Customer Reviews

GTR

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

 

 

GTR is one of the best bands ever formed, though for a brief period of history. If you like Yes and Asia, you will love them! I first heard them in the late 80's, got the cassette tape and listened to them constantly. My cassette was stolen and ever since have looked for a CD and finally found one here on Amazon. I'm thrilled, to say the least!

GTR 1986. featuring Phil Spalding, Steve Hackett, Jonathan Mover, Steve Howe, and Max Bacon.

GTR came together following Steve Howe's leaving from Asia (1985). Teaming up with Steve Hackett of "Genesis" Adding Bass guitarist Phil Spalding and drummer Jonathan Mover and finally gaining strong vocal talent from singer Max Bacon.

GTR released one self-titled album (Arista Records November 1986). This gold album had two fairly big hits

"When the Heart Rules the Mind" hit #14 and "The Hunter" which topped at #85. The album as a whole hit #11 on the charts. That was about it as the band slowly crumbled after a North American and Europian tour.

This album is now in cd form only as an import and runs a few bucks. I truly believe it to be worth every dime. It has a definite eighties sound to it but, as that this was prime of life time for these great talents, it is a must have for anyone familiar with the groups they all came from.

This is a great musical addition to either an Asia or Yes collection. Standing alone it is also a good album for progressive rock. Unfortunately there is no follow-up album, nor one anticipated, at this point in time. I highly recommend this album for Progressive Rock fans and collectors.

Is there a period in either of these artists' careers that is more low, sad, or lost than this one? If so, please don't tell me what it is, as I want to avoid having any more violence done to my good memory of them. Both did work 10,12, even up to 16 years prior to this that sounds fresher and less terribly dated than this. This is beer commercial prog, truly awful.

Manager Brian Lane, who in the "Making of" video comes off as a repellant, reptilian creep who I wouldn't want anywhere near anyone who was trying to be creative, inadvertently sums this entire effort up: they were motivated by greed.

And poor Geoff Downes, who only 7 years earlier was creating innovative music with Buggles, and did a competent and underrated job with Yes on the competent and underrated Drama LP, has the notoriety of producing this. Maybe Downes was just trying to make sure he would be set with puffy white hightop sneakers and tight acid washed jeans for the rest of the 80s when he took this gig. Between this and Asia, there should probably be a contractual agreement that Downes and Steve Howe shouldn't be allowed to stay in the same hotel unless Trevor Horn is also there to supervise.

Of all the awfulness of this album, the singer's particular awfulness is truly special: he sounds like the process of recruiting him consisted of Downes hanging around the offices of the marketing agency that assembled Mr. Mister for the purpose of advertising household cleaning products, then scooping up people who failed the audition.

It's very telling that even in the horrible musical climate of the day, this album still did poorly. The listening public, up to their eyebrows in the stagnant standing water of corporate hair metal, listened to GTR and said "Nope, this is too sterile, forced, and bloodless even for me". The primary accomplishments of this record were to make people nostalgic for Asia, or making Alpha, Big Generator and Tormato seem like Close to the Edge in comparison.

Who knows what any of these guys could have secured financing to create, had they skipped this one?