| Gtr (band) |
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GTR's only studio album, a Self-titled LP produced by Geoffrey Downes of Asia, released by Arista Records , went Gold and spawned a hit single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind", which stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.http://www.connollyco.com/discography/gtr/heart7.html Another single, "The Hunter," received some video coverage and modest airplay. While GTR's album was a chart success, it is highly debated with many fans of Genesis and Yes. Some fans claim it has rather substandard filler material and some criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor. J.D. Considine's review of the album simply read, "TTL SHT.".http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/jd_considine.htm However, it has become somewhat of a cult classic among fans, with some of them regarding it the best work ever.http://www.asiarock.com/categories/gtr.html After a poorly conceived trans-Atlantic tour, Hackett's dissatisfaction with the group's financial management spelled the end of the project. Subsequent to an abortive lineup change in 1987 , Hackett left GTR, stating it had been "interesting for about five minutes". Other fans have also speculated that Howe and Hackett did not get on well. Hackett's subsequent comments about GTR have been ambivalent at best. He once said of the group, "There are artistic limitations with any successful band and it ''was'' a successful band."http://members.shaw.ca/pleasedonttouch/gtr.html The King Biscuit recording from Los Angeles demonstrated that the group was extremely tight and well practiced live. Tracks include versions of Yes' "Roundabout" and an epic re-working of the Genesis classic "I Know What I Like" as well as songs from the band's sole studio album, Hackett's and Howe's solo LPs and the U.S. Top 40 single "When The Heart Rules The Mind".http://www.camino.co.uk/detail.html?cat=37&productref=24 Also, a preview of a new song, "Prizefighters", was included on this collection. The song was later developed for Hackett's planned 1986 release ''Feedback'' (only eventually released in 2003 ). After this, the band disbanded with Steve Hackett returning to stronger solo releases including "Guitar Noir". Steve Howe tried to reform the group with Robert Berry as a guitarist and lead vocals; however, it is rumoured that Max Bacon did not like being pushed back to second lead vocalist and became distant from the project. The bootleg of the second album sessions called 'Nerotrend' features half the music sung by Berry and half sung by Bacon. Various bits of this release have appeared on future albums, including the song 'This World is Big Enough for All of Us' which became 'Birthright' on the ABWH album.http://www.tranglos.com/marek/yes/tr_125.html An interesting piece of GTR trivia concerns vocalist Max Bacon's almost surreal attempt to relaunch his career following the breakup with an appearance as a contestant on ITV's vintage talent show '' New Faces ''. Relaunched in the late 1980s , the revamped ''New Faces'' was hosted by Marti Caine and featured judges such as Chris Tarrant (the nice one) and Nina Myskow (the nasty one). Max eventually reached the 1988 final and performed a version of "The Hunter", but he ultimately lost the competition. Interestingly, however, no mention was made on the show of his previous GTR success. Max Bacon's 1996 solo album ''The Higher They Climb'' included GTR material. He later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Steve Howe's 1999 release, ''Portraits of Bob Dylan ''. There is also a CD of an LA GTR performance on King Biscuit Flower Hour , and even a bootleg floating around. DISCOGRAPHY
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