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Steve Hackett - To Watch the Storms CD (album) cover

TO WATCH THE STORMS

Steve Hackett

 

Eclectic Prog

3.78 | 428 ratings

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Hibou
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars I was a bit skeptical about this album at first, it is so varied I was tempted to say it is 'uneven'. But a few listens sufficed to convince me of the contrary: every single track here bears the truest HACKETT mark, from the folksy opener "Strutton Ground" down to the "Momentum" flavoured closer piece "If You Only Knew". It's as if the man had combined just about every style he has ever previously tackled onto one album.

What strikes most about "To Watch the Storms" is its all-round perfect, flawless production. Some tracks will hit you right away such as the spooky "The Devil Is an Englishman", the high-pitched vocal "Brand New", the exquisite ballad "This World", "Fire Island" which is almost a "Let Me Count the Ways" clone, and "Serptentine Song", the finest lullaby I've ever heard. With others, I needed a little time to adjust; such was the case with the contorted, crimsonesque "Mechanical Bride" with its choppy, jazzy, guitar play; the classically tinged "Wind, Sand and Stars" and finally "Marijuana Assassin of Youth", a veritable pot-pourri of old American film scores, 50's rock'n roll Chuck Berry style, the theme from 'Batman', right down to the SAFARIS's "Wipeout". Wow! Talk about a musical roller-coaster!

Hibou | 4/5 |

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