| The Night Siren | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 March 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2017 | |||
| Studio | Various | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 57:40 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Producer |
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| Steve Hackett chronology | ||||
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The Night Siren is the twenty-fourth studio album from English guitarist and singer-songwriter Steve Hackett, released on 24 March 2017 by Inside Out Music.
Much of the album was recorded within one year; [1] some of the material dates back from recording sessions for Hackett's previous studio album, Wolflight (2015). [2] Hackett explained that his writing comes from a three-person team of himself, his wife Jo, and his keyboardist and co-producer Roger King, with Hackett discussing and exchanging initial music and lyric ideas with the other two. When an idea is settled upon, music would be sent to the other performers or Hackett would travel to them and have their parts recorded on location. [1] Hackett recorded the album by means of recording straight to a computer, rather than recording from an amplifier as he likes "to be able to have a conversation over the top of it and it can still sound very heavy". By connecting his amplifier and pedal board to the computer, Hackett experiments by "trying as many different setups and sounds as possible". [1]
The album features numerous artists and instruments from a variety of countries, including vocalists Kobi Farhi and Mīrā ‘Awaḍ, from Israel, and a sitar from India, a tar from the Middle East, the charango from Peru, which Hackett brought home after visiting the country, [1] and the uilleann pipes from Ireland. [3] Hackett did not intend to incorporate such elements of middle eastern and world music at first, but his interest in such music had started in the 1960s and realised the album began to take such a direction when the songs were being developed further. [1] Parts of the album was recorded in Sardinia and Hungary, and involved a session of musicians from Iceland, Azerbaijan, Israel and Palestine working side by side, "proving that it is possible for people not to just coexist in peace but also do something extraordinary artistically together". [1]
For the recording of "The Gift" Hackett used a guitar that had previously belonged to guitarist Gary Moore. For Hackett the guitar "sounds like him. It cries, in that way." [4]
Hackett had been working on his singing "since 1981" and marks his vocals on The Night Siren as the first time he "actually felt like a vocalist" and cited the style of American singer Tim Rose as an influence. [2] Hackett describes the album as "a bird's eye view of the world of a musical migrant ignoring borders and celebrating our common ancestry with a unity of spirit, featuring musicians, singers and instruments from all over the world. The track Behind The Smoke is close to a Camel track from their 1981 album Nude, called Docks. From territorial frontiers to walled-up gateways, boundaries often hold back the tide. But while the night siren wails, music breaches all defences". [5]
Some sections on the album were longer than what appeared in the final version, leaving Hackett to edit them down as he noticed a "sense of let's get to the point" and had been prone to develop long sections or song introductions in the past. He intended to make a more accessible album, and after listening back to it, enjoyed making it. [6] "Behind the Smoke" centres around the historical plight of refugees. "West to East" reflects on the effects of war and hope for a better world, [3] and features orchestral and choral arrangements. [1] Hackett sees the two tracks as companions to each other; the former originated from a lyric that his wife Jo came up with: "Behind the smoke it's black". [6] Hackett's brother John Hackett plays the flute on some tracks. [1]
"Anything But Love" contains a mixture of styles, opening with flamenco guitar to become a rock song with an electric guitar solo to finish. The change of style and joining them together in the studio was particularly demanding. [1]
On the composition, Hackett adds, "we've got 20 people from all around the world all working together ... although it's a rock album there are some big differences." The album also contains influences from the Beatles' psychedelia phase and classic science fiction. [7]
The album was released on 24 March 2017 through Inside Out Music, [5] [8] available on CD, a double vinyl set with a CD, a digital download, and a special edition CD and Blu-ray, featuring a 5.1 surround sound mix and a "making of" documentary. [8]
"In the Skeleton Gallery" was released on 4 February 2017. [9]
Hackett is supporting the album with his Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett Tour through 2017, to commemorate the album and the fortieth anniversary of Wind & Wuthering (1976), the last Genesis studio album recorded with Hackett in the band. [5] [8] [1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Behind the Smoke" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett, Roger King | 6:57 |
| 2. | "Martian Sea" | Steve Hackett, King | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Fifty Miles from the North Pole" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett, Amanda Lehmann | 7:08 |
| 4. | "El Niño" | Steve Hackett, King | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Other Side of the Wall" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Anything but Love" | Steve Hackett | 5:56 |
| 7. | "Inca Terra" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett | 5:53 |
| 8. | "In Another Life" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett, King, Troy Donockley | 6:07 |
| 9. | "In the Skeleton Gallery" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett | 5:09 |
| 10. | "West to East" | Steve Hackett, Jo Hackett | 5:14 |
| 11. | "The Gift" | Leslie-Miriam Bennet, Benedict Fenner | 2:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "After the Ordeal" | Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford | |
| 13. | "Jazz on a Summer's Night" | Steve Hackett |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [10] | 62 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [11] | 64 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [12] | 35 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [13] | 43 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [14] | 101 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [15] | 22 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [16] | 34 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [17] | 21 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [18] | 39 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [19] | 28 |
Stephen Richard Hackett is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three live albums, seven singles and one EP before he left to pursue a solo career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
Seconds Out is the second live album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 14 October 1977 on Charisma Records, and was their first with touring drummer Chester Thompson and their last with guitarist Steve Hackett. The majority was recorded in June 1977 at the Palais des Sports in Paris during the Wind & Wuthering Tour. One track, "The Cinema Show", was recorded in 1976 at the Pavillon de Paris during their A Trick of the Tail Tour.
Invisible Touch is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and on 9 June 1986 by Charisma/Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in 1984 for each member to continue their solo career, the band reconvened in October 1985 to write and record Invisible Touch with engineer and producer Hugh Padgham. As with their previous album, it was written entirely through group improvisations and no material developed prior to recording was used.
A Trick of the Tail is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released in February 1976 on Charisma Records and was the first album to feature drummer Phil Collins as lead vocalist following the departure of Peter Gabriel. It was a critical and commercial success in the UK and U.S., reaching No. 3 and No. 31 respectively.
Wind & Wuthering is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on 17 December 1976 on Charisma Records and is their last studio album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett. Following the success of their 1976 tour to support their previous album A Trick of the Tail, the group relocated to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record a follow-up album, their first recorded outside the UK. Writing and recording caused internal friction, as Hackett felt some of his contributions were dropped in favour of material by keyboardist Tony Banks.
...And Then There Were Three... is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Genesis. It was released in March 1978 by Charisma Records and is their first recorded as a trio of singer/drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett. The album marked a change in the band's sound, mixing elements of their progressive rock roots with more accessible material, and Collins contributing to more of the group's songwriting.
Duke is the tenth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released in March 1980 on Charisma Records. The album followed a period of inactivity for the band in early 1979. Phil Collins moved to Vancouver, Canada, in an effort to salvage his failing first marriage, while Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recorded solo albums. Collins returned to the UK after his marriage ended and wrote a significant amount of material, some of which was used for Duke and some was later reworked for his first solo album, Face Value. Duke contained a mix of individually-written songs and tracks that evolved from jam sessions in mid-1979, while recording took place at the end of the year. The break in activity rejuvenated the band, and they found the album an easy one to work on.
Three Sides Live is the third live album by the English rock band Genesis, released as a double album on 4 June 1982 on Charisma Records in the United Kingdom. It was released by Atlantic Records in the United States. After touring in support of their studio album Abacab ended in December 1981 the band entered an eight-month break in activity, during which they selected recordings from their previous tours for a live album. Three Sides Live includes recordings between 1976 and 1981; the UK edition contains additional live tracks on the fourth side of the double LP, while the original international edition featured tracks from their 1982 EP 3×3 and B-sides from Duke. Subsequent international reissues have adopted the UK track sequence.
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Golden Heart is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 26 March 1996 by Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Following a successful career leading British rock band Dire Straits and composing a string of critically acclaimed film soundtrack albums, Knopfler recorded his first solo album, drawing upon the various musical influences he'd engaged since emerging as a major recording artist in 1978. The album reached the top-10 position on charts in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The album peaked at 105 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
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Platinum Collection is a career-spanning compilation album by British veteran rock band Genesis. It was released on 29 November 2004 in the UK and 13 September 2005 in the US. In both countries it was issued on the same day as The Video Show DVD.
John Hackett is a British musician, the younger brother of guitarist Steve Hackett. Although his primary instrument is the flute, he also plays guitar, bass, bass pedals and keyboards.
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