Steve Hackett-New Box set 1984-2006

Steve Hackett to release the collection Broken Skies: Outspread Wings (1984 - 2006)

 

strange wording about the surround (several 5.1 surround tracks). whole albums in 5.1?, only specific tracks? hum.

 

Yeah, details are a bit scant!

 

I am with you guys - wording leads me to believe that we will just get a few random tracks in 5.1. Considering that i own most of the material already, 5.1 for the albums would have pushed me to purchase again.

This is a ‘weak maybe’ as it stands right now.

Of course, if most of the albums are in 5.1 then ... . We shall see.

Love the dark artwork!

 

HackettSongs - Steve Hackett Official Website

 

anyone got a tracklist seems kinda sparse with none of the live shows that have been released from this time included. wonder if it will include all the various bonus tracks that have been on varied releases (I am thinking specifically of guitar noir which I feel like has had a few releases)

 

One DVD will be the South America live show that presumably superfans already have, so the other one will theoretically contain all the surround material. Yeah, seems like a random assortment of 5.1, rather than whole albums. Granted, a single blu-ray could hold surround versions of every studio album in this set, but yet it's 2018 and we're still doing DVD for some reason.

 

seriously. actually one of my big complaints with the premonitions set was they used a single DVD for each album when surely they could have put 2 albums on a dvd to saved on discs (I don't really know what the capacity of a DVD is audiowise but given I have some double LPs on single DVDs in 5.1 I have to imagine two single LP albums would work). at the same time they stuffed each CD breaking up albums to save on adding another CD which would have been a much better addition as it would have allowed all the previous bonus tracks to make the set and albums to be presented completely.

 

I'm actually a bit stoked that they're continuing the series - albeit a little disappointed that the bonus material on offer here is a bit thin on the ground.

This era of Steve's work is very under-represented in my collection. I think I only have Guitar Noir at the moment, actually.

 

Did anyone get this yet and if yes could you comment on the 5.1 songs on dvd,are they discreet and did they do it in DTS as least?

 

It's not out until Friday if I'm not mistaken. Hoping to have it in my grubby mitts on the day, but we'll see how it shakes out.

Unfortunately, I won't be much help on the 5.1 as I lack a surround rig.

 

Mine arrived in the mail today. Felt a need to continue this reissue collection despite having 5 of the 6 albums represented (didn't own Feedback '86 previously). All of my other originals are redundant with the exception of 'Til We Have Faces of which my copy has 11 songs and the box version only has 9.

My Somewhere in South America DVD also has two CD's so that one isn't redundant either.

As for the presentation, I'm disappointed that it is a larger format than the previous box but regardless of that criticism, this is a well done package. It's worth for the $52-ish price I paid depends on one's need for the material and the perceived collectability and presentation. I'm not disappointed, I knew what this was going into the purchase. There is potentially a LOT of bang for the buck for the casual fan. For me, it is barely worth the price.

 

I was definitely suprised by the change in format here. Seemed kind of a missed opportunity to not at least try to match the basic dimensions of the previous set, but it's also less content, so there would have been some differences regardless.

Haven't had a ton of time to dig into it yet, but first impressions on skimming the notes and sample listening are positive. Again, sadly, I don't have the means to compare anything other than Guitar Noir to a previous edition.

Are the tracks missing from 'Til We Have Faces represented anywhere in the box, or are they MIA in total? Particularly essential stuff?

 

^^^ Good catch. Recall that I mentioned above that Feedback '86 was absent from my collection. My version of Till We Have Faces is below. The two extra tracks are #'s 9 & 10, The Gulf and Stadium of the Damned, both of which are from Feedback '86, or at least I'm assuming they are the same versions although the times are off (slightly for Stadium..., more significantly for The Gulf). The players listed on Discogs don't necessarily suggest these are arrangements unique to the distinct Till We Have Faces Sound so it would take listening to figure out if there is any significant difference.

In the time it took to write this, I probably could have done the listening comparison!



Steve Hackett ‎– Till We Have Faces
Label:
Camino Records ‎– CAMCD09
Format:
CD, Album, Reissue
Country:
UK
Released:
1998
Genre:
Electronic, Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style:
Art Rock, Latin, Prog Rock

Tracklist
1 What's My Name 7:04
2 The Rio Connection 3:19
3 Matilda Smith-Williams Home For The Aged 8:04
4 Let Me Count The Ways 6:05
5 A Doll That's Made In Japan 3:56
6 Duel 4:48
7 Myopia 2:54
8 Taking The Easy Way Out 3:48
9 The Gulf 6:30
10 Stadiums Of The Damned 4:37
11 When You Wish Upon A Star 0:48

 

Mine is still a few weeks away.
I am most interest in the 5.1 surround 7 songs, if you can comment how they sound would be great.
Even if you aren't a surround person could you tell me if they are dts 5.1 or dd 5.1?
As well on the live dvd does it have dts 5.1 or just dd 5.1

 

Just saw this video update on his FB page. STEVE HACKETT - Broken Skies Outspread Wings (Unboxing)

 

Listening to the 5.1 right now for the first time.

First of all, while I understand not making the commitment to rendering all of the albums in the box to 5.1 but only 7 songs? Seems a bit lazy and exemplifies the idiocy of yours truly as a collector. I cannot have the premonitions box and not have this one. Yet all I'm getting for my $50 is one album which I had not previously purchased, 7 tracks in 5.1 and a nice looking package.

That said, the 5.1 opener Wolfwork (from Wild Orchids) is a dense mess. A fine enough song but not best suited for the subtleties of a well done 5.1 mix.

Set Your Compass (also from Wild Orchids) is a great improvement. The acoustic guitar shines with clarity and as the song moves along, the musical interplay (reminiscent of the best Hackett's Genesis had to offer) lends itself to this treatment.

The next track is Cedars of Lebanon (from the deluxe edition of Wild Orchids...I'm thinking why not just do this entire freaking album in 5.1 at this point?). Again, clarity and separation given the musical layers along with substantial grandeur...this one works really well.

Brand New is a straightforward rocker from To Watch The Storms. Less dense than Wolfwork, The drums echo out of the front array while the lead guitar assaults your senses out of the center channel. Percussion effects shimmer as well. The guitars spread out as the track progresses giving the listener a different listening experience than the album version has to offer. Isn't that part of what 5.1 is all about?

Next comes Serpentine Song (also from To Watch The Storms), one of my favorite Hackett songs so this one may be a bit biased. Nothing Earth-shattering here, just a tasteful surround mix.

And for another track from To Watch The Storms, Circus of Becoming has a lot going on which lends itself to the 5.1 format. The vocals are front and center with the lead guitar piercing over a distinct background of cacophony across your frontal array. Another great song choice but now the score is Wild Orchids 3, To Watch The Storms 3. Will this tie be broken?

Nope.

Let's break out GTR's When The Heart Rules The Mind (2018). No comment.

There are a few live videos but these don't make me feel one way or the other when it comes to value of this set.

When all is said and done, I really have to question the wisdom of this box for anyone who already has the albums. This little write-up though forced me to compare the albums as to whether the deluxe versions are represented in the box.

To Watch The Storms, already discussed. Redundant bonus tracks not included but these show up elsewhere.

Feedback '86, unsure but this includes the GTR track listed above.

Guitar Noir includes the demos and mixes that are on my Snapper/UK CD.

Darktown includes three tracks which showed up on later editions of the album. New to me, yea!

To Watch The Storms adds one song (Reconditioned Nightmare) over and above the special edition version which I have.

Wild Orchids, same tracks but the running order appears to be all jacked up, at least when comparing my special edition to the Discogs track listing for the box set.

This could have really been done right for the fans who have kept up with Steve Hackett over the years which is really the market for such a box set. If Wild Orchids and TWTS were worthy of three songs each for 5.1 treatment, then why not simply do both albums and be done with it?

All in all, this will end up being largely anchored to the shelf it is eventually placed upon. For completists or not-previously-fans only.

I guess another question is whether to practically give away the original CD's of Guitar Noir, TWTS, Darktown and Wild Orchids or just keep them on the shelf. I'm leaning towards the latter.

 

I do wonder a bit at the intended market for this set. It's a handsome design (though can I get an "amen" for wondering why they didn't make the artwork align so the book loaded in from the side rather than the bottom of the slipcase?) and the artwork suits the moody music presented within, but it doesn't offer much for someone who already has the material.

I'm also at a bit of a loss for what new fans would pick this up as an introduction.

Granted, it's a nice pickup for someone like me. I only owned Guitar Noir and my edition didn't even have any bonus cuts on it (it was paired with an acoustic live album called There Are Many Sides to the Night). From that perspective, it works. Let me fill in the holes in my collection for a decent price.

Personally, I could have done without any surround mixes if they'd just put hi-res versions of the included albums on the DVDs, but I'm probably in a minority there.