Steve Hackett
The Tokyo Tapes

Release Date: 1998 | Tracklist

“The Tokyo Tapes” is the third live album of Steve Hackett that was released in 1998. The line up on the album is Steve Hackett, John Wetton, Ian McDonald, Julian Colbeck and Chester Thompson.


Steve Hackett is a name that needs no introduction. The ex-Genesis former band member is one of the finest guitarists and is one of the most respected musicians. He has a very own guitar style. Hackett is regarded as one of the best composers for acoustic and electric guitars, in the domain of classical and rock. He contributed to six studio and three live albums of Genesis. After he left Genesis, he released many solo works and toured on a regular basis since then. His playing has influenced many prog rock guitarists such as Alex Lifeson, Brian May and Steve Rothery, for instance.

Soon after completing his personal project “Watcher Of The Skies”, Hackett conceived a series of concerts involving many of the musicians from that Genesis’ project. Hackett wanted to record a special live release with it. So, “The Tokyo Tapes” is a double live album compiling recordings from two concerts in Tokyo, Japan on 16 and 17 December, in 1996. Still, in 2001 Hackett decided to release a DVD with the same name and the same number of tracks.

“The Tokyo Tapes” has seventeen tracks. But, my live CD version also contains three other Hackett’s tracks. They’re three studio tracks, “Firewall”, “The Dealer” and “Riding The Colossus”. Those are the three last tracks on the album.

The set list has Genesis’ songs and Hackett’s solo archive songs. The Genesis’ songs are six: “Watcher Of The Skies”, “Firth Of Fifth”, “Horizons”, “In That Quiet Earth”, “Los Endos” and “I Know What I Like”. These songs were released on “Foxtrot”, “Selling England By The Pound”, “A Trick Of The Tail” and “Wind And Wuthering”. Hackett’s songs are seven: “Riding The Colossus”, “Camino Royal”, “Walking Away From Rainbows”, “Vampyre With A Healthy Appetite”, “Shadow Of The Hierophant” and “Black Light”. These songs were released on “Voyage Of The Acolyte”, “Highly Strung”, “Bay Of Kings” and “Guitar Noire”. This live show also contains songs written and released by some other bands and artists. So, we have “Battlelines” from Wetton’s album “Battle Lines”, “The Court Of The Crimson King” from the King Crimson’s album “In The Court Of The Crimson King”, “Heat Of The Moment” from the Asia’s eponymous album “Asia” and “I Talk To The Wind” from King Crimson’s debut studio album “In The Court Of The Crimson King”.

Most of the songs are played differently from the original studio versions, with other arrangements and with extended instrumental sections. Genesis’ classics, such as “Watcher Of The Skies”, “Firth Of Fifth”, are excellently completed with a great Hacket’s guitar solo, “In That Quiet Earth”, “Los Endos”, and “I Know What I Like” are played with renewed vigour, with John Wetton handling most of the lead vocals. John Wetton also covers his song “Battlelines” and an acoustic version of Asia’s hit “Heat Of The Moment”. King Crimson’s fans will revel in the inclusion of “The Court Of The Crimson King” and “I Talk To The Wind”, which features some great flute playing and Mellotron sounds from Ian McDonald. Steve Hackett also covers a bunch of tunes from his many solo albums. The highlights are, maybe, “Riding The Colossus”, “Shadow Of The Hierophant”, and the lovely track “Walking Away From Rainbows”. Hackett on this live show exhibits his fine form, displaying his unique talents, on both electric and acoustic guitars throughout. Put aside Hackett’s questionable lead vocals and you have an excellent souvenir of a true fine performance highly recommended.

The DVD recreates the entire performance providing a rare opportunity to view great vintage material. The stage setting is very spacious with, from left to right, Colbeck, Hackett, Wetton and McDonald, positioned stage front, and Thompson centrally located behind the guitarist and bassist. The stage backdrop and lighting here are economical but effective, a true reminiscent of Genesis’ shows from the early of the 70’s. A good deal of the footage is shot from the audience’s view point although the onstage cameras ensure that individual solos and Thompson in particular, are not overlooked.


Conclusion: “The Tokyo Tapes” is a great live show with some of my favourite musicians. The concert is absolutely wonderful. The songs have been performed differently from their studio versions, and they’re simply magnificent. They’re some of my favourite songs, performed on some of my favourite albums and released by some of my favourite bands. They’re all truly classic songs that are superiorly performed by this fantastic super group of excellent musicians. I confess I bought the album after having acquired the DVD. I must say that the CD and the DVD are both spectacular and magnificent. This is a fine DVD or a double CD collection, with an enjoyable diversity of source material. If you don’t have the album or the DVD, I advise you to buy one of them, or buy both if you can. In the case of the DVD, there isn’t enough prog rock music represented in that format. It’s a must have for any fan of the prog genre.


Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)

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4.4 superb

Rank: #0 for 1998