GTR

By the mid-Eighties, rock was going through a period of transformation. The rise of electronic music and synth-pop seemed to call into question the role of the guitar and the primacy of the storied acts that had dominated the previous decade. It was in that very context that GTR was born, a supergroup formed by Steve Hackett, formerly of Genesis, and Steve Howe of Yes. The idea was to bring together two of the most authoritative guitarists on the progressive scene to prove that rock still had something new to say. Expectations were sky-high, but the project folded within little more than a year, leaving behind only one album and one hugely successful single as its legacy.

Looking back on the band's formation, Steve Hackett recalled that it all came together thanks to Howe's manager, Brian Lane. "The idea came from Steve Howe's manager, Brian Lane. Steve and I already knew each other, and Brian thought our styles would complement one another." The lineup was rounded out by singer Max Bacon, bassist Phil Spalding, who had previously worked with Mike Oldfield, and drummer Jonathan Mover, fresh off a brief stint with Marillion. Production of the album was entrusted to Geoff Downes, already known for his work with Buggles, Yes and Asia.
The first track Hackett and Howe worked on together would go on to become the standout moment of their short-lived venture. "We played each other some ideas we'd developed separately," Hackett recalled. "Steve had the instrumental intro to a song, and I had a melody that fit perfectly with it. That's how we started building 'When The Heart Rules The Mind'."

Released in 1986 as the lead single, "When The Heart Rules The Mind" reached No. 14 on the American charts, becoming GTR's one true hit. Its success was also helped along by the band's deal with Arista Records. "We were lucky to sign with Arista Records. The owner was Clive Davis, a genuine heavyweight of the record industry. He helped get us noticed in the United States, which became the market where we worked the most."
Choosing the first single, however, wasn't a foregone conclusion. Clive Davis would have preferred to release "The Hunter", but the band pushed back. "We also had 'The Hunter' and he wanted to put that out. But we insisted that 'When The Heart Rules The Mind' come out first." The decision proved to be the right one: while the first single cracked the US Top 20, "The Hunter", released afterwards, barely scraped into the Top 100.

The self-titled album "GTR", released the same year, remains an odd entry even within the progressive landscape. Though born from the meeting of two icons of British prog, the end result is closer to a slick, tech-driven AOR than to the tradition of Genesis and Yes. The lengthy recording sessions, which lasted around eight months, were marked by heavy use of the most cutting-edge technology of the day: Roland guitar synths, MIDI systems, Fairlight, Synclavier, Emulator, Memory Moog and SynthAxe were all deployed alongside traditional guitars in an attempt to fuse virtuosity with innovation.
The album alternates melodic numbers like "The Hunter", "Here I Wait" and "Jekyll And Hyde" with more explicitly instrumental moments, including "Sketches In The Sun", an elegant showcase for Howe's crystalline touch, and "Hackett To Bits", which instead puts Hackett's guitar vocabulary front and center. Closing the album is "Imagining", the track that most closely echoes the atmospheres of classic progressive rock.

Despite its undeniable technical qualities, the project never managed to find a real identity of its own. Artistic differences between the two leaders, combined with the exorbitant costs of reproducing live a repertoire built on such sophisticated technology, soon began to strain the balance within the band. Hackett wanted to scale back the production to make the group more sustainable, while Howe was inclined to stick with the original approach. The collaboration came to a swift end, and GTR never recorded a second album, limiting themselves to a run of live shows before splitting up.
Decades on, Hackett looks back on that experience with a mix of pride and regret. "We could have followed a path similar to Queen's. But our first song remained our best one, and the whole adventure lasted far too short a time."
What remains, then, is a single album, fascinating and divisive, born from the meeting of two guitar giants who, perhaps precisely because of the strength of their respective personalities, never managed to coexist long enough to turn a brilliant idea into a true success story.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

13/07/2026