Steve Hackett's later material is somewhat different from his '70s and '80s work, in that the guitar playing tends to be less progressive and lengthy, verging more on rock-blues and basic string arrangements.
The emergence into this style is showcased on Guitar Noir, as Hackett displays a more mature side to his instrumental prowess.
Each song is given one line of interpretation from Hackett in the liner notes, as the songs range from the life of a prostitute to the onslaught of television in the household.
Only two of the 12 songs are without vocals, but words have no affect on Hackett's beautiful passages anyway.
Hackett even plays harmonica on "Lost in Your Eyes" and "Vampyre With a Healthy Appetite," a tune about stolen pints of blood from a New Orlean's hospital.
As a guitar player first and foremost, the stories behind each song tend to get lost in the instruments, which also include light keyboards, but this doesn't hinder the atmosphere of any of them.
Hackett makes the guitar sound somber when it has to be, or tranquil and alluring, so every tune casts it's own shadow of mood and feel.
His intricacies are somewhat missed from past progressive albums, but he doesn't have to play extended solos to be fully appreciated.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lost in Your Eyes | Steve Hackett | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | In the Heart of the City | Steve Hackett | Play | 04:31 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Sierra Quemada | Steve Hackett | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Take These Pearls | Steve Hackett | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Little America | Steve Hackett | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | There Are Many Sides to the Night | Steve Hackett | Play | 06:55 | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | Walking Away From Rainbows | Steve Hackett | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 13 MB |
| 8 | Like an Arrow | Steve Hackett | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 9 | Dark as the Grave | Steve Hackett | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | Paint Your Picture | Steve Hackett | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 11 | Tristesse | Steve Hackett | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 12 | Cassandra | Steve Hackett | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 13 | Vampire With A Healthy Appetite | Steve Hackett | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 56 mins | 129 MB | |||||
| 56 mins | 325 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Hackett | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Brian May | Guest Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |