GTR: 1985 жылғы британдық супертобының тарихы

English rock band

GTR were a British supergroup rock band founded in 1985 by former Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Though the band's leaders were known as progressive rock musicians, GTR appealed to AOR radio stations. The band lasted for two years and one album. Hackett subsequently criticized the project, though not necessarily the other musicians involved in it. The band's name came from an abbreviation of "guitar" used by recording studios for labelling guitar tracks.

After Steve Howe left Asia in 1984, he and former Yes manager Brian Lane discussed forming a new group, and Lane approached former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Hackett's last few solo albums had sold disappointingly, and he hoped GTR would sustain his prominence as a guitarist and finance future solo work. They recruited American drummer Jonathan Mover (ex Marillion), bass guitarist Phil Spalding, and singer Max Bacon. GTR sought to create a contemporary band sound without using keyboards, which Howe felt had become too dominant in Asia. Instead, Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland guitar synthesizer pickups, which operated rack synthesizers. While Brian Lane pursued record deals (initially, without much success), the band set about recording songs with Howe’s former Asia and Yes colleague Geoff Downes as producer. Howe and Hackett disagreed on method: whereas Howe favored investment in high quality studio time, Hackett preferred a relatively low budget recording approach but greater investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt. Another single, "The Hunter", received some video coverage and modest airplay, peaking at While the album was a chart success, it was (and has remained) a work with a mixed and highly debated reputation among rock fans, especially supporters of Genesis and Yes. Some said the album contained substandard filler material beyond the two singles, and there was some criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor. J. D. Considine's infamous review of the album (in Musician magazine) consisted of only one word: "SHT". (Considine later said it was the most famous thing he'd ever written in his three decades as a critic, while Hackett stated the review actually helped sales of the album.)

According to Hackett, by the end of the tour the band was falling apart, and his dissatisfaction with both the music and financial management of GTR (as well as a failure to see eye to eye with Howe) led to his beginning to question the project. He later commented "it looked like either Steve Howe or I might jump ship with GTR, and I think the possibility of it being an on going entity was mooted  At the time, I saw GTR as becoming more of a project than a band. Perhaps the idea of a number of guitarists all getting together." With this in mind, Hackett approached guitarist Brian May of Queen with the suggestion that he join the project. Despite May's initial enthusiasm, the potential collaboration only extended to three tracks demoed with Hackett, and it is unclear whether Hackett ultimately intended May to replace himself or replace Howe. Mover also left GTR, going on to play in Joe Satriani's band. Unwilling to give up on the band, Steve Howe tried to continue GTR with Bacon, Spalding, ex Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler (who had worked for Toyah with Spalding) and a second singer/guitarist, former Hush member Robert Berry. A bootleg recording of initial sessions (titled Nerotrend, which was also a new name suggested for the band) shows that half of the band's music was now sung by Berry and half by Bacon. Both sessions and band were ultimately abandoned, with some of the material later resurrected or reused on future albums by group members (including the song "This World is Big Enough for All of Us", which became "Birthright" on the Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album). Post GTR, Steve Howe resumed his solo career and rejoined the Yes lineup (initially as part of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe) while Robert Berry became part of the partial Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunion project 3. Phil Spalding returned to a session career and Nigel Glockler returned to Saxon. Max Bacon's 1996 solo album The Higher You Climb included GTR material, and he later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Howe's 1999 release, Portraits of Bob Dylan. In 2018, Hackett released a re recorded version of "When the Heart Rules the Mind" as a single.

GTR (1986) US No. 11; UK No. 41;