Former Genesis Guitarist Revisits Past At Oakland's Fox Theater
by Dave Pehling
Steve Hackett and Band. YouTube-Snapshot
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - One of progressive rock's most celebrated instrumental talents, former Genesis guitarist and solo star Steve Hackett brings his current tour revisiting two classic albums from the '70s to the Fox in Oakland Sunday.
Born in the South Central London neighborhood of Pimlico, Hackett developed an interest in guitar when he was 12 years old. Though he never had formal lessons, as a teen he began drawing on classical and British blues and rock influences to write his earliest original songs. When he was 18, Hackett started performing with a variety of progressive rock bands including Canterbury Glass, Heel Pier, Saraband and Quiet World, gaining valuable experience in recording studios.
He was 20 when he placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking an adventurous group to play with that led to an invitation from the already established art rock band Genesis who lost their founding member and guitarist Anthony Phillips after the release of their second album Trespass in 1970. Hackett made his live debut with the band in January of 1971 and was prominently featured on his recording debut with the band, Nursery Cryme, playing fiery solos on "The Musical Box" and "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" and writing the acoustic tune "For Absent Friends" that gave new drummer Phil Collins his first chance at a lead vocal with the band.
The band toured heavily in the U.K., initially remaining more of a cult act but gradually finding inroads there and abroad, particularly after the critically acclaimed album Foxtrot in 1972 with its ambitious side-long epic "Supper's Ready" that helped the record become the band's first hit in England. With singer Peter Gabriel's elaborate costumes adding to the group's reputation for dazzling theatrics that matched the complex songs, Genesis found an ever-growing audience on both sides of the Atlantic.
The group's success continued with their follow-up effort Selling England By the Pound and the sprawling double concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway that featured some of Gabriel's most outlandish lyrical concepts and left-field outfits yet. The recordings also showcased some of Hackett's groundbreaking guitar techniques with solos that incorporated finger tapping and sweep picking that would influence the playing of future guitar heroes Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. After the singer departed Genesis, the band took an extended break that allowed Hackett to put together his first solo record, The Voyage of the Acolyte.
Enlisting help from his flute-playing brother John and bandmates Mike Rutherford and Collins, Hackett's solo debut mined familiar prog-rock territory with it's lyrics taking inspiration from tarot cards. The guitarist returned his attention to Genesis with Collins taking over as the band's new lead singer, contributing more songwriting and his usual distinctive guitar leads to the material on Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering before deciding that it was time for him to depart the band as well.
Hackett continued to pursue his solo career, recording a string of albums on his own except for the one effort recorded with prog-pop supergroup GTR featuring Yes/Asia guitarist Steve Howe in 1986. He has taken detours into classical and world music, but the guitarist has largely focused on the progressive rock that has been the cornerstone of his music experience, including two albums featuring new versions of classic Genesis songs with a variety of guest vocalists. While he released a well-received new album At the Edge of Light earlier this year, Hackett and his talented band will perform both the classic Genesis album Selling England By the Poundand his acclaimed third solo album Spectral Mornings in their entirety when they play the Fox in Oakland Sunday night.
