Steve Hackett has reflected on his departure from Genesis in 1977.
The guitarist was with the band for seven years, eventually leaving just days before they released their Seconds Out live album.
He’s gone on to enjoy a successful solo career and has also toured extensively playing the music of his former band. But when asked if he was surprised when Genesis achieved mainstream success in the years following his departure, Hackett says it caused him to take stock.
He tells EonMusic: “That was a difficult period for me. I had my own band, I was touring, and I eventually got a hit single myself – but it seemed as if Genesis was a well-oiled machine by then that was garnering a tremendous amount of publicity.
“I had to remind myself of the reason why I left, and it was to explore new paths and to boldly go on my own. For me, it’s always been about the music – it can’t be about the numbers, it can’t be a number crunching exercise.”
He insists he wouldn’t have added anything to 1986 Genesis album Invisible Touch, but says of 1981’s Abacab: “I probably would have played some slide guitar on it or something. I remember Mike Rutherford saying when Peter Gabriel had a hit with Solsbury Hill, ‘I would have liked to have played twelve-string.‘”
Hackett will release the live package The Total Experience Live In Liverpool on 2CD, 2DVD and Blu-ray on June 24. He also has a handful of shows planned over the coming weeks, including an appearance at the TeamRock-sponsored Stone Free Festival in London on June 19.
Critics' Choice 2015 - Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett The Total Experience Live In Liverpool tracklist
- Corycian Fire Intro
- Spectral Mornings
- Out Of The Body
- Wolflight
- Every Day
- Love Song To A Vampire
- The Wheel’s Turning
- Loving Sea
- Jacuzzi
- Icarus Ascending
- Star Of Sirius
- Ace Of Wands
- A Tower Struck Down
- Shadow Of The Hierophant
- Get ‘Em Out by Friday
- Can-Utility And The Coastliners
- After The Ordeal
- The Cinema Show
- Aisle Of Plenty
- The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
- The Musical Box
- Clocks
- Firth Of Fifth
Steve Hackett 2016 tour dates
May 21: Kanawaga Club Citta Kawasaki, Japan
May 23: Osaka Namba Hatch, Japan
Jun 19: London Stone Free Festival, UK