Defector
The fourth solo album, made with the touring band, and still his highest chart placing in Britain.
Steve Hackett, 1980
- Released
- June 1980
- Recorded
- Spring 1980
- Studio
- Wessex Sound Studios, Highbury, London
- Label
- Charisma
- Producer
- Steve Hackett and John Acock
Before recording he held a run of gigs in November 1979, including one at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The sessions took place in spring 1980 at Wessex Sound Studios in Highbury, north London.
He named the 1970 film The Conformist as a model for the imagery. He described the underlying theme as feelings of being trapped in a situation and having to move away, with the word Defector as a metaphor.
The album reached 9 in Britain and 144 in the United States. The Show was the single. The tour included his first solo dates in North America and left him exhausted. A 2005 Virgin remaster added five bonus tracks, and a surround mix is in the Premonitions box.
Track listing
- The Steppes6:05
- Time to Get Out4:11
- Slogans3:46
- Leaving3:16
- Two Vamps as Guests1:58
- Jacuzzi4:36
- Hammer in the Sand3:11
- The Toast3:42
- The Show3:40
- Sentimental Institution2:44
Personnel
- Steve Hackett guitars, Roland GR-500 guitar synthesizer, producer
- Pete Hicks lead vocals on Leaving, The Show and Sentimental Institution
- Dik Cadbury bass guitar, Moog Taurus pedals, backing vocals
- Nick Magnus keyboards
- John Hackett concert and alto flute
- John Shearer drums, percussion
- John Acock producer
More from Steve Hackett
Foxtrot (1972), Voyage of the Acolyte (1975), Please Don't Touch! (1978), Spectral Mornings (1979), Bay of Kings (1983)
Sources
- Defector (Steve Hackett album), Wikipedia
- Defector (master release), Discogs