"The Ghost of Albums Past" Steve Hackett's Live Archive 03 album reviewed by Alan Hewitt.

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Hmm.. OK.. for starters I am perhaps guilty of being just a tad "partial" when it comes to an album by Steve but hey… it's my web site and I'll review what I want to!

The Live Archive Series has been one of the best ideas of recent years and has been taken up by a variety of artists in an attempt to finally beat the bootleggers at their own game and provide fans with the live "product" which they crave and in the kind of quality that satisfies the recording artist. This new album documents Steve's most recent UK/European tour in support of the To Watch The Storms album.

The live show drew upon some of the most prestigious moments from Steve's solo career alongside several Genesis classics too boot. As someone who attended a couple of the shows from which this recording is taken, listening to the album brings back a LOT of happy memories: the feeding frenzy on the merch stall at Wolverhampton; the backstage party at London.

More than anything else though ,here is a wonderful live document of an artist for whom performance is not only essential but also a delight. Steve's new band are no slouches, musically they deliver 110% on the material whether it be a classic Hackett standard such as Please Don't Touch or the sheer drama of Darktown or a timeless masterpiece like In That Quiet Earth. Either way, if you are a fan of longstanding or someone new to Steve's music wondering what our hero sounds like "in concert" here is your answer: AMAZING!

Live Archive 03 Camino Records CAMCD33