Customer Reviews

Elements

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't understand the review a couple of posts below, who gave our boy Steve a bad review. His early solo efforts reflected his playing in Yes. This solo album, with his group project Remedy, is not intended to reflect his playing in Yes or early solo output. This album is very eas, and smiple to listen to. Steve Howe is my favorite guitarist, and, being a guitarist, a lot of his Yes stuff, I need to play close attention to, study it. Not this. This is an album you put on as background music to whatever your doing. It's all instrumental except for three songs. His voice has improved amazingly. It's not going to knock your socks off, it's just a deep, husky, singer/songwriter voice, very simple. Great job, Steve, and let's see if the new Yes album can cut it like this one did!

Excellent Recording! It's very Jazz, Improv, and because it's different from previous Steve Howe recordings it means that Steve is still learning to express himself. This CD grows on you everytime you listen to it. Jazz with a horn section is definatively the emphasis on this CD. It's almost like a swing Jazz. I recommend this CD if you want to hear a great guitar player doing something totally different. He isn't giving us the same old "Yes stuff"(I mean this respectfully). I've also begun relistening to Asia. Steve is really great and he is
no. 1 on my top ten guitartist list for this very reason. He never ceasing to amaze me.
Few guitar players do so many things so well!

Track by Track Analysis

Across the Cobblestone - Modern Country Rock, like epic country music
Bee Sting - Improv, Rock reminds me a bit of Turbulence (which is one of his best CD's)
Westwinds - Swing Jazz, Great tune, you'll love it -Cool Jazz with direction.
Where I Belong - Chet Atkins, Rock folk feel. You'll like this too. Classic Steve Howe like Steve Howe Album.
Whiskey Hill - Fast Country tune with driving beat, Great Tune.
The Chariot of Gold - Modern Rock Jazz has a Grand Scheme of Things feel to it. (I like Grand Scheme very much).
Tremolando - Beautiful piece of Music, you feel like you're on a calm lake.
Pacific Haze - Jazz Improv - It's like being in a club - good feel.
Load Off My Mind - Rock tune sound from the late 60's, Verge, Great Keyboard work, he caputured the late 60's perfectly.
Hecla Lava - Experimental Guitar playing thru effects.
Smoke Silver - Has some really nice parts and is fun.
Inside Out Muse - Slow Jazzy Blues - atmospheric tune, has a certain Pink Floyd flavor to it like Shine on You Crazy Diamond.
Rising Sun - Driving Southern Rock then jazz with plenty of horns, a good tune.
Sand Devil - Very much like Tomita and Vangelis sound with Guitar Synth.
The Longing - Another good Tomita, Vangelis tune, more epic.
A Drop in the Ocean - Guitar with Echo effect only, beautiful and makes you think about your life.

There is some good Drumming from Dylan Howe. I can here Bill Bruford in there. Great Job Dylan!!
I highly recommend this CD.

...He's a MUSICIAN. There's a huge difference. Calling Steve Howe a guitarist is like calling Einstein a "mathematician". Sure, Albert was great at math, but that was only the tool that he used -- his true genius was in uncovering laws and truths about our universe. In much the same way, Howe's genius is in writing, orchestrating and arranging music in an extremely compelling and original way. It so happens that he's a stringed-instrument virtuoso (not just guitar, but pedal steel, mandolin, lute, etc) -- but that's just one of the many tricks the maestro has up his sleeve. He creates music that is rich with tonal colors and textures, and both as a solo artist and with the sublime music of Yes has guided my own musical journey for the majority of my life. On this latest CD, Steve allows himself a considerably greater freedom to explore a multitude of genres than he typically does. There's jazz, there's country (always evident in his compositions. Artfully injected into even the most progressive of pieces, there's usually a way-cool Chet-like lick in there somewhere...), there's blues (yes, Steve plays blues...!), there's classical, and of course there's rock. Steve weaves it all into a tapestry that is rich in color and substance. He is truly a musician first, and an instrumentalist second. On a personal note, I play guitar, and I can honestly say that there has been no greater influence on me than the music - and more importantly the musical approach - of Steve Howe. The notion that all styles can be blended, that all have value, and that all can be woven into a whole greater than the sum of their parts -- THANKS, Steve, for an invaluable lesson and ongoing example.

Not catchy in ordinary way though. Listen to it at least three times with open ears. It's worth it. But it's not very rocky album. Occasionally it has some punch but of R&B type, not rock. Howe is not rock type guitarist. After listenig to this album it became obvious to me. But this is certainly what makes his rock music (in Yes and elsewhere) so original. This album is solo Howe at his best, second to 1979 Steve Howe Album. But unlike the latter it concentrates on jazz, blues and R&B (on SH Album dominate country and classical inspirations). It has also a hint of what is called `new age' (in strange improvisations using digital effects like Hecla Lava). But it's not that boring kind of `new age', only brilliant instrumental minatures. Together with SH Album the Elements give quite complete picture of Howe's diverse influences. It's also musically satisfying as such. For every Yes-fan it's a must. I recommend it to every guitar music lover as well.

Its a little annoying at this point when people cant seem to separate Steve's solo work from YES, that why his solo work is usually lukewarmly recieved.
There is no other guitarrist that works the many layers and genres like Howe does. The music in his CD's is NOT YES, and it shouldnt be.
I actually think that Turbulence, Quantum Guitars and Elements are awesome.
This CD just shows that you dont need the 100 mile per hour speed to make relevant guitar music. No one plays the guitar up front in a melodic way like Howe...most just set a rythm and solo in spurts,,,but Howe is the orchestra,,

Steve Howe's Remedy released Elements in 2003 and it starts off with the hard hitting Across The Cobblestone in which Steve's voice fits perfectly. Bee Strings is another fast paced rocker but without vocals. The album then takes a turn with a jazzy instrumental called Westwinds which features Steve trading licks with a horn section while the rest of the band holds down a cool groove. Where I Belong changes the setting with a nice country/folk/rock feeling with Steve in good voice. Whiskey Hill continues in the same vain as Where I Belong but without vocals sort of like the opening two numbers. The Chariot Of Gold, another instrumental, is in a jazz/funk groove. The instrumental Tremolando is a very pretty number while Pacific Haze has a nice laid back jazz feel. Load Of My Mind is more rocking and features the first vocals since Where I Belong. Hecla Lava pretty much is just a short instrumental variation of Load Of My Mind. The instrumental Smoke Silver has a jazz/funk/pop/prog feel as it bounces around a bit. Inside Out Muse is a slow blues filled instrumental. Rising Sun is another rocker while Sand Devil is a bit ambient sounding which leads into The Longing. The album ends with the peaceful A Drop In The Ocean. If you don't mind mostly instrumental albums that span several genres, then this might be right up your alley.

I really wanted to like this but after the 5th spin, I'm left with an unfavorable opinion.
I will say, the singing is Howe's best ever. Astonishing in-fact. Similar to Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Perfectly on-key. Maybe his son coached him?

The disc starts off GREAT with a rocking tune and this got me quite excited. Dylan's drumming is awesome here. But then the interesting musical ideas seem to be rare for the rest of the disc. The 3 or so jazz songs are TOTALLY jazz, no rock. Like at a jazz club would be. Ugh! One great thing about Yes and Steely Dan is they had just a hint of jazz but the rock or progressive rock was 80% of it. Here, the jazz is 100% jazz and therefore I find no use for it.

I'm a rotten guitar player of 25 years and too many songs here sound like me tinkering with guitar effects and guitar echo and reverb. I truly think I could have produced better songs than a few of the "experimental" songs here. They really sound like a novice putzing around. That's sad because we all know Steve is a musical genius both in ideas and playing ability.

Only buy this if you are a Steve Howe completist. There's just not much here.

I was quite excited to get this album knowing who was playing on it. I thought it would quite interesting. Alas, it was just another good Steve Howe album. Nothing that special on it that you haven't heard a bit of from his recent albums. I thought this might deviate a bit more since it was touted as a "band" rather than a solo album.
Notwithstanding my minor disappointment, it is a very fine record. Really good songs and top notch playing. I am sure you'll enjoy it, but if you are looking for something different from Steve Howe then don't be shocked if you don't find that here.
I'd actually recommend you get the Steve Howe Rememdy Live DVD instead, to be honest. THAT is WONDERFUL!!

ONCE AGAIN, STEVE HAS GIVEN THE WORLD ANOTHER SHINING EXAMPLE OF NOT ONLY HIS EXQUISITE PLAYING, BUT HIS EXCEPTIONAL COMPOSITION PROWESS. HOWE IS ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE MUSICIANS ALIVE. THIS ALBUM IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING HE'S EVER DONE BEFORE, YET IT'S QUINTISENTIAL HOWE. THE RANGE OF EMOTIONS AND STYLES, FROM JAZZ TO PROG TO JAMMIN' BLUES NUMBERS MAKES THIS A TRULY SATISFYING LISTEN. I LIKE THAT IT SHOWCASES SOME OTHER GREAT TALENTS, INCLUDING VIRGIL AND DYLAN HOWE. STEVE HOWE HAS BEEN AND REMAINS MY FAVORITE GUITAR MUSICIAN. LOOKING FORWARD TO (HOPEFULLY) A WEST COAST TOUR IN SUPPORT OF "ELEMENTS" IN '04

For the most part I was disappointed by this album. I wanted another Natural Timbre and got a less that thrilling work by a man who usually delivers. It's true this album has many styles, as Steve Howe says in the album liner, "combining...rock and roll, the blues and later jazz... to explore how progressive rock developed its own personality." however I don't think he was very successful at conveying how wonderful these Elements can be.