Steve Hackett, ‘Genesis Revisited II’ – Album Premiere

Ultimate Classic Rock is giving you the exclusive opportunity to stream ‘Genesis Revisited II,’ the new album from former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett which will be released on October 23 by Inside Out.

While he wasn’t afraid to take liberties with the material, the new album as a whole, feels very authentic and often remains true to the spirit of the original recordings. Hackett tells Ultimate Classic Rock that ”obviously, it’s not with the original perpetrators, but this music seems to be more popular than ever. It’s largely the fascination with the early period where Peter Gabriel and I were involved with Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Phil Collins.”

The legacy of the band’s music from that era continues to grow, although as Hackett notes, “at the time, the albums we did were not huge sellers in their day, [but] over time they just keep selling.”

While revisiting the material on this new album, it was important to Hackett to “convey the idea of authenticity” with the updated versions. As he began assembling the group of artists who would collaborate with him on the project, he kept that thought in mind, although he says “I wasn’t looking for people who sounded like Genesis singers.”

In total, there are close to 40 guest musicians on ‘Genesis Revisited II,’ including prog aficionado Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth, John Wetton of Asia, Nik Kershaw and Simon Collins [the son of Phil Collins, who contributes vocals to a new version of ‘Supper’s Ready.’]

The veteran guitarist will hit the road in 2013 to play songs from ‘Genesis Revisited II’ with his regular touring band, augmented by Swedish singer Nad Sylvan, who sings on the album opening track ‘The Chamber of 32 Doors.’ Several U.K. tour dates are on sale now with additional shows to be announced in the future.

Listen To 'Genesis Revisited II'