GUITAR NOIR

Steve Hackett

Eclectic Prog

3.29 | 268 ratings

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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Paint it black

In the words of the official Steve Hackett website, "Guitar Noir is an album which highlights the shaded corners of the instrument - at times sombre, occasionally hilarious, but ultimately filled with lyrically intensive observations about the condition of the unsung majority".

Released in 1993, "Guitar Noir" certainly paints some diverse and interesting pictures. The track order on the cassette version I have is somewhat different to the CD version. This results in the opening tracks being generally softer and more atmospheric, with the later ones having a harsher edge. Tracks such as "Take these pearls" and "Dark as the grave" have a symphonic feel, with the latter including a choral section. The former has a Pink Floyd feel, mainly due to the vocal style Hackett adopts.

Steve's distinctive lead guitar style is in evidence on many of the tracks, such as "Paint you picture", "Sierra Quemada", and "Dark as the grave being". On the cassette version, three similar tracks, "Little America", "In the heart of the city", and "Vampire with a healthy appetite" appear consecutively. This is unfortunate, as they are among the least inspired on the album, at times being little more than bland pop rock. It still puzzles me as to why with Hackett's vast back catalogue, he selected "Vampire.." to represent his solo work on his "Tokyo tapes" album.

Elsewhere, there's delicate acoustic/Spanish guitar, and some excellent keyboards work at times, such as the piano on "Tristesse" (the only track which Hackett did not have a hand in writing).

"In the heart of the city" includes some train running information announcements, nostalgic for anyone who has experienced the delights of commuting in London!

A decent album from the prolific Hackett, with some inspired moments. It's not all top notch though, and thus requires the listener to ensure they have a remote control available to "skip" where required.

Easy Livin | 3/5 | 2005-1-15

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