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Steve Hackett: Momentum

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Camino Records
Released: 1988
Time:
 60:56
52Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Steve Hackett
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.hackettsongs.com
Appears with: Genesis, GTR, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Chris Squire, Steve Howe
Purchase date: 2001.01.06
Price in €: 14,99





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Cavalcanti (S.Hackett) - 6:13
[2] Sleeping Sea (S.Hackett) - 3:27
[3] Portrait of a Brazilian Lady (S.Hackett) - 5:15
[4] When the Bell Breaks (S.Hackett) - 3:03
[5] Bed, a Chair and a Guitar (S.Hackett) - 2:44
[6] Concert for Munich (S.Hackett) - 4:55
[7] Last Rites of Innocence (S.Hackett) - 5:28
[8] Trouble Spirit (S.Hackett) - 2:30
[9] Variation on a Theme by Chopin (S.Hackett) - 4:55
[10] Pierrot (S.Hackett) - 2:53
[11] Mementum (S.Hackett) - 2:38
[12] Bourée (S.Hackett) - 1:34
[13] An Open Window (S.Hackett) - 9:02
[14] The Vigil (S.Hackett) - 6:19  

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l

 
Steve Hackett - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
John Hackett - Flute

Ian Anderson - Mastering
John Acock - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Kim Poor - Artwork
Billy Budis - Mixing
Lippa Pearce - Artwork, Design
 

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

 
"I have always believed that one half of me was born to be an acoustic guitar player, the other half to play rock guitar and to do both with equal passion". More 'music without props' - Hackett's second 'unplugged' album showcases his classically influenced playing amidst delicately elegant orchestral settings. The remastered edition benefits from a 12-page booklet including Hackett's own commentary and 3 bonus tracks - "Bourée", "An Open Window" and "The Vigil".

I'd made up my mind that every few years or so I'd work on an album that wasn't afraid of classical influences, where time could be altered and stretched, rhythms could be more malleable and not followed slavishly, but moulded to suit the little characters that seemed to tug at my sleeve and sometimes pick up my hands and move them into positions I never would have tried out on my own. You'd play for a while, feel you were getting nowhere, then, out of the blue, just as you had to be somewhere else for an appointment, an idea would come along that you couldn't ignore and you'd have to be a little bit late for that appointment.

In Brazil this is a perfectly acceptable practice. People are rarely on time in a country where no on hurries, which is perfect for this music. You can't enforce the same rules that apply to the rest of the globe.

Just doing this album and then listening back to is was its own reward - it really wasn't designed with marketing in mind. In fact, for many years I tried to ignore these feelings, this tendency to try and turn the clock back musically, but, as they say, "Once a time traveller, always a time traveller".
Cavalcanti An old family name related to the love of horses. I used a triplet figure as it gathers pace which, when played, actually looks like a galloping horse. Martin Carthy was the first person who showed me this on guitar using the thumb, forefinger and second finger. I had to practice this movement a lot to get it right, but it still reminds me of a galloping horse every time.


The Sleeping Sea
A descending sequence, one of my favorites on the album, using "Moorish" harmonies. Slightly dissonant, but necessary to lead you to a very murky place. I imagined predators in their element at the bottom of the sea at night. After I'd heard Debussy's The Sunken Cathedral I decided to end with the sound of a bell intoning.

Portrait of a Brazilian Lady
Very Brazilian harmonies here, very unhurried. A portrait of Kim's grandmother hangs in the house at Petropolis - sometimes it seems to be sad, but when you look at it from a distance for a while the mouth seems to dart into a smile. A capricious free spirit - Vov:ó Nina!
When the Bell Breaks
A tremolo piece similar to many guitar studies where the top line is played with three fingers and the bass notes with the thumb. A flamenco technique that gives the impression of two guitars playing instead of one - again a very "watery" effect - or the guitar doing an impression of a mandolin.

A Bed, a Chair and a Guitar
When I was growing up Dad thought that I would be happy if all I had in life was a bed, a chair and a guitar. I've got a bit more furniture now, Dad, and a few more guitars - but he'd sussed my teenage priorities! There's a traditional piece I first heard played by Bert Jansch called Nicola which starts off this little trilogy in classical style, then folk and finally jazz.

Concert for Munich
This one's dedicated to Tony Stratton-Smith who originally commissioned it for a film about the Manchester United football team who fought their way back to the top against all expectations. Tony was a man governed by his passions, but was able to inspire many musicians during his lifetime - a true patron of the arts. It would take a book to cover all his activities as author, journalist, record company boss and friend. God bless you, Tony!

Last Rites of Innocence
There's a logic to baroque music that makes it stick very closely to form, almost like an unbroken dance - that's the main influence here. I tried also to highlight the degree of independent bass lines possible whilst playing the top strings, much the same as with a string trio or quartet.

Troubled Spirit
The full message was "troubled spirit, there are many victories ahead". I "heard" a spirit message which helped me through one of my darkest moments. Musically, it starts in turmoil, then is transformed into pure joy at the personal realisation that we exist only by the grace of something approaching Divine Will. I've never been truly depressed since.

Variation on a Theme by Chopin
Sometimes I try to play the guitar in a pianistic style and it's Chopin I think of when the piano is used at its best - underplayed, gentle and melancholic.

Pierrot
This was the first thing recorded for this album. I imagined the single-teared clown as a doll - a child believing her doll could dance.

Momentum
This was the last thing written for the record on its original release - Spanish influence all the way.

Bourée
This fabulous piece shows why Bach is still an unbeatable bass player and the most fluent of all chordsmiths.

An Open Window
This was written just a little too late to be included on Momentum at the time of its first release, but I'm glad it can join the rest now - a latecomer, but well worth the wait. I didn't set out to write such a long piece, I just found that there was a lot to say with a piece that kept demanding a change of pace.

The Vigil
This is very much in a Venetian style and for me conjures the warmth of candlelight (dedicated to Louise Wheeler).

SteveHackett.com, Copyright © 1988



In 1983, Steve Hackett fought an uphill battle for the release of Bay of Kings, his first album of solo acoustic guitar pieces. He ultimately did find a distributor, after several months. Rather than becoming disconcerted by the experience, Hackett determined never to shy away from his classical impulses in the future, and in 1987 he returned with Momentum, another album of mostly original acoustic guitar passages. As the title suggests, this album finds Hackett gaining confidence and proficiency in his guitar playing; he manages to play several complex pieces in a seemingly effortless manner. The songs are pleasant, evoking delightful imagery. Any admirer of acoustic guitar music will find this thoroughly enjoyable. Note: the 1994 re-release adds track-by-track liner notes by Hackett, and three previously unreleased songs.

Steve McMullen - All Music Guide
 

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