Steve Hackett remix packages

**Valen** · 05-31-2016

For those of you who passed on the Phenomenon box set, individual releases of Spectral, Please and Defector are now up for grabs.

Spectral and Please have one disc of the previous remaster, one disc for Steven Wilson's remix, and a third disc containing the SW 5.1 mix on dvd.

Defector has one disc of the previous remaster, a pseudo 5.1 mix on dvd, and a third disc with Steve's live set at the Reading festival in 1981.

Worth buying? I'd say yes.

I really enjoyed SW's remixes of Spectral and Please - they do sound a little clearer, with better separation of instruments and a warmer bass/drum sound. Singing is definitely clearer, and I liked the clearer demarcation between tracks on Spectral compared to the older LP version where they tended to overlap.

The sleeve notes on Please were particularly enlightening, as they revealed Steve's desire to create an ensemble album rather than a guitar solo album, so the remix actually has some of his guitar parts a little lower in the mix to emphasise the collective group effort, and it works.

The surround mixes are good - nice sound stage, nothing fancy, but again opening up the sound a little more and giving you the chance to hear each musician's contribution a little more clearly.

The Defector package may seem a bit weak by comparison but I enjoyed it as much as the other two - the surround mix is fine and again opens up the sound. The live cd is a cracker though! I know Steve has released a fair bit of archive live stuff but this particular set is a highlight for me. The Reading Festival crowd were always a lively bunch and the band riff off that with a set that really rocks. It includes cuts from Cured, but they sound so much better with the likes of Ian Mosley powering them along on the drum kit. I suspect this set was recorded by BBC Radio so the sound quality is excellent, but no overdubs etc, so as live and raw as it gets.

I swithered about buying these three reissues, but having spent all weekend playing them and then playing them again, I'm really pleased with them, and they've stimulated me to finally get beyond Steve's Charisma back catalogue and into the later music he created.

**Gizmotron** · 06-01-2016

Thanks!
I ordered Spectral Mornings and Please Don't touch.
Can't wait!

**JKL2000** · 06-01-2016

Originally Posted by Valen

For those of you who passed on the Phenomenon box set,

Premonitions, not Phenomenon.

**Valen** · 06-02-2016

Originally Posted by JKL2000

Premonitions, not Phenomenon.

Well:

(1) It was a phenomenal box set

(2) I was so smitten by hearing these albums again and so excited to share that vibe that I got my titles mixed up; or

(3) I deliberately made that error to give irritating nit-pickers like yourself something to justify logging in.

It's a multiple choice - feel free to tick whichever answer you think is the right one

**progman1975** · 06-02-2016

Where did you order Hackett from??

**JKL2000** · 06-02-2016

Originally Posted by Valen

Well:

(1) It was a phenomenal box set

(2) I was so smitten by hearing these albums again and so excited to share that vibe that I got my titles mixed up; or

(3) I deliberately made that error to give irritating nit-pickers like yourself something to justify logging in.

It's a multiple choice - feel free to tick whichever answer you think is the right one

I agree - physically and graphically the package is phenomenal. I'm not really a good nit-picker, but spent a couple of minutes searching the net for Phenomenon before realizing it was Premonitions. So just passing that on to others. But thanks for the info on the separate releases. Nice for Steve to have his catalog continue to have nice editions and good distribution.

**Gizmotron** · 06-02-2016

Originally Posted by progman1975

Where did you order Hackett from??

Burning Shed.
If you don't know them, check them out...all your money will soon be going there.

**JKL2000** · 06-04-2016

Or Amazon

**Gizmotron** · 06-06-2016

Originally Posted by JKL2000

Or Amazon

I didn't see them there when i checked but i could have missed them.
I do give lots to Amazon but I often try to steer things to the smaller businesses that seem to care about the artists.

**JKL2000** · 06-06-2016

Originally Posted by Gizmotron

I didn't see them there when i checked but i could have missed them.
I do give lots to Amazon but I often try to steer things to the smaller businesses that seem to care about the artists.

Sorry, I just assumed since they have Premonitions - but maybe they don't yet list the single albums.

**Nearfest2** · 06-08-2016

Steve Hackett, Spectral Mornings (Deluxe) (on Amazon)

**Gizmotron** · 06-08-2016

Thanks!

(I still remember the very first time I heard Spectral Mornings. I had just stumbled onto it at Sam Goody's about a week after its release. I played it that morning on my fairly good stereo at a nice loud volume and the opening track floored me. The driving rhythm was stirring. Hackett's blistering guitar solo set the hook. Love at first listening. Each track was great.

There is nothing like discovering good music. Nothing else allows us to experience time and live in the moment like music does. Whether on the first listen or 35+ years later, music provides us with the opportunity to be continually enchanted and to act as a set of evolving connections throughout our life.)

**rockonbra** · 06-08-2016

Originally Posted by JKL2000

Premonitions, not Phenomenon.

Hahah busteeeed! However, I do agree that it is quite 'Phenomenal'.

**helix** · 06-08-2016

just bought the 3 stand alone deluxe packages for under $57 via Amazon/Oxfordshire. great deal

I will miss having the Premonitions book I suppose . . .

**itserik** · 06-08-2016

Originally Posted by Gizmotron

Thanks!

There is nothing like discovering good music. Nothing else allows us to experience time and live in the moment like music does. Whether on the first listen or 35+ years later, music provides us with the opportunity to be continually enchanted and to act as a set of evolving connections throughout our life.)

+1 well stated Gizmotron

**Gizmotron** · 06-09-2016

Originally Posted by itserik

+1 well stated Gizmotron

You can probably tell that music is very important to me.

**progmeister** · 06-09-2016

Originally Posted by Gizmotron

Thanks!
I ordered Spectral Mornings and Please Don't touch.
Can't wait!

Anybody know whether the "Please Don't Touch" DVD has a Hi Rez 2 channel mix? I chanced it and ordered it.

**Valen** · 06-28-2016

Posted this review of the three reissues on my blog this morning:

https://momentstransition.wordpress....defector-1980/

All visitors and views welcome.