by Geoff Bailie
If you asked ChatGPT who were the 3 most distinctive melodic British prog rock guitarists active today… well, you don’t need AI to give you the answer: Gilmour, Hackett and Rothery! So the fact that 2 of the 3, Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery, have made an album together is definitely something worth your attention.
Working together on and off over 10 years, the two Steves’ improvisations have created something that, perhaps, you might not expect. The theme of the music is right there from the moment you get the sleeve and the song/album title. The unifying theme is the sea and all of the images and atmospheres that it creates. It may be helpful to explain first what the album isn’t: it’s not a guitar-gunslingers at dawn shred-fest (though the guitar playing is outstanding!) and it’s also not a snoozy soundtrack album (though the scope and dynamic of the music is cinematic in itself). It’s also not GTR Part 2 – and I say that as someone who loves the GTR album! There are no vocals or pop songs, yet there is a melodic strength that makes this music memorable.
(In the absence of track by track notes, I am going to make some guesses as to who plays what, and will undoubtedly get it wrong – sorry!)
Opener “The Storm” has Hackett (first guess) playing some Jeff Beck-esque lyrical melodies, bending notes with ease, before the crash of thunder shifts the pace. Daniele Pomo’s drums kick in and drive the rest of the song forward. The two guitarists trade melodies as the song progresses, very much like a duet – complimentary rather than competing.
“Sandsend” is next, with a main melody that could quite easily be a vocal piece. A striking feature of this whole album is – what does the guitarist do when the other is taking the lead? For me that’s a great example of how well crafted an album this is – the subtleties and the backgrounds will, I’m sure, stand out in the surround/ Atmos mixes. There are various sound effects and other textures which all contribute to the experience. “Red Dragon” has a great strummed riff, along with some sitar-like playing. This one had me searching my notes to find who was playing the bass – and what I discovered is that Ricardo Rommano plays bass, and keys… and co-wrote and mixed the album! Rommano will be known to some for playing keys in the Steve Rothery Band and with Rothery’s second guitarist in The David Foster Band. He is a multi-instrumentalist, writer and singer. You get the sense that he’s also a vital contributor to this album and holds his own with the Steves.
Title track, “The Roaring Waves,” starts with some nylon string guitar which I assume is Steve H, before the underpinning orchestral riff begins. I can certainly tell that it’s Rothery on the opening electric section of this song. I have to say, this album invites you to crank up your stereo/ surround set up, or immerse yourself with your best headphones, close your eyes and picture the images it conjures. The moving and flowing rhythms of this most certainly give you a picture of The Roaring Waves, which then return to calm, symbolised by the closing acoustic guitars.
If you haven’t already Googled, “K-129” was a Soviet submarine that sank in the North Pacific, and all of its crew perished. When it was eventually recovered, many wondered why it had sunk/ what had it been doing/ what had it been carrying… producing the now famous governmental response “We can neither confirm nor deny…”. The track begins with a mechanic looping backing, symbolising the repetitive progress of the ship through the water. Both guitarists jam over this backing, Rothery playing more melodic, while Hackett digs deep into distortion and “noisy” guitars, all subtly mixed! When the backing ends, the sonar ping in the silence indicates something isn’t right – and the musicians return with a series of imaginative solos. This section is a great example of the Steves playing in support of each other, rather than battling!
You may have heard “The Black Sea” already, as it was the first single from the album. Like the whole album you get a mix of the fresh and the distinctive guitar sounds of Hackett and Rothery. The chiming Strat on this is presumably Steve R, as Steve H provides the shimmering sounds behind him. When I first heard this track, it reminded me of an update on Hank Marvin of The Shadows playing – smooth and melodic, rather than harsh and shreddy!
Closing track “Pacific Coast Highway” is another shift. If you know Steve Hackett’s history, you will know that his first instrument was a blues harmonica, and that’s a featured instrument in this America-inspired track. The most uptempo album track, with wordless female vocals, blasts of Hammond organ, and the guitars slide and bend at their bluesy best. The tempos shift throughout the piece, changing the background scene and allowing more melodies and styles to emerge. It all leads to a soft, clean toned ending, with the choral vocals returning, sounding as if it could have come from either of the bands the two are most famous for!
I’ve said it before, and I say it again here: I am a big fan of the 45 minute album, especially for instrumental music. This one is 45:08 in total – so this is just perfect for me. Great kudos should be given to the two Steves for producing an atmospheric guitar-led album, filled with a rich variety of sounds and atmospheres. This is very much music to fuel your imagination, and to create pictures and images in your head, perhaps similar to what the musicians saw in theirs. The album has clearly been a labour of love for Hackett and Rothery, and if you’ve enjoyed any of their guitar playing within their bands, you should definitely get a copy of this.
Pre-order now here: https://stevehackettsteverothery.lnk.to/TheRoaringWaves-Album
1. The Storm (6:51)
2. Sandsend (4:45)
3. Red Dragon (4:18)
4. The Roaring Waves (7:11)
5. K-129 (7:53)
6. The Black Sea (6:41)
7. Pacific Coast Highway (7:33)
Steve Hackett / guitar, harmonica
Steve Rothery / guitar, bass, keyboards
With:
Riccardo Romano / keyboards, bass
Daniele Pomo / drums (1-5)
Leon Parr / drums (6,7)
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