As the guitarist for Genesis from 1970 to 1977, Steve Hackett brought a refined sensibility to the music with an understated, yet calculated style. Genesis’ progressive leanings of the times allowed a lot of latitude and Hackett continually honed his chops and expanded his palette even as his stake within the group slowly diminished. When he left, he’d already dipped his toe in solitary waters with his first solo album Voyage Of The Acolyte. He didn’t hesitate in pursuing a variety of avenues to test the limits of his capabilities, issuing over 20 solo albums, collaborating in the 80s with Yes guitarist Steve Howe in GTR, and more recently, with Yes bassist Chris Squire in Squackett.
He has not enjoyed the commercial accolades of Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel, but respect for Steve Hackett has never waned. The classic lineup of Genesis that included Hackett is still revered by many as a sacred cow, something that cannot be replicated without careful attention to detail and care. So far, the guitarist has been the only one of the five (Hackett, Collins, Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks) who has dared to reintroduce that music to the public with his Genesis Revisited tours. Since 2012, Hackett and his crack band playing Genesis music has been welcomed with open arms and now a regular part of the guitarist’s repertoire. At the same time, that step back has only inspired him to move forward.
For 2015, Steve Hackett has unveiled Wolflight, his first new studio album in four years. Overflowing with allegory and strange, exotic instrumentation, it may be his most ambitious album yet. During our half-hour chat, Hackett took me through the process of making Wolflight, name-checking historical and geographical points of interest, along with the many musicians who appear on the record. It was daunting to get it all down, but I couldn’t resist the rich embellishments at each turn. As he would tell me, “it’s really about the music,” and in talking with Steve Hackett, it really is about the music and little else, especially the glitz, ego and competitive nature of Genesis that revealed itself in Sum Of The Parts, the 2014 documentary about the band. Oh yeah, we talked a little about that too.
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