SPECTRAL MORNINGS

After hearing the live version of Clocks I decided to give this album a shot. At first I loved this release but eventually, after about 6-7 spins, found that compositions like Lost Time In Cordoba and Spectral Mornings lacked that compelling overall feel that only Hackett's masterworks can produce.

It feels like all the right elements for a masterpiece of an album are present on this release but once the material is actually chopped up into individual pieces the original cracks become even more apparent. Although Steve Hackett's third studio album is a definite improvement over the sophomore release Please Don't Touch! I actually consider it to be on the lower end of the excellent release-rating. It's a mixed bag of an album that, in the end, comes out on top thanks to its highlights like the essential album opener Every Day which might seem more cheerful than what the lyrics would suggest and who can forget Clocks (The Angel Of Mons)?

In conclusion Spectral Mornings might be one of the most praised Hackett-releases to date, but I wouldn't go as far as calling this his best.

***** star songs: Every Day (6:14) Clocks (The Angel Of Mons) (4:16)

**** star songs: The Virgin And The Gypsy (4:28) The Red Flower Of Tachai Blooms Everywhere (2:05) Tigermoth (7:35) Spectral Mornings (6:32)

*** star songs: The Ballad Of The Decomposing Man (3:48) Lost Time In Cordoba (4:03)

Total rating: 4,07