GTR (band)
Encyclopedia
GTR were a rock band founded in 1985 by former Yes
and Asia
guitarist Steve Howe
and former Genesis
guitarist Steve Hackett
. In comparison to the two leaders' earlier work within progressive rock
, GTR's work followed more of an Adult Oriented Rock format. The band was short-lived, lasting for two years and one album. Hackett has subsequently been strongly critical of the project, though not necessarily of the other musicians involved in it.
The band's name came from an abbreviation of "guitar
" as used for track labelling in multi-track recording studios.
in 1985, following which he and former Yes
manager Brian Lane discussed plans for a new group. Howe expressed an interest in working with Hackett, who was then approached by Lane. Hackett proved amenable, despite some doubts as to the project setup: his last few solo albums (including the atypical all-classical-guitar project Bay of Kings) had sold disappointingly and despite his interest in continuing his acoustic work, he saw GTR as an option for sustaining his career at a prominent level and also financing future solo work. Once the two guitarists were in place, the group was completed with the recruitment of American drummer Jonathan Mover
(ex-Marillion
, and later to work with Joe Satriani
and Steve Vai
), bass guitarist Phil Spalding
(ex-Bernie Torme
, Toyah
, Mike Oldfield
and Original Mirrors) and singer Max Bacon
(ex-Moby Dick, Nightwing
and Bronz
).
One of the central ideas for GTR as a project was an attempt to create a fully fleshed contemporary band sound without the use of keyboard synthesizers (following Howe's increasing disgruntlement with the predominance of keyboards in Asia). Instead, Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland
guitar synthesizer pickups, which used the vibrations of the strings to create MIDI signals which could be used to trigger and operate rack synthesizers. All of the synthesizer sounds on the group's studio recordings were created using this method, which was also in line with the emphasis on the band as a "guitar" project featuring two "superstar" progressive rock
guitarists.
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, with the former favouring investment in high-quality studio time and the latter favouring a relatively low-budget recording approach but an investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt. Hackett would later criticise Lane’s work as manager, accusing him of following a “divide and conquer” approach to ensure that the band would be in dissension and agree to the final deal secured by Lane, in order to recoup the time and money invested.
GTR's self-titled debut album
was released by Arista Records
in November 1986. The album went gold
, hit #11 on the album charts, and spawned a hit single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind" (#14), which stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. Another single, "The Hunter", received some video coverage and modest airplay, peaking at #85. 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 claimed 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) read simply, "SHT
". (Considine later said it was the most famous thing he'd ever written in his three decades as a critic, while Hackett claimed the review actually helped sales of the album.)
GTR toured North America and Europe in 1986. Live rehearsals revealed that the band's "no keyboards" method did not work in concert due to the poor tracking qualities of the guitar synthesizers, and therefore the tour featured keyboard player Matt Clifford in the GTR lineup in order to recreate the studio sound. Songs in the setlist included Genesis and Yes material as well as songs from Hackett and Howe's solo albums. Howe, Hackett and Bacon also appeared as guest VJs on MTV's "Guest VJ Hour" in the summer. A show at the Wilshire Theater
in Los Angeles
recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour
radio show (and later released on album) demonstrated that the group was extremely tight and well-practiced live. Tracks played included versions of Yes's "Roundabout"
and a re-working of the Genesis classic "I Know What I Like" as well as pieces from Hackett's and Howe's solo LPs. A preview of a new song, "Prizefighters", was included in this collection. The song was later developed for Hackett's planned 1986 solo release Feedback
, which eventually appeared in 2000.
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 Steve Howe) led to him 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 the Queen
guitarist Brian May
with the suggestion that May joined 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.
The band's debt situation had not improved and in 1987 Hackett called time on the group. He would recall that "in order to create or maintain that level of success, the band was functioning on an extremely insecure footing financially. Someone had to be the bad guy and say, 'I'm calling an extraordinary general meeting and closing down the company.' Which is what I did, because we had far too many money issues to be able to continue." Hackett then left GTR, stating it had been "interesting for about five minutes", and resumed his solo career. Later, he would reflect "Yes, we had a firm deal and I could have perhaps done it for life, but frankly, I prefer my albums to be more spontaneous and creatively free... There are artistic limitations with any successful band, and it was a successful band." 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 Glockner and a second singer/guitarist - former Hush
member Robert Berry
. A bootleg 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 ABWH
album).
Post-GTR, Steve Howe would resume his solo career and rejoin the Yes lineup (initially as part of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
) while Robert Berry would become part of the partial Emerson Lake & Palmer reunion project 3
. Phil Spalding would return to a session career. Max Bacon's 1996 solo album The Higher They Climb included GTR material, and he later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Howe's 1999 release, Portraits of Bob Dylan
.
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
and Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
guitarist Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
and former Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
guitarist Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
. In comparison to the two leaders' earlier work within progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, GTR's work followed more of an Adult Oriented Rock format. The band was short-lived, lasting for two years and one album. Hackett has subsequently been strongly critical of the project, though not necessarily of the other musicians involved in it.
The band's name came from an abbreviation of "guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
" as used for track labelling in multi-track recording studios.
History
GTR was formed following Steve Howe's departure from AsiaAsia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
in 1985, following which he and former Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
manager Brian Lane discussed plans for a new group. Howe expressed an interest in working with Hackett, who was then approached by Lane. Hackett proved amenable, despite some doubts as to the project setup: his last few solo albums (including the atypical all-classical-guitar project Bay of Kings) had sold disappointingly and despite his interest in continuing his acoustic work, he saw GTR as an option for sustaining his career at a prominent level and also financing future solo work. Once the two guitarists were in place, the group was completed with the recruitment of American drummer Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover
Jonathan Mover is an American drummer who has worked with a number of artists including Aretha Franklin, Fuel, Alice Cooper, Shakira, Julian Lennon, GTR, Everlast, The Tubes, Mick Jagger, Steve Howe, Peter Frampton, Oleander, Celine Dion, Elton John, Stuart Hamm, They Might Be Giants, Frank...
(ex-Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
, and later to work with Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
), bass guitarist Phil Spalding
Phil Spalding
Philip Spalding also known as Phil Spalding, is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars...
(ex-Bernie Torme
Bernie Tormé
Bernie Tormé is a rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, record label and recording studio owner.-Early career:...
, Toyah
Toyah (band)
Toyah is the name of the band fronted by Toyah Willcox between 1977 and 1983. The only other consistent band member throughout this period was Joel Bogen, Willcox's principal co-writer and guitarist.-Background :...
, Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
and Original Mirrors) and singer Max Bacon
Max Bacon
Max Bacon is the former lead singer for 1980s arena rock supergroup GTR as well as the frontman for lesser known bands like Moby Dick, Nightwing, Phenomena, and Bronz....
(ex-Moby Dick, Nightwing
Nightwing (band)
Nightwing is a British heavy metal band, originally formed in 1978 as "Gordon and Friends" by bassist Gordon Rowley and keyboardist Kenny Newton. Their first release was 1981's Something In The Air on the Ovation Records label and featured three drummers before the band reduced its numbers for the...
and Bronz
Bronz
Bronz are an English rock band, formed in Bath in the mid 1970s. The band played mainly around the UK and at the 'free festivals' of the time. These included at Stonehenge in both 1977 and 1978, following an appearance at Glastonbury in 1976.-Career:...
).
One of the central ideas for GTR as a project was an attempt to create a fully fleshed contemporary band sound without the use of keyboard synthesizers (following Howe's increasing disgruntlement with the predominance of keyboards in Asia). Instead, Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland
Roland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
guitar synthesizer pickups, which used the vibrations of the strings to create MIDI signals which could be used to trigger and operate rack synthesizers. All of the synthesizer sounds on the group's studio recordings were created using this method, which was also in line with the emphasis on the band as a "guitar" project featuring two "superstar" progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
guitarists.
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
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
as producer. Howe and Hackett disagreed on method, with the former favouring investment in high-quality studio time and the latter favouring a relatively low-budget recording approach but an investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt. Hackett would later criticise Lane’s work as manager, accusing him of following a “divide and conquer” approach to ensure that the band would be in dissension and agree to the final deal secured by Lane, in order to recoup the time and money invested.
GTR's self-titled debut album
GTR (album)
GTR is the 1986 self-titled debut album and sole official studio release from the short-lived supergroup GTR. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single "When the Heart Rules the Mind" reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 single chart. Another single, "The Hunter,"...
was released by Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in November 1986. The album went gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, hit #11 on the album charts, and spawned a hit single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind" (#14), which stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. Another single, "The Hunter", received some video coverage and modest airplay, peaking at #85. 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 claimed 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) read simply, "SHT
Shit
Shit is usually considered vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun it refers to fecal matter and as a verb it means to defecate or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea...
". (Considine later said it was the most famous thing he'd ever written in his three decades as a critic, while Hackett claimed the review actually helped sales of the album.)
GTR toured North America and Europe in 1986. Live rehearsals revealed that the band's "no keyboards" method did not work in concert due to the poor tracking qualities of the guitar synthesizers, and therefore the tour featured keyboard player Matt Clifford in the GTR lineup in order to recreate the studio sound. Songs in the setlist included Genesis and Yes material as well as songs from Hackett and Howe's solo albums. Howe, Hackett and Bacon also appeared as guest VJs on MTV's "Guest VJ Hour" in the summer. A show at the Wilshire Theater
Wilshire Theater
The Saban Theatre is a historic theatre in Beverly Hills, California, formerly known as the Wilshire Theater. It is an Art Deco structure designed by architect S. Charles Lee and is considered a classic Los Angeles landmark. It is located at the southeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Hamilton...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour
King Biscuit Flower Hour
The King Biscuit Flower Hour was a syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock artists.-History:...
radio show (and later released on album) demonstrated that the group was extremely tight and well-practiced live. Tracks played included versions of Yes's "Roundabout"
Roundabout (song)
"Roundabout" is the opening track for the 1971 album Fragile by British progressive rock band Yes. The song was written by singer Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire. In January 1972, an edited version of the song was released as a single with "Long Distance Runaround" on the B-side. "Roundabout"...
and a re-working of the Genesis classic "I Know What I Like" as well as pieces from Hackett's and Howe's solo LPs. A preview of a new song, "Prizefighters", was included in this collection. The song was later developed for Hackett's planned 1986 solo release Feedback
Feedback 86
Feedback 86 is a solo album by guitarist Steve Hackett. The album is a collection of songs written in 1986 but put on the shelf. Some of the songs were supposed to be on the aborted second GTR album.-Track listing:...
, which eventually appeared in 2000.
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 Steve Howe) led to him 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 the Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
guitarist Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
with the suggestion that May joined 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.
The band's debt situation had not improved and in 1987 Hackett called time on the group. He would recall that "in order to create or maintain that level of success, the band was functioning on an extremely insecure footing financially. Someone had to be the bad guy and say, 'I'm calling an extraordinary general meeting and closing down the company.' Which is what I did, because we had far too many money issues to be able to continue." Hackett then left GTR, stating it had been "interesting for about five minutes", and resumed his solo career. Later, he would reflect "Yes, we had a firm deal and I could have perhaps done it for life, but frankly, I prefer my albums to be more spontaneous and creatively free... There are artistic limitations with any successful band, and it was a successful band." Mover also left GTR, going on to play in Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
's band.
Unwilling to give up on the band, Steve Howe tried to continue GTR with Bacon, Spalding, ex-Saxon drummer Nigel Glockner and a second singer/guitarist - former Hush
Hush (band)
Hush was a 1970s Australian glam rock pop group and became famous during frequent appearances on the ABC show Countdown for live concerts and teenagers, and they would not have come into existence without the superb John Koutts on drums....
member Robert Berry
Robert Berry
Robert Berry is an American guitarist, vocalist and producer, best known for his work with Hush, 3, Ambrosia, Alliance & Los Tres Gusanos.-History:...
. A bootleg 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 ABWH
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
album).
Post-GTR, Steve Howe would resume his solo career and rejoin the Yes lineup (initially as part of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
) while Robert Berry would become part of the partial Emerson Lake & Palmer reunion project 3
3 (band)
3, also known as Three, is an American hybrid band formed in Woodstock, New York in the early 90s.-History:...
. Phil Spalding would return to a session career. Max Bacon's 1996 solo album The Higher They Climb included GTR material, and he later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Howe's 1999 release, Portraits of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Rock Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
UK Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "When the Heart Rules the Mind" | 14 | 3 | - | GTR |
| 1986 | "The Hunter" | 85 | 14 | - | GTR |