TIME LAPSE

Time lapse was my first approximation to Steve Hackett music. Being a fan of the whole Genesis work, and with some LPs of Banks and Rutherford or cassettes of Gabriel and Collins at this time, I was had great expectations in Hackett's music. But when I listened the CD I felt a bit disappointed. Not what I was expected. The music seemed to be cold and dry in many cases. Today, after many prog music listened, I think that Seteve Hackett falls down many times in some kind of progrock cliches. The album combines the registers of two shows, one from 1990 and the other from 1981, and covers almost all Steve career till this moment, but without acoustic pieces. Many tracks are not of my taste, as I said before, cold and empty, like Please don't touch, Jacuzzi, The red flower of Ta chai, Tigermoth, A tower struck down or Clocks ' The angel of Mons. I think Steve has better tracks than those ones. About the others, there are some lights and shadows. On the shadow side, Ace of wands, a good prog number on the studio recording, here sounds without life. The same happens with the cover of the Genesis instrumental In that quiet earth, with some flutes and droping out the second section (the keyboard solo). Hope a I don't wake in the morning is a simple song, nothing special, and The Steppes nothing great, but acceptable track. I left the best for the last. Camino Royale, a rather good track wich suffers some Steve's songwriting characteristics that I don't like so much, like paste two sections of a track in a way in which the transition sounds a bit forced, not flowing one into the other. By the way the chorus of this track is amazing. Depth Charge, another good track, aggressive and with much life for an instrumental piece. This track evolved then into Riding the colossus. Here Steve shines with the guitar solo. Spectral mornings, another Steve Hackett favourite, sounds good here but not sure that better than the original. By the way is a great instrumental. The absolute highlight of the album, and maybe the one who could make it valuable is the stunning version of Everyday. Here I can find again this not flowing transitions, but the power and quality of these guitar solos are just fantastic, and you would wish them not finish anymore. As a Hackett work is not essential, but just good.