13/09/2007

Steve Howe solo carreer

Today I'm posting some recent albums from Steve Howe solo career. Most of his compositions are instrumental and guitar-based. That's wise, as his voice as a solo singer is not good...
My focus is on Yes material and not on released albums, but as all of these albums are pretty hard to find on stores or on the internet (I had to upload Skylines, and the other links were not easy to get) I'll put them here. Hope you like.


Skyline (2002)

- Steve Howe / guitars, bass, keyboards
- Paul Sutin / keyboards, percussion

Steve Howe is a world-renowned guitar virtuoso with the great progressive rock group Yes. Probably only the most devoted fans realize that there is much more to him than just being a guitar player for that band. He is a venerated solo artist as well. On his latest effort "Skyline", HOWE proves to be an adept six-string maestro by combining jazz, rock, and strong Latin influences into intricate and dazzling instrumental compositions.
If you want to relax in front of the open fireplace (or the central heating for the less wealthy), this CD is yours: sensitive guitarplay (electric and acoustic, often with a jazzy feel) and soaring keyboards, sometimes evoking Mike Oldfield.
(taken from progarchives)


Natural Timbre (2001)
- Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), banjo, bass, dobro, guitar, mandolin, percussion, autoharp, guitar (bass), guitar (12 String), koto, mandola, mandocello, Hawaiian Lap Steel guitar
- Andrew Jackman / piano, Glockenspiel
- Anna Palm / violin
- Dylan Howe / drums

Here's probably the best Howe album... All the songs are acoustic, but he can make them very different one from another, using Mandolin, Banjo, several acoustic guitars, violin(played by Anna Palm). The whole album is very calm, perfect for reading, and he makes blues (Intersection Blues, to me the best track), Jazz (Dream River), and ambient music ( Distant Seas)... The disc has songs for all my moods. The Yes songs, in my opinion are all excelent: Your Move's extremely beautiful melody is made better, and the recorders are so calm and soft; Disillusin (from Starship Trooper) is outstanding, very emotive; To Be Over is a masterpiece, with amazing Glockenspiel, and a totally different atmosphere from the original. They are all as good as the originals.

Pulling Strings (1999) (Live)
- Steve Howe / acoustic guitars (1,7,13,15,16), electric guitars (13,16), string pad (7), hi hat (7), lute (9), keyboards (9,13,15), bass (9,13,16), tambourine (9), drum machine
- Phil Spalding / bass on track 1
- Stuart Elliott / drums on track 1

(...)One of those Beginnings tunes, "Pleasure stole the night", appears on PULLING STRINGS, unplugged (like most of the material here), and although its lyrics still don't make sense, it's heartwarming, it really makes you feel as if you just got to know Steve a little better.
Same with the Yes tunes. Once again, you'll have to forgive Steve his well-known limitations, but even so, I feel he makes a decent job of "Soon", "Turn of the Century" and the slow bit from "Close to the Edge". It certainly casts a totally new light on the pieces to hear them performed by someone who was intimately involved in their conception. If Steve played them the way he does here in MY local bar, I'd weep - and not even with frustration.
Steve's instrumental bits, I trust, won't cause anyone any trouble; they're fun as usual. But then, at the end of the programme, Steve suddenly grabs an electric guitar and lets rip with "My white bicycle", a Tomorrow classic I'd never heard before. Judging from its performance here, people, it's a TREMENDOUS tune!

(taken from progarchives)

Spectrum (2005)
- Steve Howe / guitars
- Tony Levin / bass
- Dylan Howe / drums
- Oliver Wakeman / keyboards
- Virgil Howe / keyboards

Steve Howe is the master of diversity on the six-string. With his new CD he covers the entire musical "Spectrum" and beyond. The entire album is instrumental and he certainly makes an immense statement without any vocals added to each track. There is no need for his YES band mates Anderson and Squire to add any vocals to this mix; it is a complete masterpiece without that element present. Rick Wakeman’s son Oliver and his own two talented offspring, Dylan and Virgil, join Howe, which is a stunning combination of the old guard and the new blood emerging from the YES family. Howe is one smart cookie, he has bass player supreme Tony Levin is in the studio for the sessions to round out his resonating guitar oriented compositions. God knows how Levin finds the time to play on all of the projects he does. He is simply incredible.
(...) Songs like “Tigers Den” and “Realm Thirteen” have irresistible hooks and rhythms that are as unique as they are inviting. (...)
Howe is equally adept with the acoustic or electric guitar, hence his ability to rock and play softer more jazz Latin inflected numbers to enhance your listening experience and make it an all around instrumental voyage through several different styles. I have a fondness for prog-rock and jazz fusion, whether it is acoustic or electric it does not really matter to me, I simply love it all. You hear will jazz, rock, country, blues, or combinations of them all in electric and acoustic settings during the course of Howe’s brilliant compositions. This is guitar 101. If you are an avid listener of the Howe repertoire o
r wish to study one of the more diverse and incredible guitar players on the face of the earth today, check out "Spectrum" now.
(from progarchives)


Links on comments!

16 comments:

Martini said...

Skylines (2002)
http://sharebee.com/f0020f7b

Natural Timbre (2001)
http://lix.in/7bb549

Spectrum (2005)
http://lix.in/b5ce9c

Pulling Strings (1999)
http://lix.in/e0807e

Martini said...

As the archive with Spectrum doesn't have the names of the songs, I put them here:
1. Tigers Den (3:46)
2. Labyrinth (3:57)
3. Band Of Light (3:34)
4. Ultra Definition (3:39)
5. Raga Of Our Time (4:12)
6. Ebb and Flow (4:03)
7. Realm Thirteen (4:27)
8. Without Doubt (3:45)
9. Highly Strung (4:30)
10. Hour Of Need (5:13)
11. Fools Gold (4:05)
12. Where Words Fail (4:16)
13. In The Skyway (3:13)
14. Livelihood (3:34)
15. Free Rein (3:52)

Anonymous said...

Thanks!!! Gracias!!! Obrigado!!! Merci!!!
Est-ce que vous parlez portugais/anglais/allemand/espagnol?
Je ne parle pas français
Kisses, many kisses.
RJJR

Martini said...

I don't understand you. You don't speak french but talk in french? Weird... Anyway I speak portuguese, english and french (this one not well). Anything, just tell. Thanks for the supporting.

Não te entendo. Você não fala francês mas falou francês? Estranho... De qualquer forma, falo português, inglês e francês (este não muito bem). Qualquer coisa, só falar. Obrigado pelo apoio.

Je ne te comprends pas. Tu ne parles français mais tu est en parlant? Étrange... Moi, je parle portuguais, anglais e un peu de français. Quelque chose, parlez. Merci par le support. Si tu pourrais informer les fans de Yes de ton pays sur le blog, j'appréciarai.

Anonymous said...

Nice. I've wanted to hear Natural Timbres since Howe posted a sample of To Be Over on his website. Thanks so much.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I d/l Spectrum because I am a fan of Tony Levin. I will next d/l Natural Timbre based on your recomendations.

Anonymous said...

Thanks!

theressa said...

Thanks a lot Martini, great posts here. But is there any chance to re-up Steve Howe - Pulling Strings (1999) at zshare or RS please. Also just to let you know that the link to Steve Howe - Mothballs is gone already. Could you please re-up this for me.

Once again...many many thanks.

theressa said...

Thanks a lot Martini, great posts here. But is there any chance to re-up Steve Howe - Pulling Strings (1999) at zshare or RS please. Also just to let you know that the link to Steve Howe - Mothballs is gone already. Could you please re-up this for me.

Once again...many many thanks.

Martini said...

Pulling Strings is working. You just have to click at "Faça o download do seu ficheiro", wait 10 seconds and then click again, in the new pge, at "Faça o download do seu ficheiro"

theressa said...

I know that link is alive but I can't get a download finish from my country. Having tried using rcsa several times but got nothing.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Brilliant blog, hadn't bee aware
of most of the live shows.

John Sposato said...

Try and get Motif.
There are some Yes articles on my blog you all should see.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful blog. Many thank you for Steve Howe's Slyline. I'm looking for it so long.

Freeman said...

Cool Blog.

Thanks.

Martini said...

Brand new links:
Spectrum
www.mediafire.com/?y4xmvdkc4db

Natural Timbre
www.mediafire.com/?mm4tjylyjsm