it is more of the same with a heavier leaning towards AOR and it is no surprise that the whole project was shelved. As I mentioned on page 1, most of the tracks have been made available in one version or another on various solo albums by the band protagonists.

Of further interest to Steve Howe fans is the fact that many of the tracks on the album include guitar licks that Howe would eventually re-use on his solo albums as well as with Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe. Musically the album is of little or no appeal for the casual progressive rock listener unless he/she is also an AOR fan, and even then this album is a very poor example of AOR. On the other hand this is a must (only) for those who collect Steve Howe material!

Nigel Camilleri

The Making Of GTR

Country of Origin: Various Format: Video Label: RCA Catalogue #: 60633 Year of Release: 1986 Time: 30:00 Info: None Available Samples: None Available

Tracklist: Sketches In The Sun, Hackett To Bits, When The Heart Rules The Mind

Interviewees: Steve Howe, Steve Hackett, Brian Lane, Geoff Downes, Jonathon Mover, Phil Spalding, Max Bacon

Executive Producer: Abbey Konowitch
Producer: Paul Flattery
Director Jim Yukic

Filmed entirely at Town House Studios, London

The Making Of GTR is an inside look at the evolution of a major new band, GTR. You'll be in the studio when two legendary British guitarists, Steve Howe (formerly of Yes and Asia) and Steve Hackett (formerly of Genesis) "get acquainted" as they "develop" the sound of GTR, interfaced with bits of rock classics. you'll be there as they write and work out songs with other members of the band: Phil Spalding (from Mike Oldfield); Jonathan Mover (from Marillion); and their incredible new lead singer Max Bacon. You'll also meet producer Geoff Downes (Yes and Asia) and discover just how it was this giant of a band came to be. Included in this program is the complete video of GTR's initial single release "When The Heart rules The Mind." Presenting GTR from inside out.

Liner notes from The Making Of GTR

In truth it is a terrible documentary with interviews with all band members as well as Geoff Downes and Brian Lane, all of which are at an extremely superficial level and full of contradictions. The opening segment with the fanfare appearance of the band logo is in itself a good indication of the eighties pastiche that is about to happen!

The video itself can be divided into six segments. The appearance of the band's logo is The Beginning while The Band gives a brief overview of the other three band members, all of whom seem to be unable to keep up with an interview! The Studio is a short piece which shows the members in studio while Imagining is being mixed, nothing else, while The Songs is possibly the best part of the video. In this section we get a glimpse of the recording of Sketches In The Sun while we also have a segment of Hackett to Bits. The Tour is taken over by Brian Lane while the finale of the video is the video of when The Heart Rules The Mind.

All in all a very drab affair with just the filming of Sketches In The Sun worthy of note.

Nigel Camilleri

Related Websites
GTR do not have their official website. However the most well-informed and updated website I found related to the band can be accessed at this address.

Should you have any further information regarding GTR that could be added to the site, do not hesitate to contact me.