REVIEWS

Recorded in November 2019 at London’s Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on the final night of Steve Hackett’s tour, this live recording features him and his band tackling the 1973 Genesis album Selling England By the Pound, and his 1979 solo album Spectral Mornings, as well as some tracks from his 2019 solo album At The Edge of Light and the 1976 Genesis album A Trick of the Tail. Guitarist Hackett was aided by his terrific four-piece backing band and vocalist Nad Sylvan on the tour. At the performance featured on this album, the band was augmented by John Hackett (Steve’s brother) on flute and Amanda Lehmann on guitar and vocals.

The first half of the set highlights tracks from Spectral Mornings and At the Edge of Light. It’s a mix of instrumentals and songs with lyrics. Hackett’s guitar work impresses throughout, particularly in the instrumentals and the instrumental breaks in the songs with vocals. Highlights of the first half include the propulsive rocker “Under the Eye of the Sun” that features Hackett’s guitar at its core, the mellow and outstanding “Beasts in Our Time,” the gentle “The Virgin and the Gypsy,” which has some nice flute work by John Hackett, the moody and atmospheric “Spectral Mornings” and “Clocks – The Angel of Mons,” a terrific instrumental that closes out the Spectral Mornings section and features great percussion clock sounds and an excellent drum break in the middle of the song by Craig Blundell.

An outstanding “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight” opens the section. Other highlights are the extended “I Know What I Like,” a wonderful “Firth of Fifth,” sessions that Hackett finished and on which he provides some terrific guitar work.