Hackett, John and Steve - Sketches Of Satie


Year of Release: 2000
Label: Camino Records
Catalog Number: CAMCD20
Format: CD
Total Time: 47:09:00

John (left) and Steve Hackett as youngsters (courtesy) I remember being invited to witness a live concert by Steve Hackett and his band in order to promote his then brand-new album Defector. The gig was in Ipswich, England and that very same night I was driven back to my hotel in London by the band's manager. In the back of the car none other than Steve Hackett himself. I do remember that we discussed the possibility of a joint album between Steve and his younger brother John Hackett. Charisma records had expressed an interest and the tunes would probably be written in the forthcoming months.

Nearly twenty years later the first recorded collaboration between the two brothers finally hits the racks. Although the duo had discussed whether at all to include an orchestra for this one they decided that the music of Satie didn't need any extras and would be perfect just for the "stripped" sound of guitar and flute. Needless to say the album is more of a solo spot for John's flute playing as opposed to the accompanying acoustic guitar in the background. It's the flute that holds the melody and, although at times Steve slightly follows the same scales, it still is mainly a flute album.

The album consists of twenty rather short tracks selected from a wealth of "Gnossiennes," "Gymnopédies," "Pièces Froides," "Avant dernières Pensées" and "Nocturnes." Needless to say the most popular one has to be "Gymnopédie No. 1" not in the least because it has been used as the main theme for many TV-commercials about ... cigars. In all Sketches Of Satie is a very classical album because first of all you can only hear two "classical" instruments and also because the arrangements are very close to the originals. Those of you who know Steve's A Midsummer Night's Dream album know that Steve is not your everyday rock star. He knows his classics and apparently so does his brother John.

Sketches Of Satie has, apart from the well-known "Gymnopédie No. 1," not a standout track. All of the pieces sound rather similar, which is fine if you're into the mood of this kind of music, but it can understandably be a bit too much for some people. That's why the Hackett brothers had this great idea of including a couple of "guitar only" tracks in the middle of the album to sort of make a "bridge" between two guitar/flute parts. It strikes me how Steve has developed a very distinctive guitar sound because you only need to hear one chord to know it's him! It is certainly an ideal album to listen to if you had a stressful day at the office!

John - www.hacktrax.co.uk; Steve - www.hackettsongs.com


Tracklisting:
Gnossienne No. 3 (2:24) / Gnossienne No. 2 (1:56) / Gnossienne No. 1 (3:18) / Gymnopédie No. 3 (2:36) / Gymnopédie No. 2 (2:52) / Gymnopédie No. 1 (3:55) / Pièces Froides No. 1 Airs ÀFaire Fuir I (2:46) / Pièces Froides No. 1 Airs ÀFaire Fuir II (1:36) / Pièces Froides No. 2 (2:05) / Avant Dernières Pensées Idylle ÀDebussy (0:57) / Avan Dernières Pensées Aubade ÀPaul Dukas (1:11) / Avan Dernières Pensées Méditation ÀAlbert Roussel (0:54) / Gnossienne No. 4 (2:41) / Gnossienne No. 5 (3:20) / Gnossienne No. 6 (1:41) / Nocturnes No. 1 (3:31) / Nocturnes No. 2 (2:14) / Nocturnes No. 3 (3:36) / Nocturnes No. 4 (2:49) / Nocturnes No. 5 (2:27)

Musicians:
John Hackett - flute
Steve Hackett - guitar

Discography:
John Hackett:

John Hackett and Steve Hackett - Sketches Of Satie (2000)
Velvet Afternoon (2004)
Checking Out Of London (2005)
Red Planet Rhythm (2006)
Prelude To Summer - For Flute & Guitar (2008)
Moonspinner - For Flute And Guitar (2011)
Overnight Snow - For Flute And Guitar (2013)
Another Life (2015)
Hills Of Analucia (2016)
John Hackett Band - We Are Not Alone (2017)
(plus many of brother Steve's releases and guest appearances on others' albums)

Steve Hackett:

Genesis - Nursery Crime (1971)
Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)
Genesis - Live (1973)
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973)
Genesis - Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
Voyage Of The Acolyte (1975)
Genesis - Wind And Wuthering (1976)
Genesis - Trick Of The Tail (1976)
Genesis - Seconds Out (1977)
Please Don't Touch (1978)
Spectral Mornings (1979)
Defector (1980)
Cured (1981)
Highly Strung (1983)
Bay Of Kings (1983)
Til We Have Faces (1983)
GTR - GTR (1986)
Momentum (1988)
Genesis - Three Sides Live (1982)
Genesis - Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1988)
Time Lapse (1992)
The Unauthorised Biography (1992)
Guitar Noir (1994)
Blues With A Feeling (1994)
There Are Many Sides To The Night (1994)
A Midsummer's Night Dream (1997)
Watcher Of The Skies: Genesis Revisited (1997)
The Tokyo Tapes (1997)
Darktown (1999)
Genesis - Genesis - Turn It On Again (1999)
Sketches Of Satie (2000) (w/John Hackett)
Feedback '86 (2000)
Genesis - Genesis Archive #2 (2000)
Live Archive 70s 80s 90s (2001)
Live Archive - Newcastle (2001)
To Watch The Storms (2003)
Live Archive NEARfest (2003)
Live Archive 03 (2004)
Live Archive 04 (2004)
Genesis - The Platinum Collection (2004)
Metamorpheus (2005) (w/The Underworld Orchestra)
Live Archive 05 (2005)
Live Archive 83 (2006)
Wild Orchids (2006)
Tribute (2008)
Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth (2010)
Beyond The Shrouded Horizon (2011)
Genesis Revisited II (2012)
Wolflight (2015)
THe Night Siren (2017)
At The Edge Of Light (2019)

Steve Hackett Live (VHS) (1981)
The Tokyo Tapes (DVD) (1998)
Hungarian Horizons - Live In Budapest (DVD) (2003)
Somewhere In South America - Live In Buenos Aires (DVD) (2003)
Once Upon A Time (DVD) (2004)
Spectral Mornings (DVD) (rec 1978; rel 2005)
Fire & Ice (DVD) (2011)
Genesis Revisited: Live At Hammersmith (2013)
Genesis Revisited: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (2013)
The Total Experience Live In Liverpool - Acolyte To Wolflight with Genesis Classics (2016)
Wuthering Heights - Live In Birmingham (2018)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: July 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.hackettsongs.com
Hits: 3371
Language: english

  

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