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He creates seamlessly, seemingly through a magical process.
Photo credit: Lee Milward
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Steve Hackett is renowned as an immensely talented and innovative rock musician. He was lead guitarist with Genesis as part of their classic line up with Gabriel, Collins, Banks and Rutherford, that produced acclaimed albums such as Selling England by the Pound (a favourite of John Lennon). With Steve's extraordinary versatility in both his electric guitar playing and his composing, he involves influences from many genres, including Jazz, World Music and Blues. He is equally adept in his classical albums that include renditions of pieces by composers from Bach to Satie, his own acoustic guitar compositions that have gained the admiration of many, including Yehudi Menuhin, and ambitious guitar/ orchestra albums such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic.
With Genesis, Steve's guitar playing produced some of the most memorable moments, from the sensitivity of his acoustic sound on Horizons and Blood on the Rooftops to the dramatic rock guitar solos of Firth of Fifth and Fountain of Salmacis. As he embarked on his solo career he developed his exceptional range, pushing musical boundaries into exciting areas, inventing new sounds and also techniques such as 'tapping'. His solo career went from strength to strength and the mid eighties not only saw the hit single Cell 151, but also the Steve Hackett and Steve Howe super group GTR, highly successful in America.
After GTR Steve worked further with many renowned musicians such as Paul Carrack, Bonnie Tyler, John Wetton and Brian May, who has credited Steve as an early influence. Steve went on to produce his hit album Genesis Revisited. He went even further back to his roots with Blues with a Feeling, whilst continuing to challenge his own 'horizons' with an amazingly eclectic mix of sounds, genres and a sense of the exotic that excites his many followers to this day.
Recent albums have possessed a high level of sophistication, along with an ever-present powerful dynamic, from the dramatic and atmospheric darkness of Darktown and Wild Orchids to the colourful voyage through time and space of To Watch the Storms. 2009's Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth, written and recorded in the midst of domestic and professional upheaval, was released to an overwhelmingly positive response from fans and reviewers alike, many of them proclaiming it his best ever. Hot on the heels of OOTTM was Beyond the Shrouded Horizon released in 2011, which has easily received an equally enthusiastic response. In 2012 Steve collaborated with Chris Squire of Yes on the "Squackett" album A Life Within a Day.
Steve's live electric gigs take his fans on an extraordinary journey drawn from a rich musical heritage. Perennial Genesis favourites such as the mighty Firth Of Fifth sit alongside solo classics, while more recent solo material is also included, demonstrating that Steve is an artist still at the very top of his game. Supported by some of the best musicians on the planet, Steve's unique guitar work remains the fulcrum on which this challenging and exhilarating show is balanced.
Genesis' induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2010 stands as a testament to the enduring qualities of their music. Steve has always held a torch for the classic Genesis music. His Genesis Revisited II, a double CD, involves several iconic artists and contains many Genesis favourites. It was released in late October 2012. A Genesis Revisited worldwide tour involving Steve with a multi-talented band in 2013 has been followed by several Genesis Revisited tours by popular demand, most of which include both Genesis and solo numbers. Never one to rest on his laurels, Steve constantly blazes a trail with new material as an exhilarating and groundbreaking artist. Following the success of his album Wolflight, The Night Siren, At The Edge Of Light, attained a strong place in the charts of both the UK and several other countries. He released the two studio albums, Under A Mediterranean Sky and Surrender Of Silence in one year as well as putting out a live album and his autobiography during the toughest part of the Covid time. He is now once again touring the globe. His talent and energy continues to be appreciated by people worldwide.
INTERVIEW WITH STEVE HACKETT AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE
Sophia: Hello Steve Hackett, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer!!!
It's an absolute honour, privilege, and blazing 'Guitar Thrill' to speak with you today! Thank you so very, very much for taking the time out of your lively touring schedule.
Now, I know you're British, and I've heard that you're notoriously humble and modest. However, your ROCK STAR career must be honoured and celebrated! After all, is it not true that John Lennon is known to have said that Genesis are "true sons of the Beatles"?
Steve: Yeah! I think it was "sons". He said that we were true "sons" of the beatles! He thought that much about the band, which is very nice to know that he thought that. I mean, I still can't teach anyone how to write a song! I seem to have written over 700 of them myself but I still can't teach anyone how to write a song. Nobody knows where it comes from. maybe he'd say the same thing, but he's not here to report like that.
Sophia: John Lennon's praise, and you've written over 700 songs! That's monumental, Steve!
And, in 2024, you released your 30th solo album,The Circus And The Nightwhale. Zowie! 30 solo albums! Absolutely Staggering!
So, what keeps you so inspired and motivated to create, to write, record and tour? You have the power to evolve and create music that is legendary. It seems both mysterious and magical. We want to know, Steve, what's your secret to musical longevity?
Steve: Well, you're either moved to keep making music, keep making noise for a living, or you're not. You're obsessed with it, from the time that you're a little kid to when you pop your clothes. That's how it goes. You can't rationalize that. It's just an expression of passion.
When you manage to write a song that you're proud of, you know that it's the real deal and you're giving people the real thing. So, I can be immensely proud of that. Moreso, than if I was to do something that was an enormous hit. And, I would think that maybe it's just so-so.
The real success for me is the form. It's a bit like, there it is! That's the sculpture. You've done it! You still like looking at it, you still like listening to it.
I've got such a new thing coming up that's newly minted, and I was just away on tour. I wasn't listening to it on tour. I wanted to hear it with the speakers and all that. And you know, I just thought, it does sound very good.
And, my mother is coming over soon and I'm going to play it to her loud because she's a bit of a head banger! Hahaha! My mother. She's 95, but she's a head banger and she really gets it with certain music. She'll say to me, "good vocal on that one!" Or she'll say, "no, that's not quite my thing, dear. No. no. I don't know what you were thinking of there." Not very nice, but she's very honest. Hahaha! She's also a true fan, and she's as objective as a mother could be. Let's put it that way.
Sophia: Hahaha. She sounds like she's a true fan and she sounds like she's so much fun too! That's a beautiful answer and I thank you for that incredible story about your mother. She's a LEGEND! haha! Love her rock 'n' roll spirit! And, 95 years young!!! By the way, I get that too, from my mom. Hahaha!
Steve: Right! Yeah! You get complete honesty, but also love. It's a great thing to have. I'm sorry for people who don't have their parents because I know what a big thing that is.
When I hear of friends and relatives losing each other, It's a huge unquantifiable thing. It's the big question. Where do they go next? Will we see them again? Etcetera etcetera. And, I think we will. There's clues. But not just yet, as it says in The Gladiator.
Sophia: I love your great faith! And, you're so blessed to have your mom still, at 95. Remarkable!
Steve: And she has an aunt, who's 107.
Sophia: What?!
Steve: And the 107 year old had a brother who was 108, who was the oldest surviving soldier from the first world war. I met him when he was 108, on his birthday. He had 8 birthday cards from the queen. When you reach 100, the Queen, as it was then, will be the King now, sends you a birthday card when you reach 100. So, it's worth sticking around! Haha!
Sophia: Well then, I think it's safe to say you'll be rockin' and rollin' for a very, very long time to come!!! And, you get a birthday card from royalty! That gives me chills! Sensational, Steve.
I would love to get a birthday card from YOU! Rock 'n' Roll royalty! Hahaha! Well, you are rock royalty! Your rise to fame came as the most notable and distinguished lead guitarist of the world famous, epic and legendary Progressive Rock Band Genesis. You were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, along with your Genesis bandmates! Brilliant! Congratulations! You've earned it!!!
Steve: Thank you! It was a very emotional evening, I must admit. I have great respect for all of the Genesis guys and what they've achieved, both collectively and separately.
I think that the band was the real deal, and I think the fact that John Lennon was saying nice things about the band in 1973...I don't think anyone had any idea that we had to live up to that! I mean, nobody can really beat The Beatles. There's no doubt about it. It's just extraordinary. It's like, nobody writes better poetry than Shakespeare. But, that's really it. It's a done deal.
The Beatles set the bar so high for so many different types of songs. And, that's always the thing. It's like, I wake up and I go, yes, I wanna write a song. What kind of song do I wanna do? I've done that one, I've done that one. But you know, all these forms have been done. Pretty much all the forms.
It's the spirit that runs through those forms. I was just listening to something on TV. One of the ELO things. Again, that sounded like there was a lot of Beatles influence there. That was a given, but the song itself was very, very good. Very informed pop. Very continuously referencial. I don't think Jeff Lynne was looking for originality. But, authenticity.
When I look at other people, I realize that no one can be original. You think that people are original because they're your contemporaries or a little bit older than you at a certain age, and you receive it like Moses coming down from the mountain. But it all depends on when you start listening.
If you're from the 1920's, perhaps you'll be thinking of Gershwin, and so on it goes. It's just at what point do you get on board this clock? This thing called life, and go.These were great writers! I mean if I'd been around in Bach's day, probably in 1685, the same year as Handel, that was a very good year for Baroque. Baroque rock? Prog Rock? The only good year for classical stuff.
You know, all those guys seemed to be born at the same time with a definitive cornering of the market that we call Baroque. I would say that stuff, much of it, still sounds! I'm not dated, but it's the reason so many musicians try to get their hands around doing the Bach stuff. It's complex, it's demanding but it's beautiful. And so, part of me worships that.
In fact, I did an interview earlier today with BBC Radio 3. And they were talking about an album that I'd practically forgotten about, done with my brother, called Sketches Of Satie. It was the work of Erik Satie. French composer, minimalist, contemporary of Debussy. And, so I listened through the whole album. I wanted to see what it is that other people see in that. There was a melody I heard when I was a kid. I didn't know where it came from. I was always singing that melody to people and no one could recognize it, until one day, I bought a record just because I liked the album cover. I bought it and I didn't know who it was. I found out that the melody was on that record! That was the composer! So, you know, this was a hidden gem and I eventually discovered it and it was a huge influence on not just me, but my brother John.
So, we recorded an album of some of that Satie stuff later on. As I've recorded some Bach stuff as well. So, it's not really all about me. It's about great music. You think, how the hell did these other people write great music that haunts you for years and years. But, music is like that! That's what drives many of us.
Sophia: There it is! That's the magic and mystery of epic and legendary music. I appreciate your philosophical take on it. You have a new LIVE ALBUM coming out this summer, July 11th, 2025! Just in time for my birthday. Haha! I know what I'm getting myself this year! The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall.
Your latest live album celebrates your favourite tracks from the legendary, 1974 Genesis concept album, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway! Can you please share what other music your fans can expect to hear on this upcoming live album?
Steve: There are 9 tracks from Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which was from the 1974 Genesis album. There are many more things on it as well. Solo stuff. Things from other Genesis albums and from various bands that I've been involved with over the years. It was recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, and it was a great evening!
It sounds very British. Particularly the opening because we got these sound bites from 1950 radio. And so what actually starts out, is the context of where music came from. And, the opening track is also about the environment that I grew up in. Very steam driven, very polluted London. Crowded! A post war country in recovery, trying to put itself back on its feet.
And my early beginning, growing up opposite of the Battersea Power station which was made famous 20 or so years later by Pink Floyd, with the flying pig of course. That was the view from my bedroom window as a kid. No flying pigs, but lots of smoke! It was the largest building in Europe. You can visit there now and go up inside one of the chimneys. If you ever go to London, you can take a lift up inside. It goes all the way to the top! And, it holds 30 people. When you get to the top, it's all just windows, all the way around. You get this 360 degree vision of London. I can look across, to the apartments where we grew up and see what life was exactly like for me from the age of 3, looking at this thing. It's an extraordinary journey. I think it's one of the best trips you can ever do in London, to visit that place! is Sus Vasquez.
This is the Part I of an unforgettable interview with Steve Hackett. We anticipate publishing more of this interview in the next issue of Guitar Thrills Magazine.
A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
